The NFC North, despite being dominated by Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre for the last 30 years has always been a division full of interesting rivals and hard-fought matchups, and after Rodgers lost more weapons this past off-season, the gap between Green Bay and the field is seemingly becoming more narrow. With plenty of young talent being infused, as well as the ageing of Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, this division could be interesting in 2022, and with 3 Wild Card spots now up for grabs, we could potentially see two teams from this division battling it out in the post season.
No matter what happens, this is a division full of young, rising stars, and even if every team fails to get going, there's so much talent to watch, and the fans should enjoy a fun year, but what exactly does every team have in store? We will do division standing predictions at a later date, but as of right now, we are going to take a look at one prediction per NFC North team in 2022.
Green Bay Packers - Despite lack of weapons, A-Rod shines en route to another division title
Aaron Rodgers must be kicking himself every off-season, because after every year, the Packers seem to take another weapon away from him, and this time, Green Bay traded away his top target, and the best receiver in the NFL, Davante Adams. Despite such a huge loss, Rodgers has always been a guy who can turn nothing into something during the regular season, and even though his top targets are guys like Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb, he's still going to put up fantastic numbers.
Whether this helps in the post season or not will need to be seen, but the team has struggled in making a deep playoff run these past few years, and with less weapons around him, it's hard to see them bucking that trend in 2022. The team during the regular season however is consistently fantastic, and with an improved defence and a balanced attack around the back-to-back MVP, there's just no one in this division that can challenge them. Yet.
Detroit Lions - The Lions battle throughout the year and make it almost to .500
Outside of a few seasons under Jim Caldwell with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson on the team, the Detroit Lions have been very bad for the past few decades, and while they're not ready to compete just yet, this team is slowly building a good culture under new Head Coach Dan Campbell. Jared Goff clearly isn't the QB of the future, but with young pieces like DeAndre Swift, Jameson Williams, Amon Ra St. Brown and Michigan stud Aidan Hutchinson, this team isn't too far away from becoming genuinely competitive.
It's not going to happen this year, but with winnable games all over their schedule, there's no reason why the Lions can't take yet another step forward and win 7 or 8 games, building towards what is looking like a very bright future. Aaron Rodgers isn't going to run this division forever, and if the Lions continue to build, when Rodgers is done at the NFL level, they can step in with a young, talented roster and for the sake of Lions fans, set themselves up for a long, successful stint in the NFC North.
Minnesota Vikings - Justin Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving
Despite all the criticism that comes the way of Kirk Cousins, he's been a very good Quarterback throughout his NFL career, and the Vikings will need that in 2022 if they are to take one of the 3 Wild Card spots on offer this post season. They'll also need him for this prediction to come true, and it's not that crazy, considering Justin Jefferson is quick, great hands, athletic, a great route runner and has the confidence to get it done, so there's no reason why he can't be the top receiver in the NFL this upcoming season.
Other names like Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill, Jamar Chase, Cooper Kupp, D.K. Metcalf and so many more also have claim to the top spot, but with all of the tools and the production we've already seen from Jefferson, it's just a matter of time until he is head and shoulders above the rest. Minnesota should have a good shot at the playoffs in 2022, because they've got the pieces around Jefferson and a balanced attack, but if he can be at his best for 17 games this season, there's few defences in the NFC that can stop the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields struggles due to a severe lack of help
When the Bears drafted Justin Fields, people were understandably excited that they got a talented, experienced college QB with a bright future ahead of him, but unfortunately, since that point, Chicago has done absolutely nothing to help the former Ohio State product. His rookie year was full of ups and downs, and despite his potential, he's going to have little chance to show what he can do in 2022, because this wide receiver group looks like one of the worst in the NFL, and the Bears have a very tough schedule.
It's not going to doom his career, as he has plenty of talent, physical and mental, but for the sake of his health and potential success, he needs to either get out of Chicago like Roqan Smith wants too, or they'll need to get him some weapons. Bears fans have been watching the Packers torch them for years now, and unfortunately for them, it's going to be another long and painful year, and if they can't find some young players to build for the future around Fields, he's going to leave after his rookie contract and this team will be consistently last in the NFC North for years to come.
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