NFL 2015 PREVIEW: NFC NORTH

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Packers 13-3

2. Lions 9-7

3. Vikings 9-7

4. Bears 2-14

The Vikings may have gotten Adrian Peterson back from his season long suspension and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is entering his second season as an NFL quarterback. They are being promoted as a possible playoff team. The Lions might have the best receiver of this generation in Calvin Johnson.

And the poor Chicago Bears…

I served with a guy who was a Bears fan. Every year he would predict they would go 0-16.

Why?

His reasoning was that if you set expectations so low that they would be easily exceeded.

I looked at the Bears schedule and based on who they play in 2015 the outlook is not good.

This is also the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Bears arguably one of the best defenses in NFL history. The 2015 Bears defense could be historically bad.

But despite the improvements by the Lions and Vikings, the NFC North will be ruled by the Packers in 2015.

Green Bay survived a furious comeback by Russell Wilson in last season’s NFC Championship Game. The Packers successfully recovered an onside kick to secure the 19-14 win and ended Seattle’s brief reign as NFL champion. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was announced the NFL MVP at the NFL Honors the night before the Super Bowl. Rodgers claimed his second Super Bowl championship and secured the game’s MVP honors with a 31-28 win over the New England Patriots in Phoenix. The last score was set up by a dramatic bobble catch from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson which had echoes of a pass Brett Favre threw to Antonio Freeman in 2000. On second and goal instead of passing Rodgers audibled from a pass play to run play and running back Eddie Lacy scored the game winning touchdown.

I might get a nastygram.

Worth it.

But yes, both the Packers and Lions were part of a chain of misfortune in the NFC playoffs last season. The Lions started it by losing to the Cowboys on a pass interference call that the referees later determined was not. Detroit did have a 14-point lead and then a 13-point lead in the second half. In the divisional round, the Cowboys lost to the Packers on the Dez Bryant “catch/no-catch.” Then the Packers blew a 12-point 4th quarter lead in the NFC Championship Game at Seattle and lost in overtime.

And Seattle ended the chain of sadz with losing the Super Bowl on the dumbest play ever called.

During the preseason, the Packers lost wide receiver Jordy Nelson for the season due to a torn ACL. I do not see the Packers missing a beat due to Nelson’s injury. It is safe to say that the path through the NFC will go through Green Bay in 2015.

Advice for surviving Wisconsin in January: dress warmly.