NFL Preview 2006 - NFC North

2005 Standings – NFC NORTH
Chicago ------------- 11-5
Minnesota ----------- 9-7
Detroit ------------- 5-11
Green Bay ----------- 4-12


2006 Outlook:

Chicago (9-7) – The NFC North could possibly be the worst division this year, but someone has to win it. Last year the Bears were able to get 11 wins because their defense kept them competitive. Having the best defense in the league will do that for you. This year will pretty much be the same. They haven’t done much to improve their offense, so Chicago will once again be relying on the defense to get some wins. Keep an eye on 2nd year RB Cedric Benson to take over as the #1 back on the team. The guy has skills and could have a big season. With the schedule they have, the Bears won’t win 11 games, but they will win the division.

Detroit (8-8) –The Lions only won 5 games a year ago, but in a weak division, they should be able to improve on that. They have good players on both sides of the ball, and they have a brand new quarterback in Jon Kitna who replaced the vastly underperforming Joey Harrington. If Kitna can make a good connection with wideout Roy Williams, they could rack up some big numbers together. Detroit is a young team that could be a contender in the very near future, but as for this season, the Lions will just miss out on the playoffs at 8-8.

Minnesota (4-12) – Many experts are picking the Vikings to be the team to challenge the Bears for the division this year, but I just don’t see it. They’re putting a lot of faith in the Brad Johnson to lead them to victory, but he’ll be 38 years old before Week 2, and he’s an injury waiting to happen. Their #1 WR, Koren Robinson, is in trouble with the law and may not even play this year. Their top RB, Chester Taylor, showed talent as the backup in Baltimore, but he’s not proven as a full-time starter. Minnesota’s defense also has holes, and their #1 draft pick from 2006, LB Chad Greenway, is out for the year due to an injury. The Vikings just have too many issues, so don’t expect more than 4 or 5 wins in 2006.

Green Bay (3-13) – Once one of the toughest teams to play in the league and a perennial playoff participant, much like the 49ers, the Packers franchise has fallen far from grace. They won 4 games a year ago and have done very little to make themselves better. They traded their top WR, Javon Walker, for future draft picks, and they didn’t make any big moves in free agency. They did use their #1 draft pick (#5 overall) to get LB A.J. Hawk, who is a bundle of energy and should be all over the place on defense, and they still have the ageless Brett Favre, who decided against retirement, at QB. Last year, Favre tried to do too much on his own and threw a career-high 29 interceptions. This year won’t be much different and the Packers will once again be at the bottom of the NFC.