Another week of preseason football is behind us as we inch closer to the start of the regular season. This week’s preseason action will feature the dress rehearsal for many teams, giving one last look at the starters before turning their attention to the regular season.

Today, I continue my 2016 NFL preview with a look to the NFC North. Last season ended in heartbreak for the Vikings and Packers in the playoffs, but both teams look ready to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy this year. It’s shaping up to be another battle at the top of the division between these two rivals, as the Lions have to adjust to life without Calvin Johnson and the Bears continue to rebuild. Let’s look at where these teams stand going into the regular season.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers enter this season with a ton of championship potential with the return of a healthy Jordy Nelson to the lineup. Without Nelson, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the preseason, the offense lacked the punch that we are used to seeing from Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers getting his favorite target back should make this a top offense once again. Rodgers willed this team into the playoffs last season, showing yet again why he is one of the best in the business.

You could also make the argument that Green Bay basically played without running back Eddie Lacy last season. He battled through inconsistent play, injuries, and was even benched the night before a game for a team rules violation. Lacy spent all offseason working with P90X creator Tony Horton. He looks slimmed down and ready to reclaim his starting spot in the backfield. It’s a contract year for Lacy as well, so look for him to be playing with a serious chip on his shoulder.

Green Bay’s defense dodged a bullet with linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers avoiding suspensions from the league last week for not complying with the NFL’s investigation in the Al Jazeera PED story from last year. With both of them presumably clear of punishments for now, this defense looks ready to build on some of the successes from last season. This unit ranked near the middle of the NFL in points and yards allowed, 12^th and 16^th respectively (via Pro Football Reference). This doesn’t have to be a shutdown unit, and playing bend but don’t break suits them well playing in complement to a prolific offense.

The schedule looks pretty light for a potentially elite team in the NFC. The stretch to watch is the final four games against Seattle, at Chicago, Minnesota, and at Detroit. Expect this team in the playoffs come January, and they’ll be pushing for home field advantage all season.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings were one of the surprises of the NFL last season, winning the NFC North with an 11-5 record. They will have to put the gut-wrenching playoff loss behind them and continue to build upon last season (Laces out!). Minnesota is locked and loaded this season playing a tough brand of ground and pound football led by running back Adrian Peterson. The x-factor for this offense lies solely on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He will have to make progress in the passing game to keep this offense from being too one-dimensional (They ranked 31^st in passing yards last year). Peterson is the best running back in the game, but is getting up there in age. The Vikings did draft wide receiver Laquon Treadwell to help bolster the receiving core, and showed flashed of being a special player at Ole Miss.

Minnesota sported one of the better defenses in the league last season, and expects much of the same. This unit ranked fifth in points allowed, and turned into one of the best defenses in the league under head coach Mike Zimmer. Linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive end Everson Griffen, and safety Harrison Smith all made the Pro Bowl last season, and are the headliners of a young core this defense is built around. If they can get to the passer more effectively and create more turnovers, this defense has the potential to be a top-five defense overall.

There are a few tough games on the schedule for the Vikings, but luckily there is some distance between those games. The issue is two of the tougher games are paired with games against Green Bay. Weeks 2 and 3 features games against Carolina and Green Bay while weeks 15 and 16 are against Indianapolis followed by the rematch with the Packers. I fully expect the Vikings to be in the mix for a playoff spot again this season.

Detroit Lions

Life without future Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson begins this season in Detroit. All of the pressure rests on quarterback Matthew Stafford to be the motor of this offense. Detroit signed receivers Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin to help fill the void left by Megatron. Golden Tate now becomes the go-to target in this offense, and he showed that he is capable of lead guy. The Lions will have to find some balance to this offense however. The running game was non-existent at times, and need a rebound season from the running backs to get things going on the ground after finishing last in the league in rushing yards. Running back Theo Riddick was a pleasant surprise in the passing game, but he was the lone highlight for this group.

Defensively, the Lions missed the presence of Ndamukong Suh after losing him in free agency. This unit is nothing to write home about, and could be the Achilles’ heel for this team this season. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in most of the key categories last season, and no moves were made to bolster this unit.

The Lions avoid playing the upper-echelon teams in the NFL outside of division rival Green Bay, which is the only reprieve this team may get. There are a lot of question marks about this team. Offensively they may be able to mask some of the deficiencies of the defense but it won’t be enough to make a playoff run. This is a team in turnaround that needs to figure out what they have going forward.

Chicago Bears

Last season was a lost year in Chicago. Injuries and poor play hampered the Bears all year. This season looks a little better but I don’t believe it is enough to put them in contention with the Packers and Vikings at the top of the division. Chicago traded Martellus Bennett to New England, then let running back Matt Forte leave in free agency. The receiving core should be better this season with Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White leading the way after an injury filled season. The only issue is that Jay Cutler still plays quarterback in Chicago. This isn’t to say that Cutler doesn’t have the talent, but he has shown time and again that he is not a guy that can take a team all the way.

Chicago spent the offseason adding to its defense with the money saved by subtracting Bennett and Forte from the salary cap. Resigning cornerback Tracy Porter, signing linebackers Danny Trevathan, Jerrel Freeman, and Sam Acho were among some of the moves made to bolster a defense that struggled last season against the run. The secondary took a major hit last week with star cornerback Kyle Fuller undergoing an arthroscopic knee surgery. Fuller is out indefinitely and will leave a hole in the back end of this defense.

Much like the Detroit Lions, Chicago doesn’t have an impossible schedule. There are some winnable games, but the uncertainty in how this team will perform doesn’t inspire much faith in this team. They went 6-10 last season, I would expect something similar in Chicago this year. Don’t buy into the “team in year two under head coach John Fox” hype that is out there.

 

I will be continuing my NFL previews on Wednesday as I look at the AFC East (finally). Tomorrow I will go over some potential sleepers and busts for fantasy football. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and give the Shooting the Moon page a like on Facebook. Keep the conversation going on in the comments and send me your thoughts.