05-17-2020, 04:36 PM
No team has won back-to-back NFC North titles since 2014
May 15, 2020 Bears: Can Nick Foles save the QB room?This question works in multiple ways, but it's undoubtedly the most important of the year for Chicago. No matter what general manager Ryan Pace says, the Bears didn't give up a draft pick and maneuver the salary cap so that Foles can take a back seat to Mitchell Trubisky. They want him to compete, if not wrestle the job right from their former first-round pick's hands, and the bevy of faces familiar with Foles on the coaching staff guarantee at least the first part -- the competition -- will happen.
Lions: How long can Matt Patricia survive?Sorry if you feel slighted, Lions fans, but by now you should understand: Patricia is in hot water. Detroit sticking with the coach after a 9-22-1 performance over two years might suggest Patricia coaxed some kind of lifetime commitment from the organization, but owner Martha Ford at least publicly laid down the law after 2019: She expects nothing less than the playoffs in 2020.
Packers: Does Aaron Rodgers have enough help?You can read this one of two ways: 1.) Rodgers is good enough on his own but may or may not have the elite supporting cast to make a Super Bowl run easier; 2.) Rodgers is on enough of a decline that he may need more help to go the distance. Either way, the concern is the same in Green Bay, and it's that the Packers might be squandering the final years of Rodgers in his prime.
Devin Funchess is an underrated breakout candidate with Jimmy Graham no longer around as a red-zone target, but it's still Devin Funchess we're talking about. Packers fans don't need to be reminded that Green Bay drafted exactly zero wide receivers this April, despite no one other than Funchess and Davante Adams entering 2020 with more than 10 starts in a season. So if it seems like Matt LaFleur is banking a ton on his ground game, complete with bruising rookie A.J. Dillon, and the hit-or-miss emergence of guys like tight end Jace Sternberger, well, you'd probably be accurate.
The Packers' defense is talented enough to fuel another playoff push, but with Rodgers, 36, suddenly a down-the-road trade candidate with the surprise selection of first-round QB Jordan Love, it's fair to wonder if their minds aren't already drifting beyond 2020.
Vikings: Can their rebuilt defense hold up down the stretch?All of the Vikings' offensive moves or declarations this offseason -- the re-commitment to Kirk Cousins, the trade of Stefon Diggs, the pledge of allegiance to Dalvin Cook -- signal a doubling-down of what consistently worked in 2019: A ground-and-pound and play-action attack. Even replacing Diggs with LSU's Justin Jefferson should be a win for Cousins, who can feed him over the middle and alleviate any lingering concerns about interior protection up front.
But we might be underrating how much uncertainty there is on the other side of the ball, especially considering how much a conservative, play-action offense relies on a stingy "D." Defense, of course, is coach Mike Zimmer's calling card, but this year, after a shortened offseason, he'll be operating with a new coordinator for the first time since coming to Minnesota. And that's not even mentioning the on-field personnel. Yes, Xavier Rhodes stunk it up in 2019, but losing him, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander means the secondary will be in a near-total rebuild and expecting more than even one of the rookie defensive backs to make an instant impact goes against the odds. The pass rush, meanwhile, hardly has any proven presence beyond Danielle Hunter.
Maybe they can run their way to victory every week, but Zimmer could be in for a frustrating transition elsewhere.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bears...into-2020/
May 15, 2020 Bears: Can Nick Foles save the QB room?This question works in multiple ways, but it's undoubtedly the most important of the year for Chicago. No matter what general manager Ryan Pace says, the Bears didn't give up a draft pick and maneuver the salary cap so that Foles can take a back seat to Mitchell Trubisky. They want him to compete, if not wrestle the job right from their former first-round pick's hands, and the bevy of faces familiar with Foles on the coaching staff guarantee at least the first part -- the competition -- will happen.
Lions: How long can Matt Patricia survive?Sorry if you feel slighted, Lions fans, but by now you should understand: Patricia is in hot water. Detroit sticking with the coach after a 9-22-1 performance over two years might suggest Patricia coaxed some kind of lifetime commitment from the organization, but owner Martha Ford at least publicly laid down the law after 2019: She expects nothing less than the playoffs in 2020.
Packers: Does Aaron Rodgers have enough help?You can read this one of two ways: 1.) Rodgers is good enough on his own but may or may not have the elite supporting cast to make a Super Bowl run easier; 2.) Rodgers is on enough of a decline that he may need more help to go the distance. Either way, the concern is the same in Green Bay, and it's that the Packers might be squandering the final years of Rodgers in his prime.
Devin Funchess is an underrated breakout candidate with Jimmy Graham no longer around as a red-zone target, but it's still Devin Funchess we're talking about. Packers fans don't need to be reminded that Green Bay drafted exactly zero wide receivers this April, despite no one other than Funchess and Davante Adams entering 2020 with more than 10 starts in a season. So if it seems like Matt LaFleur is banking a ton on his ground game, complete with bruising rookie A.J. Dillon, and the hit-or-miss emergence of guys like tight end Jace Sternberger, well, you'd probably be accurate.
The Packers' defense is talented enough to fuel another playoff push, but with Rodgers, 36, suddenly a down-the-road trade candidate with the surprise selection of first-round QB Jordan Love, it's fair to wonder if their minds aren't already drifting beyond 2020.
Vikings: Can their rebuilt defense hold up down the stretch?All of the Vikings' offensive moves or declarations this offseason -- the re-commitment to Kirk Cousins, the trade of Stefon Diggs, the pledge of allegiance to Dalvin Cook -- signal a doubling-down of what consistently worked in 2019: A ground-and-pound and play-action attack. Even replacing Diggs with LSU's Justin Jefferson should be a win for Cousins, who can feed him over the middle and alleviate any lingering concerns about interior protection up front.
But we might be underrating how much uncertainty there is on the other side of the ball, especially considering how much a conservative, play-action offense relies on a stingy "D." Defense, of course, is coach Mike Zimmer's calling card, but this year, after a shortened offseason, he'll be operating with a new coordinator for the first time since coming to Minnesota. And that's not even mentioning the on-field personnel. Yes, Xavier Rhodes stunk it up in 2019, but losing him, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander means the secondary will be in a near-total rebuild and expecting more than even one of the rookie defensive backs to make an instant impact goes against the odds. The pass rush, meanwhile, hardly has any proven presence beyond Danielle Hunter.
Maybe they can run their way to victory every week, but Zimmer could be in for a frustrating transition elsewhere.
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bears...into-2020/
