Chicago Bears
Best Case Scenario: While the Bears’ offense faces an uphill battle in even the best of circumstances (i.e., even if Kevin White is lost for part instead of all of the 2015 season), new coach John Fox still has the defensive acumen to start whipping the Bears back into shape. With a bulked up ground-and-pound style of play, Chicago manages to win a couple more games and stay in it for every 4th quarter during a “rebuilding” 8-8 kind of year.Worst Case Scenario: Without Kevin White or Brandon Marshall to stretch the field, Jay Cutler hits the self-destruct button and somehow reaches new career highs in turnovers and sacks. Not only do the Bears bench Cutler again for Jimmy Clausen, they outright release the guy at a major expense in the middle of the season in hopes of tanking their way to victory in 2016 and eradicating a mysterious case of measles the locker room.
Prediction: I could put a little more faith in John Fox’s latest rebuilding project in a weaker division, but with better roster talent everywhere else in the North and especially under center, I see the Bears mired in another disappointing 6 - 10 kind of season.
Green Bay Packers
Best Case Scenario: If you aren't a Packers fan, wouldn't your team's best scenario be returning a health Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, and Randall Cobb to your starting offense? This Saints fan is raising her hand [even if that list included Jordy Nelson until this past Sunday]. Anyway, if Green Bay fires on all cylinders on offense for 14 out of 16 games this season, there won't be a ton of work for a good-not-great defense to worry about. And this time, the Packers don't blow it in January so that they can bookend their Super Bowl I victory with a Super Bowl 50 Lombardi.Worst Case Scenario: Save maybe the Broncos, the Packers won't likely face an offense better than their own this season, so health among their key skill players is a must, especially now that Nelson is out for the season. If Rodgers takes a bad hit or has to put everything on his shoulders with Lacy on the sideline, Green Bay could lose ground against the better teams in the conference when the playoffs roll around. The last thing this team probably wants to do is go back to Seattle in January.
Prediction: Green Bay's ceiling is just about as high as any team's in the NFL these days, so the Packers should come away with at least a 12 - 4 record and a shot at the top seed in the NFC.
Detroit Lions
Best Case Scenario: Despite some high-profile exits in free agency, Detroit’s defense is just as good as it was during last year’s playoff run. On offense, Ameer Abdullah is the next coming of Barry Sanders, making the Lions a surprisingly dangerous contender in the NFC and maybe even a division winner for the first time since 1993.Worst Case Scenario: Without Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley anchoring the line of scrimmage, the Lions’ defense regresses back to the mean and forces Matt Stafford to play catch-up (i.e., target Megatron 40 times per game) in many a heartbreaking loss. As with 2012, Detroit struggles to keep up with their better competition after a playoff year and slides back into mediocrity in a tough division.
Prediction: I do think the Lions’ offense has the potential to make up for a bit of regression on defense, but it would be hard to top a truly exceptional 2014 season on that side of the ball against tougher competition. Nevertheless, I'm giving Detroit 9 - 7 and another futile shot at a wild card win.
Minnesota Vikings
Best Case Scenario: All of the raw, young talent on this team that many have been fawning over during the offseason justifies the hype and then some. Mike Zimmer molds the Vikings defense into Purple People Eaters 2.0 while Teddy Bridgewater climbs securely into the second echelon of NFL quarterbacks. With number of strengths on offense and defense and a pretty manageable schedule, Minnesota becomes a playoff contender once more.Worst Case Scenario: OC Norv Turner does his best to squander Minnesota's offensive talent, reverting this team back to a one-trick-pony of unending handoffs to Adrian Peterson. Detroit and Green Bay are just too good for Minnesota to keep up in the playoff hunt and the Vikings end up golfing in January after another season of coming up just short.
Prediction: Looking at the state of the rest of the NFC, I feel pretty good about the Lions' or Vikings' chances of landing a wild card spot even if I don't think they're good enough to top the Packers. So here's to hoping Minnesota starts putting it all together with a young, talented roster and a solid 9 - 7 season.
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