2012 NFC North Odds & Preview
NFL Divisional Futures-NFC North
The Green Bay Packers ran away with the NFC North title last season with a straight-up record of 15-1 in the regular season. The next best team at 10-6 SU was Detroit with Chicago finishing 8-8 and Minnesota managing just three wins. While the Packers are once again heavy favorites to win the North, the gap may not be nearly as wide as the current odds suggest.
The following is a brief look at all four teams in the NFC North along with their current odds as provided by Bookmaker to win this season’s division title.
Green Bay Packers -250
Green Bay is not only favored to win the division, it is a 7/2 favorite to win the NFC and a 6/1 favorite to win Super Bowl XLVII. The roster remains basically unchanged from last season especially on offense where Aaron Rodgers is ready to pick-up from one of the most impressive performances by a quarterback in recent memory. He threw for 4,643 yards and 45 touchdowns while completing 68.3 percent of his throws. The main problem that the Packers face besides improving a defense that was ranked last in the NFL in total yards allowed, is living-up to all the expectations that come with just one loss in the regular season.
Chicago Bears +350
The Bears have quite a few tools on offense to try and keep pace with Green Bay in this season’s division race after going 3-3 in the North last year. They added wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who is reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler from their days together in Denver. Chicago also has a happy camper in running back Matt Forte, who finally came to terms with the team on a long-term deal. While the Bears are currently down playing this as much to do about nothing, the defense could have some issues with its leader Brian Urlacher suffering from a nagging knee injury that appears to be lingering on longer than expected.
Detroit Lions +500
The Lions took a major step forward last season with a return trip to the playoffs as a wildcard, but they could be in for a step backwards this year with some mounting off-field issues surrounding a few of their high-profile players. Defensive tackle Nick Fairly was arrested for suspicion of DUI and marijuana possession and could face a possible suspension from the league, and running back Mikel Leshoure has already been suspended for two games due to off-field conduct. You would like to think that this team can still overcome issues such as this, but Detroit’s past history suggests that last season’s success could be short-lived.
Minnesota Vikings +3000
It looks like a total reclamation project in Minnesota as the team tries to rebuild itself into once again being a legitimate contender in the NFC North. Its best player, running back Adrian Peterson, continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee while other injury concerns on both sides of the ball continue to mount. Rookie wide receiver Greg Childs is most likely done for the year with a torn-up knee and tight end John Carlson will be out of the lineup for the rest of the preseason with a sprained MCL. This team is not that deep to begin with and will have to try and find a way to win with second-year quarterback Christian Ponder at the helm.
Dave Schwab
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