LK League Notes Vol. 38

By Lucas Kochevar

The first couple weeks of preseason football has come and gone and the reactions are out of control, in the best way. It means that we've finally made it to NFL football. The only thing missing from the beginning of the season is the ending of my divisional preview series! It's the ending of this journey throughout the NFL and it's fitting that we end in the NFC North given the fact that these teams were really prominent in the first week of the preseason. The Bears were the big talk with Justin Fields connecting for two touchdowns with his three passes. I truly don't know what the Titans were doing on defense, but the Bears did look explosive. Their rival, the Packers, had a great showing during their preseason game against the Bengals. Although the stat line wasn't as flashy, Jordan Love had a positive showing. The Vikings and Lions didn't play their starters so it's hard to gauge them, but since they're the two favorites, they don't need to show too much. For the first time in a long time, the NFC North feels like it's up for grabs with all four teams in the running. It should be a very exciting division.

Minnesota Vikings (13-4 Last Season)

The Minnesota Vikings from last season were one of the most fascinating teams last season because they loved to play on one score games. Even with 13 wins on the board, the Vikings were a huge disappointment by losing in the Wild Card round against the Giants. There are many issues with how they operated last season, but they're all fixable issues. I'm also overselling the issues they've had because when you look at the bigger picture, they had a successful season. First year coach Kevin O'Connell ran a super successful offense with record-breaking receiver Justin Jefferson. Kirk Cousins even had his best season as a pro, in my opinion. The biggest X-factor will be their defense. 

Following a season as one of the worst defenses of all-time, the Vikings hit a hard reset on the unit and made some changes. The most important one of those bunch would be the hiring of Brian Flores. Following his exit from the Dolphins, Flores went through a spat with the league. He's back in the mix now after a season on the Steelers staff. Flores is one of the best defensive minds in the league and can likely coach up a defense that needs guidance. They made some changes to the cornerback room and they'll also get back second year safety Lewis Cine. The Georgia safety missed all of last season with a broken leg and I think he can be a game changer coming back. With this defense hopefully improving, the offense looks to keep up their success. Veterans Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen were critical in the past couple years, but now they're gone. They'll need the replacements to step up with Alexander Mattison and rookie Jordan Addison. 

The Vikings have a high floor with all the talent they have and the solid coaching from O'Connell. They also have a low ceiling with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. I like Cousins and I think he's underrated by many, however, it's clear that there's a limit to how far he can take a team. That being said, I like this Vikings team and they've improved, primarily on the defense. They should be the favorites to win the NFC North heading into the season, due to the uncertainty of the other teams. I don't know if they'll win the division but I expect them to make the playoffs in some capacity. Barring injury, Jefferson should break more records and continue his climb as the best receiver of his generation. 

​Detroit Lions (9-8 Last Season)

The Detroit Lions could potentially win the NFC North for the first time in my lifetime, at least since I can remember. In the past, the Lions have entered the year and it's been doom and gloom, but there's an energy of excitement in Detroit. It all goes back to the hiring of Dan Campbell. I was low on the hire, but he's proved me wrong and can be one of the best culture guys in the league. Last season, their offense was explosive and quarterback Jared Goff had a career renaissance. The defense started off poorly, but finished the season strong and they were the reason Detroit had a shot at the playoffs in week 17. The expectations have taken a big as they're the team that's featured on opening night taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The offense will still be the focal point of this team as they were very fortunate to retain offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Goff solidified himself as the franchise guy for the Lions last season and looks to build on that success. It's fascinating to see two quarterbacks from the 2016 draft in Goff and Wentz that have taken such different career paths. Outside of Goff, he has a top notch offensive line and some talented weapons, most notably Amon-Ra St. Brown. He's a very underrated receiver in my eyes and I think he has top five potential. An X-factor for the Lions in my eyes would be Iowa rookie Sam LaPorta. Iowa has a great reputation with making NFL level tight ends and LaPorta could be added to that list. The defense improvement over last season was key in their turnaround and hot finish. If that unit can start out the season in a strong way that can help this team significantly. The Lions will rely on defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to make that second year improvement. 

My biggest concern for the Lions is the increase in expectations. The Lions have gotten by as the plucky, lovable loser and it's benefited them when they do have a good team because the opponents don't expect it. Now that the Lions are being slotted higher than a lot of teams in the league across the media, they'll have more of a target on their back. This is where the culture king in Dan Campbell will be paramount for the Lions locker room. He'll need to keep them level-headed across this important season. I like the Lions to make the playoffs at the very least. They have too much talent to not make that jump and they're in a division that shouldn't challenge them too much. 

Green Bay Packers (8-9 Last Season)

​The Green Bay Packers are entering uncharted territory this season. They faced it when shifting from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and it turned out pretty good for them. Now, they make that same transition with Jordan Love. The 2020 first round pick was drafted to sit behind Rodgers as he was a raw prospect and Rodgers was getting older. The Packers set the succession plan, but it was quickly ruined when Rodgers rattled off back-to-back MVPs. With Rodgers being traded to the Jets, the Packers get to see what they drafted in full-time action. He's clearly the biggest X-factor for the Packers. If he does turn out to be good, the Packers could be in the mix for the division, like they normally are. 

The offense will run as Love runs, but they'll still need to step up. It's not an impressive skill position group with so many young receivers. Christian Watson started off slow last season, but found his groove later in the season. Romeo Doubs was a productive guy too, but outside of that it's very shaky. They'll need running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon to provide consistent offense. Their offensive line remains great and Matt LaFleur is still the play caller. If anything, this season is huge for LaFleur. He's always had Rodgers to help cover up any deficiencies and LaFleur might get exposed since he doesn't have a first ballot Hall of Famer under center. I like LaFleur and think he'll have an average season, but it'll be a storyline to follow. Their defense, however, should be very good. Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander and Rashan Gary are all in their primes and they're some of the best players at their positions. They also have several role players who can step up when needed too like Devonte Wyatt and Darnell Savage. 

The Packers defense should be cohesive and dangerous out of the gate. It'll be up to the offense whether or not they make the playoffs. The Packers have been blessed with Hall of Fame level quarterback play for the past 30 years and they'll finally have to deal with an unknown player at that spot. I don't think it'll be a smooth transition and the scheme will be working hard to cover-up Love's weaknesses. I do believe that he can be a starter in the league, but I have my questions about his ceiling. I don't think he'll reach his potential in year one and this will be a big time development year. I like the Packers to win around six-to-right games and miss out on the playoffs.

Chicago Bears (3-14 Last Season)

The Chicago Bears are entering a critical year in Justin Fields development. He's entering year three after a breakout season. The issue is the Bears still lost three games and Fields great play was led by his running, not passing. To be fair to Fields, the Bears surrounded him with some swill. That's why this season will be critical because the Bears made a conscious effort to give Fields weapons and a defense. Fields development and an actual chance at winning the division is in play for the Bears and we'll see if they can live up to the hype. The biggest acquisition they made involved trading away their first overall pick to Carolina since it netted them D.J. Moore.

Moore is the best weapon that Fields has seen in the NFL and they also used their first round pick from the Panthers to draft Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright. These type of investments are huge for building up Fields and we'll see if it pays off. The rest of their offense is pretty solid too with weapons like Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. The running back position will be interesting with David Montgomery leaving and Khalil Herbert stepping up to fill his shoes. The offensive line doesn't have great names, but they should be slightly better. The defense will be the concerning group for me. It's a mixture of good young players and free agents they spent money on this past offseason. The secondary will be the make-or-break group as they drafted heavily last season and veteran safety Eddie Jackson is the leader among them. Head coach Matt Eberfleus will have his work cut out for him to cause pressure because I'm not sure how this unit will get sacks. Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is the most notable edge rusher and, with all due respect, he's on his fourth team in three years. 

The Bears still feel like they're a year away, but I think they can make strides this season. The Bears faithful are ready to pencil in Chicago for the division win, but I can't with how this team looks in the trenches. Once again, I like them, but I don't think they'll be in the running for the division win this season. I'm expecting a big season from Fields, at least from a fantasy perspective, and I think he'll be subject to the same discussions Lamar Jackson had at the end of his rookie contract. The Bears should prioritize development over winning this season, but they could be a sneaky team to make a leap to the playoffs.