The NFC as a whole has been exposed. Everyone who had pinned their hopes on the Vikings and the Packers and who thought things were finally starting to roll in the right direction should have given the Super Bowl betting lines a closer look.
When the Packers were 4-2, it was easy to keep faith in their ability to succeed; even when their offense was failing, the presence of Aaron Rodgers, arguably the league’s best quarterback gave fans hope.
And why wouldn’t everyone cheer the Vikings on? They were the only undefeated team around, the only hope the NFC North had as week 6 bye approached. Sufficing to say, things couldn’t be more different today.
Pundits knew something was wrong when the Packers lost 31-26 to a less than impressive Colts team, a game during which they hardly targeted their best running back (Ty Montgomery).
Their consecutive losses left many fans demoralized; and even when it looked like the Packers might recover, they threw chance after chance away in the Lions game. With a pathetic offense as well as a defensive unit that couldn’t even stop the Lions at home, the Packers couldn’t get any more hopeless.
The Vikings, on the other hand, have done nothing since they came out of the bye, and their offense is to blame. You know Minnesota’s offense is bad because it is losing to defenses that are not even good, to begin with.
People have tried to make excuses for the Vikings, especially when comparing them to teams like the Lions and the Bears; but those excuses are fast losing steam. And because their offensive is so terrible, the Vikings always fall apart whenever they don’t play well defensively.
With the Redskins, Cardinals, Lions and Cowboys waiting ahead, only time will tell if past failures have helped the team patch the weaknesses in their structure.
Green Bay is especially patchy today because of the loss at Lambeau. That was one game they couldn’t afford to lose, and it was a game that saw even Aaron Rodgers call them out for their embarrassing performance.
You could tell from his tone that Rodgers was frustrated; he didn’t understand why the Packers were unable to deliver on the hopes of fans. He called their recent string of poor performances unacceptable and suggested that the team take the time to look in the mirror and figure out where they are going wrong.
The way they kept allowing Frank Gore to find the End Zone left Rodgers speechless; Green Bay didn’t even look that interested in converting Andrew Luck’s turnovers into points.
The Packers’ offense has been out of sync for far too long. Maybe when James Stark returns, things will actually change. The packers are currently in third place (behind the Lions). They still have the Titans, Redskins and Eagles waiting for them ahead, and that won’t be an easy stretch of opponents to overcome.
The Vikings, on the other hand, are struggling to hold onto the Division’s top spot.
It is difficult to read the future of the NFC when it comes to the playoffs; for now, the unpredictability will probably keep a few people on the edge of their seats.
