The Green Bay Packers have dominated the NFC North Division the last six years, winning five division championship championships. This year should be no different, in fact, this one might be a cakewalk. I think by far, the Packers are the most improved NFC North team this offseason, if they stay healthy the division is theirs.
If you are a visitor of online betting sites, you’ll find the Packers among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, they can’t get to the Super Bowl without making the playoffs, and an even easier way is to win the division and get a home playoff game. The Packers did just that in 2014 and 2016, ending up in the NFC Championship both seasons. This year they need to secure home field throughout the playoffs and dominating the NFC North is a great place to start.
Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers has dominated the North since becoming a starter in 2008, even though it took him until 2011, with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, to win a division title. Since then, with the exception of 2015, when the Packers lost to the Lions, Bears and Vikings at home for the the first time in ions, Rodgers has made mincemeat of his division foes.
When you look at the rest of the division, I’m not too concerned about what any of them have done.The Lions big move was signing guard T.J. Lang away from the Packers, giving crazy money to an oft-injured 30-year old player. The Vikings big signing was Case Keenum, well, maybe, running back Latavius Murray was bigger, but not exactly big moves. They then drafted running back Dalvin Cook in the draft so who knows what’s up there.
And of course you have the Bears. Since gift wrapping the the Packers’ 2010 road to the Super Bowl by losing to them twice down the stretch, including the NFC Championship in Chicago, the Bears have become the laughing stock of the league. They fired head coach Lovie Smith and have made bad move after bad move since then, culminating in April when they gave up a king’s ransom to move up one spot to take a player the team ahead of them wasn’t going to take anyway. Gotta love Da Bears!
This will be another division title for the Packers, but can they do enough outside the division to get home field advantage and back to the Super Bowl? That is all that matters this year.