NFC North Prediction

[nc0gnet0]

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.

No, the Lions addressed their secondary quite well in the off season and have the edge there. Their Edge rushers are miles better than anything the Bears will trot out there this year. The only place the Bears are stronger on D is in the LB's.

 

[nc0gnet0]

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.

????
The Lions have a much easier schedule this year, compared to last.

 

[bears51/40]

No, the Lions addressed their secondary quite well in the off season and have the edge there. Their Edge rushers are miles better than anything the Bears will trot out there this year. The only place the Bears are stronger on D is in the LB's.

Sorry but I will go with the Bears young guys in the secondary, more upside. Think the Bears have the edge at DT also. Edge rusher not done there yet will have to see who Poles brings in for this year.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

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?

Can we really say the Lions offense is definitively better than the Bears with all their additions? That might be the case, but I don't see how you can make a definitive case either way until we see what DJ Moore and Justin Fields look like together. Talent-wise, I think things are pretty close now, though DET has a much better OL.

I think the Bears defense will mostly suck next year, too, but it shouldn't be quite as bad as the way it was post-Roquan trade. They have a really nice trio of LB'ers now, and I think the secondary has a chance to be a top 10 unit in football if Brisker and Gordon take another step. The DL is going to be the reason they remain in the bottom half of the league in ranking, though, because the lack of pass rush is going to make everybody in that defense worse.

I really believe all of these teams in the division are pretty evenly matched across the board, and I think you could legitimately make a case for any of them to win the division. Ultimately, I'm pretty bullish on Fields elevating himself enough to being the best quarterback in this division before season's end, and that's where most of my optimism comes from.

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

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.

I agree with your premise here. GB's defense could be good enough to keep them in the hunt if Jordan Love can even be just a little better than competent. I expect him to mostly be a rollercoaster of inconsistency, which will ultimately keep them from being serious competitors.

DET has been adding talent for years and seem ready to bank on that sooner rather than later. I get why everybody is picking them, and I don't think anybody is wrong for doing so. I just think people are being a little too premature sort of uncritically anointing them as a sure-thing, given their history of shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[nc0gnet0]

Sorry but I will go with the Bears young guys in the secondary, more upside. Think the Bears have the edge at DT also. Edge rusher not done there yet will have to see who Poles brings in for this year.

Young guys?
Kirby Joseph outplayed Brisker.
Cameron Sutton is heads and shoulders better than Jaylon Johnson.
Gardner Johnson is a turnover machine.
Brian Branch is a promising "young guy" for the Lions, many projected as a first round talent.
Emmanuel Moseley?
Tracy Walker returning from injury?

No way is the Bears secondary better, and to make matters worse, they won't have shit for a pass rush to help them. I get it that the Lions secondary sucked last year, but they addressed it quite nicely in the offseason.

 

[KittiesKorner]

Young guys?
Kirby Joseph outplayed Brisker.
Cameron Sutton is heads and shoulders better than Jaylon Johnson.
Gardner Johnson is a turnover machine.
Brian Branch is a promising "young guy" for the Lions, many projected as a first round talent.
Emmanuel Moseley?
Tracy Walker returning from injury?

No way is the Bears secondary better, and to make matters worse, they won't have shit for a pass rush to help them. I get it that the Lions secondary sucked last year, but the addressed it quite nicely in the offseason.

*they

 

[nc0gnet0]

DET has been adding talent for years and seem ready to bank on that sooner rather than later. I get why everybody is picking them, and I don't think anybody is wrong for doing so. I just think people are being a little too premature sort of uncritically anointing them as a sure-thing, given their history of shooting themselves in the foot.

I could say the same thing about Bears fans anointing JF as a legit QB.

 

[nc0gnet0]

Jaylon Johnson​

PFF grade 62.9

2022 SEASON STATS​

INTERCEPTIONS
0
TARGETS
46T-83rd
RECEPTIONS ALLOWED
27T-92nd

​

 

[vinson555]

A lot depends on the draft pics the Bears have to fill their holes, and the growth of some of the younger players. As much as we wish the team did something to improve the Edge situation, we still do have young players who can grow and get better Year two in the cover 2 system (Gibson and Robinson) while I'm not thinking either one will ever be a superstar, I have higher hopes for Robinson. Thus with all the picks made, I actually have the Bears being first. The biggest issue I feel was fixed the offseason in that in the cover two you need athletic LB's to cover the field. Sanborn doesn't have the speed, but he does have the football player mentality. Bears are my sleeper surprise pick. An offense like the Bears who had nothing around Fields should be better this year too...

Bears and Lions 10-7 Vikings 9-8 Packers 5-12 (I don't believe in Love.)

 

[nc0gnet0]

Fantasy Alert: Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs Being Used at WR During Scrimmages at OTAs

The Detroit Lions have reportedly been testing the versatility of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs during OTAs. According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic,…

bleacherreport.com

"The Detroit Lions have reportedly been testing the versatility of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs during OTAs.

According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, the Lions coaching staff has regularly split Gibbs out wide in team scrimmages, and the first-round pick out of Alabama has looked like a "natural" in those situations.

Pouncy added that Gibbs is "standing out" during OTAs and "looks the part," which is a positive for the Lions, considering they took him at No. 12."

 

[didshereallysaythat]

Fantasy Alert: Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs Being Used at WR During Scrimmages at OTAs

The Detroit Lions have reportedly been testing the versatility of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs during OTAs. According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic,…

bleacherreport.com

"The Detroit Lions have reportedly been testing the versatility of rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs during OTAs.

According to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, the Lions coaching staff has regularly split Gibbs out wide in team scrimmages, and the first-round pick out of Alabama has looked like a "natural" in those situations.

Pouncy added that Gibbs is "standing out" during OTAs and "looks the part," which is a positive for the Lions, considering they took him at No. 12."

It's almost as if they write puff articles this time of year.

 

[bears51/40]

Young guys?
Kirby Joseph outplayed Brisker.
Cameron Sutton is heads and shoulders better than Jaylon Johnson.
Gardner Johnson is a turnover machine.
Brian Branch is a promising "young guy" for the Lions, many projected as a first round talent.
Emmanuel Moseley?
Tracy Walker returning from injury?

No way is the Bears secondary better, and to make matters worse, they won't have shit for a pass rush to help them. I get it that the Lions secondary sucked last year, but they addressed it quite nicely in the offseason.

1 No Joseph did not outplay Brisker. Joseph had 82 tackles, 4 int's, 2 ff, 0 sacks. Brisker 104 tackles, 1 int, 1 ff, 4 sacks. Plus. Brisker played with almost no pass rush.

2 Cam Sutton is a very good pickup and right now a better corner than Johnson, but not head and shoulders better.

3 Gardner-Johnson and Jackson had about the same numbers last year.

4 Branch and Stevenson both second round rookies

5 Emmanuel Moseley never been a fulltime starter, coming off an ACL injury, with 4 career ints, so yeah, I will take Kyler Gorden's 3 picks and upside over this meh player.

6 If Joseph and Gardner-Johnson are the starting safeties where does Walker fit in? Just a depth piece?

7 Bears did this with no rush last year, rush should be a little better this year and Poles should add another veteran rusher soon. So yes I believe overall the Bears have the better upside in the secondary, and a better back seven.

 

[nc0gnet0]

1 No Joseph did not outplay Brisker. Joseph had 82 tackles, 4 int's, 2 ff, 0 sacks. Brisker 104 tackles, 1 int, 1 ff, 4 sacks. Plus. Brisker played with almost no pass rush.

2 Cam Sutton is a very good pickup and right now a better corner than Johnson, but not head and shoulders better.

3 Gardner-Johnson and Jackson had about the same numbers last year.

4 Branch and Stevenson both second round rookies

5 Emmanuel Moseley never been a fulltime starter, coming off an ACL injury, with 4 career ints, so yeah, I will take Kyler Gorden's 3 picks and upside over this meh player.

6 If Joseph and Gardner-Johnson are the starting safeties where does Walker fit in? Just a depth piece?

7 Bears did this with no rush last year, rush should be a little better this year and Poles should add another veteran rusher soon. So yes I believe overall the Bears have the better upside in the secondary, and a better back seven.

6 turnovers vs 2...................outplayed.
8 pass's defended vs 2 ...........outplayed.

We are talking about secondary's here.

So yes, Joseph did outplay him.
Yes, Cam Sutton is heads and shoulders above Johnson.
Gardener Johnson had 6 ints to Jackson's 4
Mosely is depth or CB2, and still yields a much higher pff than Johnson
Branch was a much more highly regarded prospect.

If Joseph and Gardner-Johnson are the starting safeties where does Walker fit in? Just a depth piece?

Gardner Johnson in the nickel, Walker at SS.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

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.

Good point about the difference in playing with no expectations and when you have a target on your back.

 

[pdxbearsfan]

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.

I think the Vikings were worse than their record last year and won the lottery with all the close game wins that won't happen again for years to come.

 

[10veitout]

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.

Jordan Love looked great the last we saw him, against the league's top rated defense.

Love has a better arm than William's and is way better throwing on the run and off platform from different angles etc.

Williams is a sure thing but there has been guys with higher upside. Drake Maye is who I want if the Packers had to tank.

 

[truthbedamned]

Sooner rather than later someone is going to rip Gardner-Johnson's balls off and stuff them in his mouth. What a piece of shit.

 

[KittiesKorner]

Whoa!

 

[Chicagosports89]

Jordan Love looked great the last we saw him, against the league's top rated defense.

Love has a better arm than William's and is way better throwing on the run and off platform from different angles etc.

Williams is a sure thing but there has been guys with higher upside. Drake Maye is who I want if the Packers had to tank.

Stick to paying Asian ladyboys to talk to you online