NFC & AFC North Previews
This is the third of four NFL season previews. Last week, we covered the eastern divisions and two weeks ago we covered the western divisions. Next week, we will close out the series with a preview of the southern divisions.
NFC North
The Detroit Lions are the class of this tough, competitive division. Sounds weird, doesn’t it?
The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears probably can’t unseat the Lions, but will challenge for playoff spots, while the Minnesota Vikings are now looking at a long season.
Chicago: the Bears have gone a woeful 10-24 in their two years under coach Matt Eberflus, but hope is rising in the Windy City with the selection of uber-talented QB Caleb Williams of USC with the first overall pick in the draft. Chicago tried to improve skill position talent around Williams by trading for Los Angeles Charger WR Keenan Allen (108 REC/1243 YDS/ 7 TD), signing free agent RB D’Andre Swift (229 ATT/1049 YDS/5 TD), recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, and drafting WR Rome Odunze from the University of Washington in the first round. The problem is the offensive line has given up 50 sacks three years running and has struggled with injuries, as reported by Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated.
Chicago gave up the fewest rushing yards (1468) and tied the San Francisco 49ers with the most interceptions (22) last year. A midseason trade for DE Montez Sweat gave the defense a boost as he fortified the pass rush collecting six sacks in nine games. Linebackers T.J. Edwards (153 Tackles) and Tremaine Edmunds (114 Tackles/4 INT) combine to make an impressive duo in the middle.
Williams has been looking good during preseason games, which can be Fool’s Gold, but that weak offensive line and a staff lacking elite quarterback coaching expertise will probably keep the Bears just outside of the playoffs.
Detroit: In three years, coach Dan Campbell has taken the Lions from a 3-win season to the NFC Championship Game, but the challenge this year will be getting over losing a 17-point lead in that conference championship and getting all the way back to that game and more. Quarterback Jared Goff (4575 YDS/30 TD/12 INT) directed the second-best passing attack in the NFL last year, and the running game is paced by two excellent backs, David Montgomery (219 ATT/1015 YDS/ 13 TD) and Jahmyr Gibbs (182 ATT/945 YDS/10 TD). The Lions’ biggest strength may be their offensive line that includes to All-Pros in RT Penei Sewell and C Frank Ragnow.
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (11.5 Sacks) paces the defensive front and will now work with free agent acquisition DT D.J. Reader to make the second-best run defense in the league even stronger. Their passing defense was the sixth worst in the league, but GM Brad Holmes went all out to improve that weakness by trading for CB Carlton Davis of Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing free CB Amik Robertson of Las Vegas Raiders and drafting CB Terrion Arnold from Alabama and CB Ennis Rakestraw from Missouri with his first two draft picks. Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press says the Detroit players and coaching staff believe they have the pieces to turn the defense into a decided strength this year.
Detroit has to get over that heart breaking NFC title game loss, but they have the talent to win the division and contend for the Super Bowl.
Green Bay: the Packers QB Jordan Love (4159 YDS/32 TD/11 INT) had a shockingly great year taking them to the playoffs and a Wild Card victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay has an excellent offensive line and added T Jordan Morgan from Arizona with their first-round draft pick. Former Raider RB Josh Jacobs (233 ATT/805 YDS/6 TD) joined the team through free agency to help a mediocre running game, but Love will rely on a young corps of receivers – Jayden Reed (64 REC/793 YDS/8 TD) and Romeo Doubs (59 REC/674 YDS/8 TD) – to help continue forward momentum.
Opposite of their division rival Lions, the Packers defended the pass well, but had the fifth worst rushing defense. Rob Reischel of Forbes reports Jeff Hafley has been brought in as the new defensive coordinator to oversee a transition from the 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive front. Green Bay selected six (!) defenders in the draft to assist Hafley in bolstering this mediocre unit.
Love has gotten a lot of, well, love after his 2023 performance, but the young receivers and sketchy defense could put them at risk of falling behind the “improving” Bears and missing the playoffs.
Minnesota: the Vikings drafted Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy with the tenth overall pick in the draft. They also brought in free agent QB Sam Darnold from San Francisco to be the “bridge” quarterback, but everyone assumed that bridge would be short and McCarthy, who looked great in camp and preseason play, would start at some point this year. But, McCarthy tore his meniscus and is out for the year.
Darnold, who has been a legitimate bust since being drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft, will have superstar WR Justin Jefferson (68 REC/1074 YDS/5 TD) and the excellent TE T.J. Hockenson (95 REC/960 YDS/5 TD) to work with, but the running game is bad and the interior offensive line is suspect. To add injury to injury, WR Jordon Addison (70 REC/911 YDS/10 TD) left a recent practice with a leg injury according to Alec Lewis and Amos Morale III of The Athletic. The offense is so broken, we don’t need to talk about the defense.
No team with Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback is making the playoffs.
AFC North
All four of these teams had winning records with the Baltimore Ravens ultimately winning the division and the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers making the playoffs as Wild Cards.
The Cincinnati Bengals were missing QB Joe Burrow last year and look to join the playoff fray again this year.
Baltimore: the Ravens hosted the AFC Championship Game following QB Lamar Jackson’s MVP regular season (3678 YDS/24 TD/7 INT and 821 rushing yards) – that’s the second time in five years for making the AFC title game AND Jackson winning the MVP. Baltimore signed RB Derrick Henry (280 ATT/1167 YDS/12 TD), formerly of the Tennessee Titans, to boost the already #1 rushing attack, but they did lose three starting offensive linemen during the offseason – T Morgan Moses, G John Simpson, and G Kevin Zeitler. Zay Flowers (77 REC/858 YDS/5 TD) leads a weak receiver corps, but tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely combined for 75 receptions, 955 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Baltimore defense gave up the fewest points in the NFL last year and eight starters are returning. WalterFootball.com reports that the Ravens did lose key players from their front seven – OLB Jadeveon Clowney (9.5 Sacks) and ILB Patrick Queen (133 Tackles) – but their replacements are already on-hand in OLB Kyle Van Noy (9 Sacks) and ILB Trenton Simpson. Safety Kyle Hamilton (4 INT, 3 Sacks, 81 Tackles) and CB Brandon Stephens (2 INT, 74 Tackles) pace a great secondary that is adding first-round selection CB Nate Wiggins from Clemson
Nothing is a sure thing, but it is hard to see the Ravens not winning the North this year.
Cincinnati: the Bengals Joe Burrow is an elite quarterback, but the most important ability is availability, and Cincinnati needs him fully recovered from the wrist injury that ended his season in November last year. Cincy traded veteran RB Joe Mixon (257 ATT/1034 YDS/9 TD) and his replacement, free agent Zack Moss (183 ATT/794 YDS/5 TD) from the Indianapolis Colts, is not near as good. It is a concern that leading WR Ja’Marr Chase (100 REC/1216 YDS/7 TD) is still conducting a “hold-in” to get a contract extension and hasn’t practiced yet this year, but Chris Roling of The Bengals Wire blog still thinks Chase will be in uniform for Week 1.
Cincinnati has two quality edge rushers in Trey Hendrickson (17.5 Sacks) and Sam Hubbard (6 Sacks) that help set the defensive tone. The Bengals look to be counting on draft picks to fill holes in the interior of the defensive line and secondary with DT Kris Jenkins from Michigan, DT McKinnley Jackson from Texas A&M, CB Josh Newton from Texas Christian and S Daijahn Anthony from Mississippi. Will be fun to see if free agent signee S Geno Stone (7 INT), Ravens interception leader last year, affects this division rivalry.
The running game and youth on defense will probably keep the Bengals from winning the division, but if Burrow is healthy, this is a playoff team that can beat anyone in the Super Bowl tourney.
Cleveland: the Browns, incredibly, made the playoffs last year with QB Deshaun Watson only playing six games, lead RB Nick Chubb sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the second game and three offensive tackles – Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones and Jedrick Wills – all being lost to injuries during the season. Cleveland has multiple receiving threats in WR Amari Cooper (72 REC/1250 YDS/5 TD), TE David Njoku (81 REC/882 YDS/6 TD) and WR Jerry Jeudy (54 REC/758 YDS/2 TD) coming from the Denver Broncos in a trade. Even though the Browns scored the 11th most points in the NFL, head coach Kevin Stefanski made major changes on his offensive staff, including new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who was fired mid-season from the same position with the Buffalo Bills.
Kyle Vander Schauw of Betsided sees the Cleveland defense as an elite group that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz believes will only get better. This side of the ball is led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year DE Myles Garrett (14 Sacks/42 Tackles/4 Force Fumbles) and OLB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (98 Tackles). Schwartz’s ball hawking charges snagged 18 interceptions last year, tied for fourth best in the league, led by CB Martin Emerson, Jr. (4 INT, 59 Tackles).
The defense leads the way, but the Browns need Watson to actually play a majority of their games (he’s played in only 12 of 34 games over the last two years), to return to the playoffs.
Pittsburgh: the Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been very successful in Pittsburgh going 173-100-2, making it to two Super Bowls and winning one, but taking this team to the playoffs last year with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph playing quarterback was an absolute miracle of coaching. Pittsburgh jettisoned those two for quarterbacks Russell Wilson (3070 YDS/26 TD/8 INT) and Justin Fields (2562 YDS/16 TD/9 INT) with most people assuming Wilson will at least begin the season as the starter. Tomlin’s hiring of former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to be the offensive coordinator is somewhat puzzling as Smith is coming off an “underwhelming stint in Atlanta,” as described by Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
This was the sixth best defense in points allowed last year, and that will need to be maintained, because the offense does not look to improve that much. Pittsburgh is loaded at linebacker with All-Pro OLB T.J. Watt (19 Sacks/68 Tackles), ILB Elandon Roberts, their leading tackler from last year, and All-Pro ILB Patrick Queen (133 Tackles) coming over from Baltimore in free agency. There has been some turnover in the secondary, but second-year man CB Joey Porter, Jr. and former All-Pro S Minkah Fitzpatrick remain as the pass coverage foundation. Third-round draft pick OLB Payton Wilson from North Carolina State may contribute significantly this year.
If Wilson recaptures the play of his youth, this is a playoff team, but that is a huge “if.”
Radford Cross Country Check-In
Radford cross country is the "hometown" team of the HOTPO and we hope to have staff on-hand to cover their opener at Liberty University, Aug. 30. The Radford schedule has them all over Appalachia for the regular season and culminates with the Big South Championship in Charleston, S.C. Both teams finished fourth in conference last year with women projected to finish third and the men fourth again this year. Go Highlanders!
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