2008 NFC North Predictions

Jeff Alexander has widely been considered the foremost authority on the NFC North Division. His 2008 NFC North predictions highlight who he likes to win the league and the odds that oddsmakers have associated with each team doing so.

1st – Minnesota Vikings: 17-1 odds to win the Super Bowl

All the pieces of the puzzle seem to be in place for a division title except for the QB position, where Tarvaris Jackson is still maturing. The Vikes will go as far as Jackson can take them though, and that will likely be far enough to win a weak league. Teams are going to stack the line against last season’s rookie sensation Adrian Peterson, daring the Vikes to beat them through the air. I expect play action to give Minnesota some big play opportunities. The Vikes are the best in the NFL against the run and landing Jared Allen gives them a big time pass rushing threat. The betting line on Minnesota is 7-5 odds to win the NFC North Division at BodogLife.com.

2nd – Green Bay Packers: 25-1 odds to win the Super Bowl

The Packers squandered a golden opportunity to get back to the Super Bowl last season with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The team wants to move ahead with Aaron Rodgers and it appears they will do so despite talk that Brett Favre would like to return as starting QB. This means that Green Bay will imminently endure some growing pains in the passing game. Rodgers will be helped out though by a solid receiving corps led by Donald Driver and Greg Jennings. Running back Grant Ryan Grant must show that he isn’t a one-year wonder. The defense is solid with Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila forming one of the league best pass-rushing tandems. The betting line on Green Bay is 7-4 odds to win the NFC North Division at BodogLife.com.

3rd – Chicago Bears: 35-1 odds to win the Super Bowl

The Bears should be going after Brett Favre ferociously right now as their solid defense is quickly aging and so is the window of opportunity for getting back to the Super Bowl. If last season wasn’t proof that Rex Grossman is not the man for the job then I don’t know what is. He will compete with Kyle Orton, who was third on the depth chart for most of last season. Neither of these guys appear to have what it takes to make the Bears a feared offense. Unless Chicago can get an instant impact from second-round running back Matt Forte and third-round receiver Earl Bennett, the offense will be quiet again. Defensively the Bears still have a lot of big play guys and one of the best in the business in middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, but this unit cannot spend as much time on the field as it does. The betting line on Chicago to win the NFC North Division is 3-1 odds at BodogLife.com.

4th – Detroit Lions: 80-1 odds to win the Super Bowl

Last season, QB Jon Kitna predicted a 10-win campaign. The Lions appeared well on their way before falling off the map. We’ll go ahead and predict a last place finish for Kitna this season. Mike Matz is out and Jim Colletto is in at offensive coordinator. He’ll feature a much more run-oriented, conservative approach. This does not really work well with the current personnel as the Lions have spent so many high draft picks on wide receivers. Losing their best defensive player in Shaun Rogers will hurt an already failing unit considerably. The betting line on Detroit is 6-1 odds to win the NFC North Division at BodogLife.com.

Scout.com lists 2008 NFC North Predictions as well and sees things the way we do.

2008 NFC North Predictions

Comments