Death, Taxes, and Aaron Rodgers Ruling the NFC North

It was a wonderful feeling in the cities of Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit. The sun was shining brighter, the grass was greener, food tasted better, and a shift was appearing to take place in the NFC North. Fans in those three cities were planning celebrations, as each one believed that this would be the year that they would win the NFC North. The Bears were coming off a playoff appearance. The Vikings were primed and prepared. The Lions made some good moves and were looking ahead. All was well in those cities.

Then this happened:

The collective sounds I heard were screams of agony from Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit, as they knew good and well...they were screwed!

In all seriousness, I love the NFC North, and it's not just because I'm a Green Bay Packers fan. The NFC North has, IMO, the best feuds in the league, and the reason for that is simple: all four teams have a very long history. The Packers, Lions, and Bears have been around since (at least) the 1930s, the Packers/Bears feud is over a century old, and the Vikings are the "youngest" team--having debuted in 1961. The NFC North (formerly the NFC Central from 1970-2001, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a fifth team from 1977-2001) is the grittiest division in the entire league, and it will definitely continue for years to come.

But in the last decade and a half, there has been one constant in the NFC North (well, two, but I'll get to the other one later): Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers being the division's overlords. It has been a trying offseason for the Packers, coming off an NFC Championship loss that saw mistakes made by any Packer not named Aaron Charles Rodgers, which includes the decision to kick a chip shot FG on 4th and Goal. And the news of Rodgers contemplating getting out of Green Bay was even more disconcerting, but I and other Packers fans knew that he'd return to the team, and he did. Rodgers is back at the helm, he's ready, he's driven, and he's determined. He's not the only one. Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, the returning Randall Cobb, among many others ready to bring the Lombardi back to Green Bay.

As for the challengers, let's start with the Chicago Bears. I've made my jokes about Bears; they only made the playoffs due to the extra Wild Card spot and the Cardinals falling off at the wrong time. The fact is, however, they made it. They nearly blew a 5-1 start and finished 8-8, but they made it. However, that could have been the worst thing to happen to the Bears, as a playoff appearance was all they needed to keep Matt Nagy as head coach. They did get rid of Mitch Trubisky, but they took Andy Dalton from Dallas, and they are going to start him at QB over Justin Fields--who many analysts and (especially) Bears fans thought would be at the helm. It's the same story involving the Chicago Bears: one step forward, at least two or three steps back.

Let me put my Green and Gold glasses on for these statements. Out of all of the Packers' division rivals, I hate the Minnesota Vikings the most. I really do. I hate the Bears, but respect the rivalry. Lions? I feel sorry for them (more on that later). I have absolutely no respect for the Vikings and how they and their fans conduct themselves; their fans still celebrate Anthony Barr injuring Aaron Rodgers three years ago. But I will now take off my Green and Gold glasses and say that Dalvin Cook is an amazing running back; one of the best in the league. They also have a pretty good receiver duo in Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, and their defense is capable of good things. Their only problem: they get in their own way--they are masters of it. And that's their only problem, not Kirk Cousins. He should not be blamed for things that aren't his fault.

Which brings me to the Detroit Lions. The Lions are the other constant in the NFC North: they've never won it. In fact, the Lions are the hardest luck team in the entire league; people think it's the Browns, but it's the Lions. One playoff win in over 60 years, the first team to ever go 0-16, just a black cloud hovering over that team, hence my sympathy. The Lions had a very surprising offseason: they traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff. I'm still shocked by that, I thought that Stafford would be a Lion for life, but that's not the case. And for Jared Goff, at that. This is not a slight on Goff's talent, he's a good QB. I find it a bit hilarious that he'll be part of the NFC North now. It's going to make Lions games very interesting--especially the one on September 20 against the Packers.

So there's really no doubt here--the Packers should be #1 in the NFC North yet again. But who will be the Packers' main challengers. I sense it'll be the Vikings again. Here's the thing: the Packers/Vikings matchups take place late in the season. First meeting is on November 21 in Minnesota, while the second meeting in Lambeau will take place on January 2, 2022. This will be an amazing season for the NFC North, and this Packers fan cannot wait for kickoff!

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