Green Bay Packers

2021 Record 13-4

Odds to win division -190

Coming off a tough loss at Lambeu last year against the 49ers to end their season, Green Bay looks to capitalize on the short window that Aaron Rodgers has left. The league MVP Rodgers will be without his number one target Davante Adams. Rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, along with Allen Lazard, look to help pick up the slack. Offensively, Allen Lazard should have a career year with how things shape out. I expect Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon on the field together as weapons for Rodgers as well outside of just the running game.

On paper, the defense looks like it will be one of the better ones in football. It’ll also help that they don’t play many teams with a good quarterback this season. Lockdown corner Jaire Alexander returns from injury this year and should keep WR1’s in check. The defensive line is solid with pro bowler Kenny Clark wreaking havoc. Across the board, the defense has playmakers and if the Packers want to make it far in the postseason, they might have to ride the defense to get there. 

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the NFC conference is weaker than ever.. Offensively, I don’t see Aaron Rodgers winning MVP again with the weapons he has but it doesn’t mean the offense won’t be good. The shift to a more run heavy approach with utilizing the Jones/Dillon backfield can very well happen. Rodgers has been notorious for protecting the football better than any other quarterback in the league. 

Run the ball. Good defense. It isn’t pretty, but it is effective.

I don’t think they will hit 13 wins again this year but with how soft their schedule is, 12 isn’t out of the picture by any means. A weak schedule will lead to a good record which leads to possibly the number one seed and the playoffs running through Lambeu. Outside of a surprise team, the NFC has Tampa Bay that has regressed, the Super Bowl champs in the Rams that could have the hangover, and Green Bay as far as top dogs in the conference go. Even with the loss of Davante Adams, the Packers are the top team in the NFC to me.

Time is running out for Aaron Rodgers to get another ring. The Packers have a great shot to make the Super Bowl again.  

Minnesota Vikings 

2021 Record 8-9

Odds to win division +260

Mike Zimmer is out as head coach after seven years with the team and in comes Kevin O’Connell. There is a lot of excitement for him since he is from the Sean McVay tree that has produced some good coaches already. The fun starts with the offense. It should open up more with second year superstar Justin Jefferson having even more opportunities to capitalize on. Adam Thielen and Irv Smith should return from injury. The question mark like always is the offensive line but if they can keep Kirk Cousins upright, this offense has every chance to be an explosive one.

After being one of the worst defenses in the league the last two years, the Vikings look to improve on it. Danielle Hunter returns and the Vikings added Za’Darius Smith from the Packers along with Harrison Phillipsfrom Buffalo to join him on the defensive line. The defensive line looks to be able to get pressure but the back end of the defense has been the liability in recent years. Minnesota added Lewis Cine in the first round and Andrew Booth in the second to help Patrick Peterson in the secondary. 

I think there is a lot to like with this team. The offensive should be even more explosive under the new coach and the defense will be much improved from last year. The Vikings were terrible last year in close games and are due for a change in 2022. Barring injury, Minnesota will be a playoff team in 2022 and even have a shot at the division if Green Bay regresses. 

Chicago Bears

2021 Record 6-11

Odds to win division +1500

If the Chicago Bears aren’t the worst team in football this year, I’ll be shocked. Second year quarterback has been set up to fail by the Bears front office. New head coach Matt Eberflus will try to make something out of this defense who’s lone star player on that side of the ball, Roquan Smith, they managed to piss off with contract negotiations this year. Fields will be playing behind the worst offensive line in football and will have Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet to throw to. That’s honestly about it because every other wide receiver for them is hurt. I expect a down year for David Montgomery for just how bad the o-line is. 

It’s a tough position to draft a young quarterback and instead of trying to capitalize his window before getting paid, having to rebuild instead. The Bears got rid of both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace last offseason and left new general manager Ryan Poles basically nothing to work with. If they don’t finish with the worst record in football, that’ll be their biggest win of the year.  

Detroit Lions

2021 Record 3-13

Odds to win divison +1000

Is any team more exciting right now than the Lions. We’ve got Dan Campbell drinking lethal amounts of caffeine. We have players singing on Hard Knocks. The vibes are good right now which is a little weird for a 3-13 football team. 

Outside of quarterback, the offense looks pretty damn good. A great running back when healthy in D’Andre Swift. A top tight end in TJ Hockenson. Two exciting young receivers in Amon Ra St. Brown and rookie Jameson Williams. They also have a top five offensive line in football. If they can’t score points this season, it’ll be because of Jared Goff. 

The defense last year for Detroit…….woooof. Not good.

Second overall pick Aiden Hutchinson should help. Outside of an unproven rookie, the Lions still don’t have much on defense. First round corner Jeff Okudah hasn’t really panned out and Romeo Okwara is coming back from a bad injury. The linebacking core and secondary is still a huge problem along with the fact the Lions defense has been terrible against mobile quarterbacks. 

Fans should be excited about the upward trajectory for the lines but should put a cap on how high it has gotten. Will they win more than three games this year? More than likely. Are they going to beat Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers and win the division? Not so likely. They should gain a few more wins this year and possibly hover around .500. 

Division Winner:

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions

Chicago Bears