Monday Morning Mailbag: Barr's Role In 2019, Concern With Youth On The O-Line, Most Intriguing Viking, More

[Viktor]

Based solely on the offseason moves and players returning from injuries, please rank all four NFC North teams based on their anticipated improvement in 2019.
-- Steve
Nashville, TN


There were two six-win teams in the division last season – Detroit and Green Bay. By definition, they have the biggest opportunity (and likelihood) to improve the most. Conversely, the 12-win Bears have the least opportunity (and likelihood) to register an improved win total. The Vikings, at eight wins, rest in the middle of the two extremes. Given that Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and given that he wasn’t healthy for all of last season, I’d give the Packers as good a chance as any NFC North team to improve their win total the most. But I also like the Vikings in this regard because they haven’t lost anything on defense and I believe the offensive line is significantly better right now than it was during the 2018 season. To me, the top two spots are Green Bay and Minnesota, in some order, with Detroit third and Chicago fourth. Now, that is not a prediction of how the division standings will play out in 2019, rather, it’s a guess as to the chances of an increase in wins from season-to-season for each team in the division.