We continue the new best/worst case scenarios series to give you what I believe to be each team’s best- and worst-case scenarios for the season; this time focusing on the fabled NFC North. Quick reminder of the enormous caveat: If COVID-19 takes out a team to the point where they can’t even compete, that is obviously worst-case scenario for every team; therefore, that will not be listed as the worst-case scenario for any team.
Therefore, let’s get to it.
Chicago Bears:
This is a team that is has one of the largest disparities between the quality of their offensive and defensive units. The Khalil Mack led defense is ready to win now, but their dilemma at QB between the utterly lost Mitchell Trubisky and the perpetual backup Nick Foles is taking the offense down a dangerous road to ruin. The results of this season will be a huge determinant of the next five years of this franchise.
>Best Case Scenario: #7 Seed in the Playoffs
The Chicago offense is going to be problematic, regardless of the QB situation. However, in this scenario either Mitchell Trubisky finally shows a little skill as a passer or Nick Foles recaptures enough of the magic he had in Philly to field a competent offense that can score enough for the defense to really take care of business. The defense is the lifeblood of this team. IF the defense can be let loose against the opposition enough the Bears can sneak in as the last playoff team under the new structure including seven teams.
>Worst Case Scenario: 4-12, and a new era commences after the season without coach, general manager, and QB
Should this happen, it will be something similar to what we’ve seen out of the Bears in the past decade. Mitchell Trubisky will waste his last opportunity as a starting QB and show he isn’t an NFL-caliber QB. Head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace are out the door after hedging their bets on the inconsistent young QB. And the Bears offense looks like a mess that leads the defense to having a safer play style that isn’t nearly as impactful as what they could have with a decent offense in tow.
Detroit Lions:
Another boom or bust team like Chicago, the Lions are in a strange limbo of being on the cusp with a team that has potential or being the NFC’s bottom-feeder team once again. This was a competitive team last season when Matthew Stafford was healthy, but they fell off a cliff without him; a cliff that they’ll need to climb up for the team to stay intact.
>Best Case Scenario: 8-8
Again, the Lions were a very competitive team last season when Matthew Stafford was starting games. They nearly took down the eventual Super Bowl champions, and were finally getting it together prior to the Stafford injury. However, this team will need some breaks to get to this record. If the defense can play decent football and the offense keep scoring like their capable of this team can play spoiler to a few teams looking to sneak into the playoff picture. Whether this will be enough to save Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn will remain a mystery.
>Worst Case Scenario: Another 3-13 campaign, lose head coach, general manager, and QB
The Lions were competitive in many games last season, but they didn’t pull them out. While I tend to believe that most of that was due to missing Matthew Stafford, the team was, and still is, far from a bon a fide threat to many NFL teams. Should it be proven that even with their franchise star that the Lions can pull out close wins and beat teams near their skill level then this is the end; the end for Matt Patricia’s head coaching career, the end of Bob Quinn’s tenure as a general manager. And worst of all, if the team can’t get it together, this could be the end of Matthew Stafford’s run with the team; as a new majority owner may wish to completely reboot the franchise.
Green Bay Packers:
What many considered to be the worse than their record showed last year team is seemingly still finding their identity. They went 13-3 last season, have the best passer of the football of the last decade as their QB, and have a good defense. However, they now have a young coach and general manager set on creating the team in their image of a power run-first attack. If this ideological conflict isn’t resolved this team will falter; they were in ten one-score games last season, and won almost every one of them, which will come back to bite them if they don’t.
>Best Case Scenario: Another NFC Championship appearance
The Packers played in a ton of close games last season, and it takes a great team to repeat such a feat. In this case Aaron Rodgers would have to play on fire for the entire season; which may be entirely possible after being pissed off by the team drafting his eventual replacement. The team has talent, but the offensive unit will all have to step up their game for them to even stand a chance in this scenario.
>Worst Case Scenario: 8-8, Miss the playoffs
As stated previously, they played in TEN one score games last season. If the ball just broke the other way on a few occasions the Packers would have had a record that would have reflected their play far more accurately. If they find themselves in another season like last year, typically they’ll find themselves in a situation like this one. They’ll lose some games late to quality teams, and lose some heartbreakers against inferior competition that shouldn’t even be in the game against them. The Packers were a 10-6 football team last year that pulled out some close ones to make it a 13-3 season. The line between 8-8 and 13-3 are not far off in this case.
Minnesota Vikings:
The Vikings have just had a hard year of player losses after accomplishing more than expected in 2019. Minnesota is following up a year in which they beat the Saints in overtime in a hard-fought road game and their QB answered a lot of lingering questions about his play with the loss of their top-three cornerbacks, two starting defensive tackles, edge rusher institution Everson Griffin, and their top receiver Stefon Diggs. Although the Vikings had a stellar draft retooling their team needs, only a combination of an extraordinary coaching effort on behalf of Mike Zimmer and elevated play from new players will send this team over-the-top.
>Best Case Scenario: Division Champions, Playoff Win
The team lost a lot of veteran talent in the offseason, but the majority of their key contributors from last season are still in the purple and gold. Gary Kubiak has taken complete control of the offense, which bodes well for Kirk Cousins in the passing game and Dalvin Cook’s running in a contract season. The defense still has the foundational pieces to bring the rookies up to speed. If the team can seamlessly integrate the new rookie class and continue to grow, they have a chance to become a consistent top contender. They’ll need Green Bay to come back to Earth as well, but this team could eek out another fun playoff win, and roll the dice from there.
>Worst Case Scenario: 7-9/8-8, Miss the Playoffs
Last season the Vikings had a few dud games combined with some impressive wins that even a fan like myself was surprised they pulled out in the end. The team just can’t find consistency in the past two years to take over as their talent would have you believe they’re capable of. The loss of so many veteran players will add to that consistency issue, as not every rookie can be expected to step in and play serviceably as they’ll be asked to in the departed’s stead. Should the inconsistency continue, and more of those dud games arise, it is very feasible that the Vikings could be on the outside looking in to an expanded playoff series.
The NFC North is an interesting division, with each team still finding the pieces they need to become complete. The division has teams on the verge of full-on rebuild and championship contention, which makes for a fascinating watch over the 2020 season. But whichever team you route for in this division, they should make it intriguing in some form this season for you.
Let me know what you think in the comments, and share to grow the conversation. Follow @AllGoFootball1 on Twitter to keep up to date on the Best/Worse Case Scenario series going into this season, and all other posts from All Go Football.
Finally, wear a mask to do your part.
*Photo Credit to ClutchPoints
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