NFC North Preview: Aaron Rodgers remaining in Green Bay keeps Packers in control of division

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1. Green Bay Packers

Coach: Matt LaFleur (third twelvemonth — 26-6 regular season, 2-2 playoffs).

2020 record: 13-3 (first successful NFC North; mislaid to Tampa Bay successful NFC Championship Game).

Defensive play-caller: Joe Barry (first year).

Best player/best newcomer connected defense: CB Jaire Alexander/CB Eric Stokes. A first-round prime successful 2018, Alexander has 4 interceptions successful 3 years, but 41 full walk break-ups and quarterbacks had a 67.4 standing erstwhile throwing his mode successful ’20. Stokes was selected 29th wide successful April and helium received first-team snaps successful camp.

Key statistic: 28 — five-minute drives allowed by defense, tied for third-most successful NFL.

Why they’ll decorativeness first: Aaron Rodgers, period. The protracted offseason saga pitting Rodgers vs. the Packers successful wide and GM Brian Gutekunst successful peculiar ended with an statement that volition apt let No. 12 to determination connected adjacent offseason, perchance to the Broncos. Receiver Davante Adams is 1 of the league’s champion and the summation of Stokes to play other Alexander volition assistance the walk defense.

2. Chicago Bears

Kamil Krzaczynski, The Associated Press

Chicago Bears backmost Justin Fields (1) rushes with the shot during the 2nd fractional of a preseason NFL shot crippled against the Miami Dolphins, Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, successful Chicago.

Coach: Matt Nagy (fourth twelvemonth — 28-20 regular season, 0-2 playoffs).

2020 record: 8-8 (second successful NFC North; mislaid astatine New Orleans successful Wild Card Round).

Defensive play-caller: Sean Desai (first year).

Best player/best newcomer connected defense: LB Roquan Smith/CB Desmond Trufant. Smith was the anchor of then-coordinator Vic Fangio’s defence arsenic a 2018 rookie (121 tackles, 5 sacks) and has backed that up with years of 2 sacks/101 tackles and 4 sacks/139 tackles. The 31-year aged Trufant was a seven-year starter successful Atlanta and played 2020 for Detroit.

Key statistic: Zero — the lone squad past twelvemonth without a reddish portion takeaway.

Why they’ll decorativeness second: We’re not rushing to bargain Andy Dalton stock, particularly with backmost Justin Fields waiting successful reserve, but he’s an upgrade implicit Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears person dynamic receiver Allen Robinson, who makes immoderate passer look good. Defensively, Khalil Mack volition instrumentality to double-digit sacks for the archetypal clip since 2018.

3. Minnesota Vikings

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

Kris Boyd (29) of the Minnesota Vikings points skyward arsenic helium celebrates with Camryn Bynum (43) aft breaking up a walk by Drew Lock (3) of the Denver Broncos intended for Jerry Jeudy (10) during the archetypal fractional astatine U.S. Bank Stadium connected Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021.

Coach: Mike Zimmer (eighth twelvemonth — 64-47-1 regular season, 2-3 playoffs).

2020 record: 7-9 (third successful NFC North).

Defensive play-caller: Zimmer (eighth year).

Best player/best newcomer connected defense: DE Danielle Hunter/DL Dalvin Tomlinson. Still lone 26, Hunter enters his seventh NFL season, but missed each of 2020 with a cervix injury. He has 3 double-digit sack seasons. Tomlinson, each 318 pounds of him, became disposable successful escaped bureau erstwhile the Giants sunk each their interior antiaircraft enactment wealth into Leonard Williams.

Key statistic: 12 — completions allowed of astatine slightest 40 yards, tied for astir successful the league.

Why they’ll decorativeness third: Put the Vikings arsenic “Team Most Likely To Blow Everything Up,” aft the season. The aboriginal portion of grooming campy was a messiness aft backmost Kirk Cousins and 2 of his backups were enactment connected the COVID-19/reserve list, drafting the ire of Zimmer. Receiver Justin Jefferson and moving backmost Dalvin Cook are stars, but this squad isn’t bully capable defensively to situation Green Bay.

4. Detroit Lions

Coach: Dan Campbell (first year).

2020 record: 5-11 (fourth successful NFC North).

Defensive play-caller: Aaron Glenn (first year).

Best player/best newcomer connected defense: LB Jamie Collins/DL Levi Onwuzurike. Collins led the Lions with 111 tackles past twelvemonth and has missed lone 2 games successful the past 3 years. Onwuzurike was drafted 41st wide and had 7 vocation sacks for Washington.

Key statistic: 419.8 — yards allowed per crippled past year, astir successful the league.

Why they’ll decorativeness fourth: The Lions person admitted they request to wholly rebuild and that means immoderate hard times and a last-place finish. Adding backmost Jared Goff besides netted the Lions 2 first-round picks for caller wide manager Brad Holmes. Problem is, the Lions aren’t successful large headdress signifier acknowledgment to the erstwhile regime’s careless spending, truthful the cardinal is drafting bully players and processing them into starters.