Minnesota Vikings: NFC North Prediction

With the season fast approaching I thought it might be time to not only think about how the Vikings will fare this season but also predict what will happen in the division as a whole.

There are still a lot of things that could happen between now and the season but it is interesting to go over each team’s schedule and think about where the Vikings may land in the NFC North when it’s all said and done.

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Fourth place – Chicago Bears (3-13)

I have the Bears in fourth place, to no one’s surprise except maybe Bears’ fans, because I think they got worse over the offseason. They are in a rebuilding stage right now and there are going to be growing pains that come along with that. They have brought in a new coaching staff and are making the to change to a 3-4 defense this year and will definitely deal with their share of adversity.

Third Place – Detroit Lions (9-7)

The Lions are still a bit of a wildcard in my mind. They’re a gritty team that can be tough to play on game day but have the ability to go full Lions at any point. Losing core pieces of their defensive line like Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley is going to hurt them, that goes without saying. I feel they didn’t do enough to replace the voids left by them, even after bringing in Haloti Ngata.

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Second Place – Minnesota Vikings (10-6)

I have the Vikings at second in the division at this point. There is a lot of hype around the team this year and it’s fantastic. A lot of people think they are going to do big things and I am one of those people. The improvements the team has made on both sides of the ball via the draft, free agency, and trades has them trending upwards, there’s no doubt about that.

First Place – Green Bay Packers (11-5)

The Packers have one of, if not, the most potent offense in the NFL. They haven’t lost any of their core guys on offense and I expect them to keep firing on all cylinders this season. Their defense leaves something to be desired, in my opinion, but can bend and not break and do enough to get the previously mentioned lethal offense back on the field.

As mentioned, a lot can happen between June and opening Kickoff in September but this division is, with exception of the Bears, tight. This is how I feel things will go down this year in the NFC North at this point in time but it could get blown wide open. All four teams have tough schedules overall and will face some tough four and five game stretches that no team would envy. In theory Detroit, Minnesota, or Green Bay all have a shot at the division title. I hope my prediction is wrong and the Vikings take back division glory but this just seems most likely. It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

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