NFC North Prediction

[Noonthirtyjoe]

IF Jordan Love outplays Justin Fields, there will be a long reality check taking place on this forum.

This is very true, were loaded up to draft a QB next year IF needed.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

How do you see the NFC North shaking out this year? The division is the definition of mediocre. I could see a team winning the division with 10 wins, maybe 9. The Rodgers trade has cracked the division wide open. Every team has significant question marks. My prediction...

1. Lions
2. Vikings
3. Packers
4. Bears

While I think the Bears finish 4th this year I also think they have the brightest future of any team in the division. In the 2024-2025 season I could see a scenario where the Bears win the division as Fields establishes himself as the best QB in the division and a top 10 QB in the league. The Packers have realized Jordan Love is a middle of the road QB and have become basically irrelevant, the Vikings have faded away with a 36 year old Cousins and the Lions are trying to move off Geoff and on to Hooker.

The division is for the taking IF Fields is the guy and IF Poles has the ability to acquire talent. Those are big if's.

I agree on the win total for 1st place but think the Lions and Bears will battle for that with the Vkies 3rd and Pack last place.

 

[Zero2Cool]

1. Packers
4T. Bears
4T. Lions
4T. Vikings

Wait, that'd be three way tie for 2nd, not 4th. Dangit!!! You get the trash talk attempt anyway!!!

 

[Zero2Cool]

IF Jordan Love outplays Justin Fields, there will be a long reality check taking place on this forum.

I think we have to define outplays though.

Jordan Love is likely to be the more efficient passer, but I think Fields will run circles around Love when it comes to rushing statistics.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I think we have to define outplays though.

Jordan Love is likely to be the more efficient passer, but I think Fields will run circles around Love when it comes to rushing statistics.

QB stats, not RB stats.

 

[nc0gnet0]

1. Packers
4T. Bears
4T. Lions
4T. Vikings

Wait, that'd be three way tie for 2nd, not 4th. Dangit!!! You get the trash talk attempt anyway!!!

Detroit will sweep GB again this year, I am more confident in that then to say they will sweep the Bears.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

You're delusional. The lions swept an Aaron Rodgers lead Packers team last year, and improved much more than them in the off season, yet you think somehow the Lions will finish last? Vikings are the WC. The bears might be last year's Lions, starting slow and finishing strong, but it is between them and the Packers fighting it out for the bottom. Edge goes to the Packers, because, like always, The Pack owns the Bears until proven otherwise.

This is a predictions thread, my dude. There are no right or wrong answers here.

I said the Lions and Packers will be battling it out for 3rd or 4th place in the division. I went with DET, but I could see GB last depending on their QB situation. Why are we so eager to prop up DET as some kind of NFC juggernaut when they didn't even make the playoffs last year? Why is it so preposterous to think that a team that missed the playoffs could finish 3rd or 4th next year?

The Lions defense is still going to be pretty bad, and Jared Goff is not exactly a model of consistency. He played well in 2022, but his previous 3 seasons were mired in mediocrity. He's a guy good enough to win with, but he's not an ascending talent. A little regression to the mean might be in order.

And, again, I'll just reiterate what I said in the other post: Playing with nothing to lose because nobody expects you to win is a much different animal than a team with a target on their back. The Bears got a taste of this in 2019 after winning the division in 2018. I just think this Lions team has been way overhyped, and I think it's setting them up well to being the NFL's most disappointing team in 2023.

Obviously I could be way off, and they'll end up proving me wrong, which is why I said initially that I need to see it before I believe it. It's been 30 years since they last won the division. Sorry if I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon because of a couple of good games they had at the end of the year.

 

[msadows]

I think we have to define outplays though.

Jordan Love is likely to be the more efficient passer, but I think Fields will run circles around Love when it comes to rushing statistics.

Jordan Love, while I haven't written him off completely yet, has shown nothing in his college or pro career that says he can be a more efficient passer.

Most packers fans I know actually think he fails and they tank this year to get caleb. Now THAT result would be terrifying for bears fans if he becomes as good as hyped to be.

 

[Zero2Cool]

QB stats, not RB stats.

If they both produce similar QB stats, but Love has 200 yards rushing with 1 TD and Fields has 850 yards rushing with 8 TD's, you're really gonna say it's a tie? You're really not gonna ad it that Fields outplayed Love in that scenario simply because rushing stats are "RB stats" ??

 

[Anytime23]

Lions and Vikings will be 1st and 2nd in either order.

Bears and Packers will be 3rd and 4th in either order.

You're welcome

Wow what a BOLD prediction!

 

[Zero2Cool]

Jordan Love, while I haven't written him off completely yet, has shown nothing in his college or pro career that says he can be a more efficient passer.

Most packers fans I know actually think he fails and they tank this year to get caleb. Now THAT result would be terrifying for bears fans if he becomes as good as hyped to be.

You have to understand this about Packers fans. We're generally a polite bunch of folk. So, we know we've been SUPER FORTUNATE to go from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. That being said, we know the Bears history at QB so yeah, we're not gonna rub it in your face that we probably have a solid QB for another 8-10 years because that's just kicking a puppy that has a bum leg.

I would rather Drake Maye than Caleb Williams. This is solely going off highlights that I've seen, not actually watching film or All-22 footage.

I do think 2023 will have it's bumps for Jordan Love. I'm more curious to see how he is the final six games relative to the first six games. Does he make better reads? Does he make quicker decisions? Does he make the same errors he did in the first six in the last six? Basically, I just want to see progress by the end of the year.

 

[nc0gnet0]

If they both produce similar QB stats, but Love has 200 yards rushing with 1 TD and Fields has 850 yards rushing with 8 TD's, you're really gonna say it's a tie? You're really not gonna ad it that Fields outplayed Love in that scenario simply because rushing stats are "RB stats" ??

That is a lot of rushing yards for one game.
I digress, if, in the season opener JF rushes for 850 yds, he obviously outplayed Jordan Love.

 

[nc0gnet0]

This is a predictions thread, my dude. There are no right or wrong answers here.

I said the Lions and Packers will be battling it out for 3rd or 4th place in the division. I went with DET, but I could see GB last depending on their QB situation. Why are we so eager to prop up DET as some kind of NFC juggernaut when they didn't even make the playoffs last year? Why is it so preposterous to think that a team that missed the playoffs could finish 3rd or 4th next year?

The Lions defense is still going to be pretty bad, and Jared Goff is not exactly a model of consistency. He played well in 2022, but his previous 3 seasons were mired in mediocrity. He's a guy good enough to win with, but he's not an ascending talent. A little regression to the mean might be in order.

And, again, I'll just reiterate what I said in the other post: Playing with nothing to lose because nobody expects you to win is a much different animal than a team with a target on their back. The Bears got a taste of this in 2019 after winning the division in 2018. I just think this Lions team has been way overhyped, and I think it's setting them up well to being the NFL's most disappointing team in 2023.

Obviously I could be way off, and they'll end up proving me wrong, which is why I said initially that I need to see it before I believe it. It's been 30 years since they last won the division. Sorry if I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon because of a couple of good games they had at the end of the year.

Well, it is blatantly obvious the Bear's offense is not better than the Lions offense.
So what makes you now think the Bears Defense is better?

 

[Zero2Cool]

That is a lot of rushing yards for one game.
I digress, if, in the season opener JF rushes for 850 yds, he obviously outplayed Jordan Love.

I don't believe one game was mentioned in what I quoted and it's quite obvious I was referring to the full season.

 

[nc0gnet0]

I don't believe one game was mentioned in what I quoted and it's quite obvious I was referring to the full season.

It was tongue in cheek, but my original comment, to which you replied, was indeed about the season opener.

 

[Nelly]

This is a predictions thread, my dude. There are no right or wrong answers here.

I said the Lions and Packers will be battling it out for 3rd or 4th place in the division. I went with DET, but I could see GB last depending on their QB situation. Why are we so eager to prop up DET as some kind of NFC juggernaut when they didn't even make the playoffs last year? Why is it so preposterous to think that a team that missed the playoffs could finish 3rd or 4th next year?

The Lions defense is still going to be pretty bad, and Jared Goff is not exactly a model of consistency. He played well in 2022, but his previous 3 seasons were mired in mediocrity. He's a guy good enough to win with, but he's not an ascending talent. A little regression to the mean might be in order.

And, again, I'll just reiterate what I said in the other post: Playing with nothing to lose because nobody expects you to win is a much different animal than a team with a target on their back. The Bears got a taste of this in 2019 after winning the division in 2018. I just think this Lions team has been way overhyped, and I think it's setting them up well to being the NFL's most disappointing team in 2023.

Obviously I could be way off, and they'll end up proving me wrong, which is why I said initially that I need to see it before I believe it. It's been 30 years since they last won the division. Sorry if I'm a little hesitant to jump on the bandwagon because of a couple of good games they had at the end of the year.

I liked this based on the thought process, not that i think it's necessarily the case. The Lions will have a 2nd place schedule as well now compared to a last place one last year. And I like your thought process there about being a team that's looked at as a threat now rather than one teams can take lightly and still pull out a win.

That said, they targeted their deficiencies (secondary) well in free agency, and they have a track record of being able to move the ball and score offensively. They're strong on the O line and Goff is a solid passer that's probably about on par with Kirk Cousins overall. I don't think they did enough to address their interior D-line but i suppose it's hard to fill every hole in one offseason. The arrow is pointing up with them, so i struggle to see them winning less than they did last year. I wouldn't be surprised with another 9-8 season though based on what you said above, just not well into the losing record realm. If they disappoint, it's likely to be more of a stagnation rather than a regression.

I think GB is going to fall back to earth a bit. I won't assume Love will suck like some others do but it's fair to say he won't be as good as a HOF'er in Rodgers. He's got a young WR core, two rookie tight ends (position notoriously hard to transition from college to pros) and an offensive line that leaves a little to be desired, while barely having addressed any holes in free agency. I've got them last.

I think the Vikings, Lions and Bears could actually all be in the mix for the division title. The Vikings were better than their record this past season so could easily fall back to 10-7 with a first place schedule to play. Lions could be 10-7 and I think the Bears could win 8-9 games, maybe more if everything breaks right for them. I'd put GB around 6 wins.

 

[bears51/40]

QB stats, not RB stats.

The way the league is trending right now you have to look at both passing and running for these multi threat QB's.

 

[bears51/40]

Well, it is blatantly obvious the Bear's offense is not better than the Lions offense.
So what makes you now think the Bears Defense is better?

I would say at this point the Lions O is much better than the Bears O, and the only thing that can change that is if Fields does indeed take the next step as a passer.

On D I think the Bears back 7 is overall better than the Lions. Front 4 you gotta go with the Lions due to their edge rushers.

 

[vabearsfan15]

Im going to place us 2nd

1. Lions 11-6
2. Vikings - 10 -7
3. Bears 9-8
4. Packers - 6-11


I think it will be a close finish between the top 3 teams. Bears currently have the softer schedule and Vikings the hardest. The big wildcard will be if the Bears can beat the Lions. Bears put up quite a bit of points on the Lions defense last year. With an improved offense and defense, I think we match uo well against them. Packers are going to get a dose of reality.

 

[Anytime23]