Bears Blitz

Published by GNB Sports on November 8, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers (current record: 6-3)

Green Bay began the season as a trendy pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They haven’t quite played like a Super Bowl contender so far this year, although that is almost entirely due to a stunning injury list that has kept out some of their best players. RB Ryan Grant and TE Jermichael Finley, two of Green Bay’s most dynamic offensive players, are out for the season, alongside defensive leader Nick Barnett, among others.

Still, the Packers have fought bravely, managing a 5-3 record. Aaron Rodgers, who is establishing himself among the top tier of QBs in the league, is playing well consistently, and may very well have gotten a huge monkey off his back through Green Bay’s defeat of the Brett Favre-led Vikings on national television.

The Packers have generally played their divisional rivals close; apart from the four point win over the Vikes, they lost to the Bears on a last second FG and held on against the Lions by a mere two points. Still, the Packers are growing and phasing in their younger and more inexperienced players with great success and have the look of a team that could be dangerous come playoff time.

Projection:

Games at Atlanta and New England, as well as a home showdown with the Giants, promise to be tough games, and Green Bay will probably need at least one win in those three games to stay on track. At the same time, they should be able to go with confidence into their remaining divisional games, given the fact that none of the other NFC North teams are exactly in awesome form. Look for Green Bay to take the NFC North crown, and be a dark horse Super Bowl contender by the time January rolls around.

Projected Finish: 11-5 

Chicago Bears (current record: 5-3)

The Bears burst out of the blocks the first month of the season, as a tough, aggressive defense and a much improved Jay Cutler gave them an early lead atop the NFC North. Then came the Sunday night matchup against the Giants in New York, a game which saw Jay Cutler get hammered in front of a national TV audience. Since then, the Bears offensive line has become one of the worst in the league, and the team as a whole has not looked very impressive.

Still, with Minnesota faltering badly and the Lions being, well, the Lions, Chicago will look to be in a two-horse race for the NFC North crown with a heavily injured Green Bay (whom they’ve already beaten this year) late into the season.

How successful they will be in that endeavor will probably be determined by the play of the still-interception-prone Jay Cutler, who looks to have discovered a potent weapon in the form of RB Matt Forte. Quiet last year, Forte has been effective both on the ground and through the air.

Projection:

For a team that has been regressing much success since making the 2006 Super Bowl, this season will probably go down as a step forward for this Chicago franchise. Their remaining schedule, however, is tough, and includes four division games that are sure to be hotly contested. Unless they hit the peak they displayed early in the season, expect around a .500 finish for the Bears.

Projected Finish: 8-8 (Which may put them in wild card contention)

Detroit Lions (current record: 2-6)

Could it be? The Detroit Lions not finishing in the basement? Well, that’s right.

The Lions have played almost every team close this year, and GNB looks for them to go on quite a run. Their defensive line has been amazing, with Ndamukong Suh all but locking up the defensive rookie of the year award for himself, Corey Williams playing great, and Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch off the edges.

They’ve also got quite a few weapons on offense with Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith. Coach Jim Schwartz has his team playing motivated, and GNB sees the Lions pulling off some surprise wins on their way to second place in the NFC North.

Projection:

Their three toughest remaining games, vs Patriots, vs Jets, and vs Packers are all luckily at home; look for the Lions to get at least one win from that group. The rest of the games are quite winnable for the Lions, but the game @Dolphins could be tough for them. These Lions aren’t the last 20 years Lions.

Projected Finish: 7-9

Minnesota Vikings (current record: 3-5)

Unfortunately for Vikings fans, it looks like the team is going nowhere with Coach Brad Childress; with reports revealing that Randy Moss was cut for his demands for Childress to be fired, it is becoming clear that the head coach is losing his grip on the team.

Unless the Vikings complete some sort of miracle comeback, he’s done, and it’s sad because this team’s talent has been wasted. With divisional rivals Green Bay and Chicago struggling with injury issues, the Vikings should be in pole position in the division, instead of sitting second from bottom with just three wins to their name.

A healthy Sidney Rice could have had a big positive impact for the Vikes; although, knowing Brad Childress, he would have found a way to mess that up too.

Projection:

The Vikings do have a wealth of talent, but they have been maddeningly inconsistent on both sides of the ball. With Brett Favre also struggling with issues both on and off the field in what should be his final season, look for the Vikes to fall well short of the playoffs in one of the most disappointing seasons in their long franchise history.

Projected Finish: 6-10

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