NFL Power Rankings: Division rankings
By Brad Rowland
4) NFC North
The NFC North is upside down.
The default favorite in the division, the Green Bay Packers, took a decisive defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. Yes, Green Bay had an impossible task in facing the defending champs in their home building, but the Packers looked sketchy on defense (to put it mildly) and along the offensive line, while sustaining a concussion-related injury to stud running back Eddie Lacy.
Behind the Packers, many expected a giant leap forward from Marc Trestman and the Chicago Bears, who promptly went to Buffalo and lost to the Bills. Chicago’s defense does not inspire confidence at all, but fortunately, the offense is still loaded with the likes of Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and that is enough to hold down the fort.
The bottom half of the division, at least by the projections, looked very good over the weekend, though, and that sustains life here. The Minnesota Vikings had arguably the best win of the weekend with a 34-6 drubbing of the St. Louis Rams (on the road!), and their defense looks to be vastly improved with enough weapons to surround Matt Cassel effectively on offense. In addition, the Detroit Lions cruised to a three-touchdown win on Monday night, overcoming some negative stereotypes of their roster by throttling the New York Giants from start to finish.
Do I expect this division to look this way moving forward? Absolutely not, but it’s tough to worry about Green Bay and Chicago, and with positive indications from the other two squads, things are looking up in the NFC North.