2014 NFC NORTH PREVIEW

Four football teams. They'll win games. They'll lose games. They might even tie. Let's see what's on the down-low with the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

Pros: The Bears' offense is the strength of the team for the first time since the 80s. Their passing game is exceptional for the first time since... probably Sid Luckman in the 40s. If the defense improves even slightly over last year's unit, the Bears will be honest-to-God Super Bowl contenders.

Cons: That's a big "if" as far as the defense is concerned. The Bears gave up a staggering 29.9 points per game, tied with Washington for the second worst in the NFL. It's the worst defense the Bears have put on the field since 1950, if not ever. It probably isn't going to be much better this year.

Overall: Teams that make the playoffs usually don't need a great defense in the regular season unless their offense is exceptional. The Bears' offense has the potential to get them to at least a playoff berth, but I don't know how far into January and beyond they can get with that defense.

Predicted Record: 12-4, 1st

Detroit Lions

Pros: The offense will probably be really good. Jim Caldwell got an amazing postseason out of Joe Flacco, so imagine what he can do with Matthew Stafford.

Cons: Stafford's like Brett Favre in that he'll do something amazing and then do something really dumb, sometimes during the same drive. That'll probably crop up again this season to go along with a pretty lame defense.

Overall: The Lions are a decent team, but decent in this division and this conference is almost as bad as being utter shit.

Predicted Record: 9-7, 3rd

Green Bay Packers

Pros: Aaron Rodgers is probably the best quarterback in the league when he's healthy. Eddie Lacy is also a great option on the ground. The defense has improved over last season, at least on paper.

Cons: The Bears and Packers are almost carbon copies of each other. The Packers' defense is the Achilles' heel of the team. If Rodgers goes down, it will likely lead to another ugly run.

Overall: Like the Bears, the Packers are one of the teams capable of a Super Bowl berth. They also have to overcome their defense but if they do, this team will be scary.

Predicted Record: 11-5 10-6, 2nd

Minnesota Vikings

Pros: I point you in the direction of this Onion article. Enjoy!

Cons: In a recurring theme for NFC North teams, the Vikings' defense isn't that great. In fact, it's terrible.

Overall: If the Vikings' defense improves, they'll probably be a spoiler team this season. As it is, they'll probably be better than a season ago, but not enough to sniff the postseason.

Predicted Record: 8-8, 4th

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We're going down south tomorrow (except for Indianapolis). Tune in then!