CHICAGO -- The NFL's hot, trendy division is the one with a history of making mayhem on Sunday. It has given pro football the Monsters of the Midway, the Purple People Eaters, the Fearsome Foursome and the Frozen Tundra.
The NFC North is alive and blitzing -- and hitting and hitting back.
The road to Super Bowl XLV leads through the North, with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers meeting in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Soldier Field.
As the power train evolves in the North, the Bears and Packers have risen to the top, and deservedly so. Their performance warrants putting them at the top. They have talent and depth at key positions.
But any discussion of a power shift should include the Lions. Yes, the Lions -- longtime doormats, the late-night talk-show hosts' favorite punch line.
The Lions no longer are a stepping stone or automatic victory for a team fattening its record. Their roster needs fresh talent at key positions on defense, but they match up well in most other areas with the Bears, Packers and Vikings.
What I learned from my extended weekend in Chicago covering Sunday's Bears-Seahawks playoff game is that the growing respect for the Lions extends beyond the geographic boundaries of Metro Detroit. A member of the national media offered this question: How was the season changed for both teams by the Bears-Lions game on opening day?
Enormously, actually.
The game will be remembered for the Calvin Johnson touchdown catch with 24 seconds left that was a touchdown everywhere in the world except in some weirdly unfathomable rules loophole that made it an incomplete pass. The Bears escaped with a 19-14 victory. That one victory gave the Bears the margin to win the North with an 11-5 record. The Packers got in as a wild card at 10-6.
For the Lions, it was the first of four straight losses that dashed any chance of making the playoffs. Just as damaging for the Lions was the shoulder injury sustained by quarterback Matthew Stafford late in the first half. Stafford started only three games.
(For the record, here's how the Johnson play was described in the Bears' postseason media guide: "Lions WR Calvin Johnson tried to haul in the go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds remaining in the contest, but the ball squirted out of his right hand as he fell to the ground.")
That's not the way I saw the play, but in fairness to the Bears, there is no reason they shouldn't take the win and move on.
Going into the offseason, here's how I would rate the four North teams, roster for roster:
1. PACKERS: They have the fewest holes, and Aaron Rodgers is unquestionably the best quarterback in the division.
Their young offensive linemen will develop. They have playmakers at wide receiver, an elite pass-rusher in linebacker Clay Matthews, a talented big-play cornerback in Tramon Williams, and a good blend of veterans with such players as cornerback Charles Woodson.
2011 potential: The Packers are built for the long haul, especially with Rodgers.
2. BEARS: It would be hard to argue if anyone puts the Lions even.
The Bears' back seven on defense is stronger than the Lions', with Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher at linebacker, and Charles Tillman at cornerback. The Bears are good enough to win with the good Jay Cutler at quarterback, and Matt Forte is productive as a runner and receiver.
The offensive line improved, but sacks are always an issue under offensive coordinator Mike Martz. The quarterback could stand on the observation deck of the Sears Tower and still get sacked three times a game in his system.
2011 potential: They caught some breaks to go 11-5. Any slippage easily could drop them to 9-7.
3. LIONS: Primed to have a better record than 6-10, but they'll move up only if general manager Martin Mayhew continues to make important upgrades.
A lot depends on Stafford's health. I'm a betting man, and I'm betting he'll get over his injuries. The kid is 22 years old -- too young to label him as injury-prone -- and his talent is enormous.
The offense needs a third receiver. Otherwise, there's a special group with Johnson and Nate Burleson at wide receiver and tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Running back Jahvid Best has big-play ability, but he needs to recover from turf toe injuries on both feet.
The defensive line is as good as any in the league, and three parts of the defense's back seven are set -- linebacker DeAndre Levy, safety Louis Delmas and cornerback Chris Houston, if he re-signs.
2011 potential: It's a long jump from 6-10 to a playoff berth, but the Packers made it from 2008 to '09, and the Bears went from 7-9 in '09 to division champs. A four-game improvement is possible, but not automatic, for a Lions team that ended its losing streaks on the road and in the division.
4. VIKINGS: No matter who plays quarterback, Joe Webb or Tarvaris Jackson, the Vikings are a team in transition -- heading down.
The defense has slipped. The Williams Wall developed cracks. Adrian Peterson is still a game-changing runner who commands game-plan attention, but the offensive line has deteriorated.
The Vikings won't have the Brett Favre drama as a crutch, but issues involving the franchise -- starting with the long-term stadium question -- can be debilitating.
2011 potential: They were tied with the Lions at 6-10 in 2010 but got fourth place because of the tiebreaker. They'll finish last on their own merit.
Jan. 17, 2011
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