The way injuries consume this league, it’s darn near impossible to look too far ahead. So, naturally, we will look a month into the future for the NFC North.
Shield your eyes, Vikings fans.
The Packers and Bears have already had their bye weeks. The Vikings get theirs in Week 6 while the Lions have theirs in Week 8.
Let’s now rank the tasks over the next month from tallest to shortest:
1, Vikings: BYE, Philadelphia (4-1), at LA Chargers (3-2), at Detroit (4-1).
That’s three teams with a combined 11-4 record, two on the road and one on a short week (Thursday nighter in L.A.). They do, however, get a mini bye before playing at Detroit.
2, Lions: At Kansas City (2-3), Tampa Bay (4-1), BYE, Minnesota (3-2).
Three teams with a 9-6 record, but two at home.
3, Packers: Cincinnati (2-3), at Arizona (2-3), at Pittsburgh (3-1), Carolina (2-3).
The Bengals might be the second-worst team behind the Jets. And the Cardinals defeat themselves even at home.
4, Bears: At Washington (3-2), New Orleans (1-4), at Baltimore (1-4), at Cincinnati (2-3).
A combined record of 7-13. (And keep an eye out for the Hail Mary in Washington this time, fellas).
Strib