1. Minnesota Vikings
Coach: Mike Zimmer (seventh year — 57-38-1 regular season, 2-3 playoffs)
2019 record: 10-6 (second in NFC North; lost to San Francisco in divisional round)
Offensive play-caller: Coordinator Gary Kubiak (second year)
Quarterback situation: Kirk Cousins, 32, had one season left on his contract, but the Vikings signed him to a two-year extension worth $66 million in March. Cousins is 19-13-1 (regular season/playoffs) for the Vikings (58 touchdowns/17 interceptions).
Young skill-position players: Running backs Dalvin Cook (25, 2017 second round) and Alexander Mattison (22, 2019 third round) rushed for 1,135 and 462 yards, respectively, last year. Tight end Irv Smith (22, 2019 second round) is a complement to veteran Kyle Rudolph. And to replace Diggs, the Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson (21) in this year’s first round.
Key statistic: 52. Completions of at least 20 yards last year by Cousins, tied for 10th in the league.
2. Green Bay Packers
Coach: Matt LaFleur (second year — 13-3 regular season, 1-1 playoffs)
2019 record: 13-3 (first in NFC North; lost to San Francisco in NFC championship game)
Offensive play-caller: LaFleur (second year)
Quarterback situation: Aaron Rodgers turns 37 in December and after the Packers drafted Jordan Love in this year’s first round, Rodgers’ future is in doubt. Rodgers has started all 16 games in five of the last six years and had 26 touchdowns against only four interceptions last year.
Young skill-position players: The Packers ignored receiver in this year’s draft, going with Love, 21, in round 1 and running back A.J. Dillon, 22, in round 2. The only other young players are receiver Allen Lazard, 24, and tight end Jace Sternberger, 24.
Key statistic: 40. Touchdown catches by receiver Davante Adams since the start of 2016, most in the league.
3. Detroit Lions
Coach: Matt Patricia (third year — 9-22-1 regular season)
2019 record: 3-12-1 (fourth in NFC North)
Offensive play-caller: Coordinator Darrell Bevell (second year)
Quarterback situation: Matthew Stafford, 32, remains the Lions’ franchise quarterback. He had started every game from 2011 until midway through ’19 (136 consecutive games) before sustaining a back injury. Stafford is 69-79-1 in the regular season and 0-3 in the playoffs.
Young skill-position players: Running backs Kerryon Johnson (23, 2018 second round) and D’Andre Swift (21, 2020 second round). Johnson hasn’t been able to stay healthy, which semi-justified adding Swift. Tight end T.J. Hockenson (23, 2019 first round) had only 32 catches as a rookie.
Key statistic: 28. Years since Detroit’s last playoff win (1991 divisional round), the second-longest drought in the NFL (Cincinnati 29 years).
4. Chicago Bears
Coach: Matt Nagy (third year — 20-12 regular season, 0-1 playoffs)
2019 record: 8-8 (third in NFC North)
Offensive play-caller: Nagy (third year).
Quarterback situation: Muddled, period. The Bears reported to camp in July without a starting quarterback. Incumbent Mitchell Trubisky, his fifth-year option not picked up, was going to be challenged by veteran Nick Foles, acquired from Jacksonville. The Bears could be back in the market for a starter next March.
Young skill-position players: The Bears have used the draft to find depth, including Anthony Miller (25, 2018 second round), running back David Montgomery (23, 2019 third round) and tight end Cole Kmet (21, 2020 second round). The 2018 trade for Khalil Mack cost the Bears two first-round picks.
Key statistic: 50. Three-and-out possessions last year by Chicago’s offense, third-most in the league behind the Jets (55) and Washington (51).
feeds.denverpost.com/~r/dp-sports/~3/4hUrKgTpkzA/Follow Tyler Tysdal Online
Check out the latest articles from Tyler Tysdal.Follow Tyler Tivis Tysdal on Twitter
Check out the biography for Tyler Tysdal on Crunchbase to see the companies he has managed.
Contact Tyler Tysdal on Linkedin
No comments:
Post a Comment