NFC North Week 11 Predictions

Posted by Charles Mitri Categories: Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Editorials,

Two key match ups this week when the Minnesota Vikings travel to take on the 6-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Chicago Bears visit the tundra to clash with the Green Bay Packers. Tampa Bay is one game shy of the division-leading Carolina Panthers who host the Detroit Lions - chalk up a win for Carolina. To keep pace, Tampa will need a win over Minnesota. By the end of the day, Carolina’s record should be 8-2 while a win over the Vikings will put the Bucs at 7-3. Local oddsmakers have already given the Panthers a 14-point edge over Detroit. Coming off a brutal heart-stopper over the Packers in Week 10, the Vikings will probably find out the hard way that the Bucs are no fluke. Bucs by 7.

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NFC North Overview - Week 6

Posted by Charles Mitri Categories: Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Editorials,

The NFC North race just got a whole lot tighter. The Minnesota Vikings won a squeaker over the woeful Detroit Lions 12-10 on a Ryan Longwell field goal in the waning seconds. This puts Minnesota at 3-3 and tied for first with the Chicago Bears who lost a 22-20 heartbreaker to the Atlanta Falcons. The Green Bay Packers improved their record to 3-3 by besting the Seattle Seahawks 27-17 at Seattle’s Qwest Field.

Week Seven will paint a clearer picture of divisional leaders. The Vikings travel to Soldier Field to take on the Bears while Green Bay takes on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field. Don’t go giving the Colts a win just yet. The Colts are mainly a passing team - well who can blame them with Peyton taking snaps? If the wind is whipping in Green Bay that afternoon, there could be a lot of knuckeballs floating around the tundra, putting extra emphasis on the ground game. Plus the Colts didn’t look any too impressive in the first three quarters when they edged the Vikings 18-15 in Week Two.

The Minnesota-Chicago clash will probably be a low scoring affair.  Adrian Peterson is due for a big game and the Minnesota front four will shut down the Bears’ Matt Forte. On the Bears side of the ledger, Kyle Orton is gonna have a lot of fun riddling the Vikes secondary. Brian Urlacher and Adewale Ogunleye will spearhead a charged up defense that will be determined to shut off the Minnesota running game, in other words Peterson. Neither team will blow out the opposition and this one could well be decided on sheer determination.

NFC North Overview - Week 5

Posted by Charles Mitri Categories: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings,

Adrian Petersen will make this coming Monday’s clash in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Saints look more like a track meet than a football game. The Minnesota Vikings are due for a breakout game. The Vikes’ front four will make Saints backs think they’ve hit the Great Wall of China as their running game grinds to a halt.  The Saints will have to resort to a passing game - dangerous without a ground game for balance, but not too bad with Drew Brees being the passer.  A win will put Minnesota’s record at 2-3 - close enough to division leaders, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Conservative pick… Minnesota by 10+.

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