NFC North season review: Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears
Tuesday 23 February 2016 10:57, UK
The good news for the NFC North last season was seeing the division-leading Minnesota Vikings bounce back to something like their best, meaning two teams making the play-offs again.
But the post-season did not prove kind to the division, which saw all four teams suffer inconsistent runs, with the Vikings losing a 10-9 heartbreaker to the Seattle Seahawks in wildcard week and the Green Bay Packers going down 26-20 in an overtime thriller against the Arizona Cardinals a week later.
There were signs of life from the Chicago Bears but the season ended in a disappointing bottom place, while the Detroit Lions went 7-4 after an 0-5 start but now have to think about life after Calvin 'Megatron' Johnson, who appears set to retire...
Minnesota Vikings (11-5)
Major improvements on both sides of the ball saw the Vikings top the standings, a position confirmed in the final week of the season when they went to Green Bay and beat the Packers at Lambeau Field to secure the division.
The Vikings drafted really well last April, and three of their younger players - LBs Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks and WR Stefon Diggs - look like going on to be stars in the NFL, which bodes well for them not falling too far back next season, when they are due to start life in the state-of-the-art US Bank Stadium.
Star player: Although the young players were a nice bonus, it was reliable running-back Adrian Peterson who put his disciplinary issues behind him and proved to be the focal point of their offence. Peterson rushed for 1,485 yards and 11 touchdowns and looked like a player who is far from finished yet.
Grade: A. And there is every chance it could be better than that next season if they can eke some improvement out of QB Teddy Bridgewater, or even find a more effective replacement.
Green Bay Packers (10-6)
Although the Packers managed to last a week longer in the post-season their season will have to go down as a disappointment after a 6-0 start, with defeats against the Arizona Cardinals and Vikings in their last two games costing them divisional honours.
The problem? Definitely their offence which did not include a 1,000 yard rusher or receiver and saw QB Aaron Rodgers have a down year - if 31 touchdowns and only eight interceptions can be described as a down year. The most telling stat was a decrease in points scored from 486 to 368 - still a good number in NFL terms but a big decrease to try and overcome.
Star player: I'd have been close to saying Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, if only for his name, but despite it being a down year Aaron Rodgers remains the Packers' biggest talent and their best chance of getting back to the top of the division. His QB rating dipped below 100 (92.7) for the first time since 2009 and he could really do with Jordy Nelson coming back fully fit from a torn ACL next year.
Grade: B. With a masterly 'must do better'.
Detroit Lions (7-9)
A three-game winning streak at the end of the season took the Lions off the bottom of the division but 2015 will go down as a major disappointment for the team, and they go into next season with a big question mark over them.
Detroit started the year 0-6, with suggestions of a possible 0-16 season on the cards, but there was a response from QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson, who appears set to leave the NFL on something of a low note and leave a massive hole to fill, possibly from the draft.
Star player: There were signs of life from rookie RB Ameer Abdullah, who could be a serviceable NFL RB in the future, but we'll go defensive this time with DE Ziggy Ansah, who nearly doubled his sack total and finished with 14.5 on the season, third best in the league. He's young enough (26) to have plenty of years left in him.
Grade: C. And a 'see me' sent to Megatron, who surely can be persuaded to have one more go if his body holds up.
Chicago Bears (6-10)
Spoiler alert - I am a Bears fan, and although the record was disappointing, I can't be too harsh on the majority of their performances after the big defeats by Arizona and Seattle (pretty good teams!) in weeks two and three.
Their other defeats were by 8, 3, 3, 2, 6, 3, 21 and 4 points and three of those came with a deal of bad luck so an 8-8 or even winning record was not that far off in veteran coach John Fox's first season. The concerns for 2016? Impressive offensive coordinator Adam Gase's quick disappearance to Miami, where he will take on his first coaching role, the departure of RB Matt Forte, which leaves Jeremy Langford desperately looking to avoid a sophomore slump, and possibly losing WR Alshon Jeffrey to free agency.
Star player: Sadly there wasn't one. There were good performances from Langford, Forte and Jay Cutler at times, no one on defence stood out and Jeffrey spent nearly half a season on the sidelines with a variety of injuries.
Grade: C. Little was expected of the Bears last season and the same might apply in 2016. They really need a good draft and for 2015 first rounder Kevin White to actually play in some games after missing his entire rookie campaign.
