Here is eDraft’s NFC North preview for the first week of the NFL season. In a division where the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are vying for the NFC North crown, every game has importance this season.
Of course what better way to kick off the 2014 season than with the Packers heading out on the road to take on the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks enter as favorites, but you can never count Aaron Rodgers out of any game. The Bears open up the season with a relatively easy game against the Buffalo Bills, a great chance for them to start the season off with a win. The Detroit Lions will wrap up the first week of action on Monday Night Football when they take on the New York Giants.
Now let’s take a look at the week every football fan has been waiting for.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
Overview
The 2014 season kicks off on Thursday night when the Seahawks are honored as Super Bowl champions. Once the introductions are over, we will see what could prove to be one of the best games this entire season.
For the Green Bay Packers, this game is all about establishing themselves amongst the elites of football once again. They are playing in Seattle, taking on the best team in football in a place where the visitor rarely comes out victorious. The odds are especially tough given some of the injuries the Packers come in with. Nose tackle B.J. Raji was supposed to eat up blocks, but is now lost for the season. Center J.C. Tretter was placed on Injured Reserve-Designated to Return this week, after spending all training camp with the starters.
Losing two starters in the middle of the trenches is a major blow. Now Mike McCarthy’s game plan will have to be even crisper as he tries to find just the right balance with Eddie Lacy and Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay has the talent to win in Seattle, but it will take an incredibly performance to pull it off.
Key Matchups
Bryan Bulaga versus Bruce Irvin: So much focus has been on the “Fail Mary”, but that’s not the only bad memory for Green Bay fans. The last time these teams met in 2012, Bulaga was torn to shreds by the Seahawks’ pass rush. One snap after another, Irvin or another Seahawks player would slip right by Bulaga and sack Rodgers. It’s Bulaga’s time for revenge; he has the chance to be a major factor on Thursday.
Corey Linsley versus Brandon Mebane: Green Bay felt very confident in Tretter after a strong preseason, but that confidence was turned to disappoint after a knee injury two weeks ago. Now they send out Linsley, a rookie fifth-round pick who worked primarily with the backups throughout camp. While Linsley has now had almost two weeks to work with Rodgers in practice, he enters a nightmare situation for a rookie. Facing the Super Bowl champs on a national stage in the loudest stadium in the NFL, all of this while facing Mebane. The best way to stop a quarterback is driving through the interior line and getting in his face, putting increasing pressure on Linsley. If Green Bay wants a legitimate shot at winning, Linsley will have to have the game of his life.
Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews versus Russell Wilson: What has always doomed Green Bay against the San Francisco 49ers was the inability to contain the quarterback. Countless times in their meetings, Colin Kaepernick would escape to the outside and deliver a big run in clutch time. This is a major reason why Green Bay brought in Peppers, with the hope to seal off the edge opposite of Matthews. Seattle’s offensive line will break down at times, but Wilson is one of the best at moving around the line and rolling out to either side to extend the play. The Packers can’t let this happen, Peppers and Matthews need to be there ready to hit Wilson. Green Bay has an upgraded secondary, now they just need to provide consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Final Prediction: (Seahawks 24, Packers 21)
This game will be a lot closer than people think, even with the immense home field edge the Seahawks bring into this game. Seattle certainly shined beating Peyton Manning, but this is a different situation.
The Packers have the powerful running back to power through tackles against the Seahawks, with an eye set on taking some energy out of the defensive line. Rodgers is much more mobile than Manning and better throwing on the run, enabling him to make more plays when pressured.
In the end, the edge goes to the Seahawks because of their defense. Green Bay can put up a lot of points but with the aggressive play by the Seahawks’ cornerbacks, things will be much harder for wide receivers to create any separation. The Seahawks walk away with a close victory on Thursday night and make that first step to repeating.
Buffalo Bills @ Chicago Bears
Overview:
The Bears had a similar road to the Packers last season with many ups and downs with crippling injuries thrown into the mix. Chicago showed real progress though, Marc Trestman looks like the perfect fit as head coach and the pieces are really coming together for this team.
Chicago will kick off the season the right way with a very nice matchup against the Bills. While the Bears’ defense struggled in the preseason, they have a chance to turn things around and leave a positive impression in the season that counts.
Key Matchups
Brandon Marshall versus Leodis McKelvin: Now that Jairus Byrd has left for green grass, it’s McKelvin’s turn to emerge as the Bills’ defensive star. He looked very good on the outside last season, combining his athleticism and strength to push his way up the cornerback rankings. He is in for a test on Sunday, Marshall is a monster to cover and every snap against him will be a fight.
Lamarr Houston versus Seantrel Henderson: The Bears pass rush was dreadful last season, so they brought in Houston to significantly upgrade their defensive line. The 27-year-old has just 16 career sacks in four seasons, but showed last year he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His first matchup as a Bear will come against Henderson, the Bills’ seventh round pick this past year. Henderson certainly has the size and power to fight off Houston, but consistency and effort was always a problem for him in college. If he impresses like we saw in the preseason, he might surprise some people by quieting Houston.
Jay Cutler versus Bills Secondary: Cutler is healthy coming into the season, which is all the Bears could ask for to this point. When he is on the field, there aren’t many better quarterbacks out there at launching rockets right into his wide receiver’s hands downfield. While McKelvin tries to quiet Marshall, Alshon Jeffery will be finding ways to get open against Stephon Gilmore. The cornerback-wide receiver matchups are strong, so Cutler will need to remain on point with his accuracy.
Final Prediction: (Bears 28, Bills 17)
Buffalo certainly has the defense to keep this game close, but quarterback E.J. Manuel will hand the ball over to Chicago too many times. This is an excellent Bears’ offense and even more dangerous when given extra opportunities. Buffalo will keep this game close early, but it will be over by the third quarter.
Minnesota Vikings @ St. Louis Rams
Overview:
A year from now we could be looking at a playoff matchup, but for now these are two young, talented teams that are just a few pieces away from playoff contention. For St. Louis, they have a front four that can break through Fort Knox and the offense has improved. As for Minnesota, all the pieces are coming together on both sides of the ball and now they just need a great quarterback to step up.
On Sunday, we are in store for a hard-fought defensive battle. While fans were hoping to not see a Matt Cassel versus Shaun Hill battle in Week One, that’s exactly what they are getting.
Key Matchups
Kyle Rudolph versus Alec Ogletree: If the Rams try and have James Laurinaitis covering Rudolph, they are in for a very rough day. While Rudolph has impressive size, he is a better athlete than given credit for and too fast for Laurinaitis. Instead, the Rams could put Ogletree on the tight end and let the athletic outside linebacker stay stride for stride with Rudolph. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner loves to utilize the tight end, so taking him away will be key for St. Louis. By putting Ogletree on Rudolph, this would also allow the Rams to have the safety help against Cordarrelle Patterson.
Matt Kalil versus Robert Quinn: Just two years ago, Kalil appeared to be the franchise left tackle who Minnesota could rely on for the next decade. He certainly showed that ability as a rookie, but injuries really hurt him last year. His struggles carried over into the preseason where we just didn’t see the same player from 2012. Now Kalil takes on Quinn, who led the NFL with 18 sacks last season. In order for Minnesota to win this game and get enough out of their offense, Kalil needs to come through against one of the best defensive players in the game.
Captain Munnerlyn versus Tavon Austin: Minnesota made a tremendous addition this offseason when they hired Mike Zimmer as their head coach and signed Munnerlyn. Zimmer helped coach the Bengals into being a top-three defense and a big player behind that was slot cornerback Leon Hall. Now Zimmer hopes Munnerlyn can be the same player and we’ll see what impact he has on Sunday. Munnerlyn certainly shined last season in Carolina, but now takes on one of the fastest players in the NFL. Once Austin gets the ball in his hands you can expect a big play, so Munnerlyn’s job this week is to just keep the ball away from Austin.
Final Prediction: (Vikings 17, Rams 13)
The quarterback situation for both teams isn’t ideal, but that certainly will help out the defenses. While the Rams have the edge defensively, it’s going to be difficult to stop Peterson. Cassel is smart with the football and has trusted weapons to throw to, helping him cut down on costly mistakes. In a low-scoring game, Peterson delivers the last nail in the coffin with a late fourth quarter touchdown run.
New York Giants @ Detroit Lions
Overview:
This game certainly sets up to be one of the quieter matchups of the opening week, as the Giants and Lions have become two of the least talked about teams in football. Detroit made changes this offseason after a disappointing 2013, bringing in Golden Tate and Eric Ebron to bolster the receiving core, while hiring Jim Caldwell to coach this team and hopefully fix Matthew Stafford. For New York, this could be it for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin if they fail to make the playoffs.
While this is only the first week, we are looking at a crucial game for both teams. Detroit has invested heavily in winning this year while the Giants are a team filled with veterans. A 0-1 start is just one step closer to ownership making more changes next offseason.
Key Matchups
Calvin Johnson versus Prince Amukamara: While it’s hard to fathom that one cornerback could cover Johnson, Monday night will provide Amukamara a chance to prove himself on a national stage. He had a reputation as a potential shutdown cornerback coming out of college, but never showed that ability on the field until last season. It would be crazy to ask him to shutdown Johnson but if he can stay on him and limit Johnson’s targets, that is all you can ask for and a step in the right direction towards a potential win for the Giants.
Riley Reiff versus Jason Pierre-Paul: In a matchup between two players whose careers have seemed to take different turns, the two former first round picks will go at it on Sunday. Reiff’s career started with a whimper after being drafted in 2012, struggling to establish himself as a starting-caliber tackle in the NFL. Meanwhile, Pierre-Paul has fallen off since recording 16.5 sacks in 2011. Health has been a big factor along with his weight, but everything seems right as he enters a contract year. The best way to stop the Lions offense is hitting Stafford, so Pierre-Paul will need to find that 2011-form this week.
Final Prediction: (Lions 31, Giants 21)
This prediction went back and forth, but the Lions weapons are going to prove just too tough for New York to stop. Johnson will just be too much for Amukamara to stop on his own and when the Giants give him additional help, it will lead to Golden Tate or Ryan Broyles getting open. When the Giants try and get into a shootout, Manning just won’t have the firepower to equal Stafford.