Sports Fan Nation

NFL Rankings by Division: Part 2

NFC North

The 2nd part of installment 1 on my new blog are the rankings of the NFC North. Disclaimer: Be prepared to think "What? That's crazy? How? This guy is stupid....."

1. Chicago Bears

Go ahead, start thinking what I told you to be prepared for earlier. Before you ask why it isn't the Packers, let me tell you, Green Bay has no bench. At all. Bringing in Marc Trestman this offseason from Canada is one of the best moves the NFL has seen in a while. They found a gem in the rough. A few reasons why the Bears are listed at #1-

• Jay Cutler will start strong, then fade, then be better than he was at the beginning.

• Based on the blocking schemes we've have seen from the preseason, and the speed/flashy moves he's showing, Matt Forte is primed for a big season. Big.

• The offensive line is a 7.5 on an efficiency scale of 1 to 10...... Its been lower than 4.5 each of the past few seasons.

• Different coach, same defense. Domination.

• I believe Aaron Rodgers will get injured..... Against the Bears.

Final Record: 10-6, NFC championship loss to Seahawks...... Forte 3rd string pro bowler, Marshall 1st string pro bowler, Alshon Jeffery bench/reserve pro bowler

2. Green Bay Packers

Where to start... To put it simply, the Packers have had a winning formula for about the past 5 years. Their window of opportunity is closing. What do I mean? Aaron Rodgers is still young, loyal fanbase, no problem getting players to come to Green Bay... What is it then? You see, even though they've beaten the Bears 12 straight times (that's 6 years if it doesn't include the NFC Championship a few years ago), Chicago has been right behind them the whole time. Some may say "They got a new coach from Canada you expect them to even win a game?", yes I do, in fact I expect them to handily beat the Packers at least once this season, maybe twice with some luck. You see, their starting core is magnificent, if those guys could play the whole game barring injuries they'd go 13-3 or 12-4....... But when you look at their bench... is it even a bench?

Final Record: 9-7, NFC Wild Card round loss to Vikings, Aaron Rodgers 3rd string pro bowler

3. Minnesota Vikings

They're almost there. Almost. So close. But not yet. Despite not having a very notable roster, the Vikings will surprisingly seem to put together a substantial season like last one's. The problem is, they have a weak receiving core and Ponder is not a great QB. Adrian Peterson could rush for 3,000 yards and they'd still finish 3rd. But finishing 3rd in this version of the NFC North? Not bad. Not bad by any means.

Final Record: 9-6, Loss to San Francisco in Divisional Playoff round, AP 1st string pro bowler

4. Detroit Lions

Well, here we are again. Look familiar, Detroit? I told my friends before last season that the previous season (2 years ago) was a fluke. When the Lions went from bad to good, and Megatron came from nowhere. They didn't believe me until week 6. Same thing. Same results as last season. Matthew Stafford, maybe an above average QB. Megatron, great! Ndamukong Suh, one of the dirtiest players we've seen in a while. This team is full of over-confident jailbirds.

Final Prediction: 6-10, no playoffs, Megatron 2nd string pro bowler

There you have it. Part 2. 2 down, 6 to go. Most of you won't like this division's rankings. Keep in mind 2 things: I'm a Bears fan. I'm also a bold predictor and like to put my mind out there.

Don't forget to check out my post before this: NFL Rankings by Division: Part 1

NFL Rankings by Division: Part 1

For the first installment on my new blog I will be ranking each team in the NFL by listing their ranking in the division, giving a small reasoning and then give my overall top 15 at the end. Although some of you won't agree with these, I encourage you to post your thoughts and/or rankings, and maybe you could spark a conversation.

NFC East

1. Washington Redskins

#1 in my NFC East rankings are the Washington Redskins. It's all about their offense and the competition here. Honestly, who thinks the Giants are really THAT good? I sure don't and if you do you clearly don't pay attention to the details. The other 2 teams, well, the Eagles are rebuilding and the Cowboys don't seem to understand they don't have a good team, because they don't put much effort into fixing it. RG3 and Alfred Morris are on the verge of becoming an elite force in the NFL. The question asked by some is, can they do it again? Yes. Despite RG3's injury, I think he is on track to be right back where he was last year, and Alfred Morris is still the most underrated RB in the league. Look out NFC East, the Redskins are on top again.

Final record: 10-6, RG3 3rd string Pro Bowler, loss to Bears in NFC Divisional Round of playoffs

2. New York Giants

They've won 2 super bowls in the past 6 years (4 years apart), how are they 2nd? Look, we all know (except for their fans) that as good as they may seem, in reality, they're just above mediocre. Eli Manning, not as good as the critics say and not as good as he seems overall. They lost Ahmad Bradshaw to the Colts, and Victor Cruz, in all seriousness, is due for an off season. I mean off season as in non productive . Is their defensive line still that good? Only time will tell, this may be a team I'm wrong about. Go ahead, prove me wrong, but for now, they're not on top in my eyes

Final Record: 9-6, loss to Tampa Bay in NFC Wild Card Round of playoffs, Victor Cruz non-starter pro bowler

3. Dallas Cowboys

Once again the Cowboys have yet to make even close to any necessary moves to improve either the offense or the defense. Same old, same old. Tony Romo will still be the Romo of the past 4-5 years. In case you don't know what that is, it means sucky and injury prone. DeMarco Murray, sure, he'll get around 900 yards. Not near good enough to lead the whole team. If you haven't gotten my point yet, they're still the same team they've been in the past years. A team that has too much confidence, one that expects to go 11-5, when in reality......

Final Record: 7-9, no playoffs, no notable pro bowlers

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Well, last, and close to least, the Eagles. Philadelphia hasn't been able to quite hit their stride the past 2 seasons. Entering their 4th with QB Michael Vick, who is sure to be released next offseason if he once again does not pan out this season. Philly has been in a bit of turmoil lately, the firing of Andy Reid, their coach since 1999, the hiring of Oregon's Chip Kelly, who runs a hurry-up no huddle offense, and of course, the QB battle. It seems all but the first year he was there, Vick has had to compete for the starting job. Sean McCoy is sure to have another good season, but there's no telling how the Eagles will be able to execute Kelly's system. Probably not very well... For now.

Final Record: 5-11, Vick loses the starting job around Week 6-7.... and Desean Jackson gets injured badly

That concludes the 1st post of many to come here on Sports Fan Nation. Let me know what you think and what your rankings are.

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Next up: NFC North