How the Green Bay Packers Match Up Against Each NFC North Opponent

The Green Bay Packers will look to dominate their NFC North rivals once again after going a perfect 6-0 in divisional games last season.

The Detroit Lions, coming off their first playoff season since 1999, should be back and primed for another postseason run. The Chicago Bears have added fuel to their high-powered offense to alleviate pressure from their aging defense and look like a formidable foe. The Minnesota Vikings are still rebuilding but have increased their overall talent.

Boasting three teams set for a potential Super Bowl run coming into the season, the NFC North is certainly one of, if not, the best divisions in football.

Coming into the 2012 season, the division appears much like it did at the middle of 2011. The Packers are definitely the top dog in the division with the Lions and Bears fighting for second place and the Vikings stuck in the cellar attempting to figure out their future.

Chicago Bears

Last season, the Packers went into Chicago for a Week 3 matchup and left with a 27-17 victory, thanks in large part to the duo of Aaron Rodgers and Jermichael Finley and their three touchdowns. The Green Bay meeting was more Aaron Rodgers as he threw five touchdowns to lead the Packers to a 35-21 victory on Christmas. 

Coming into 2012, the Packers match up extremely well against the Bears. The Bears defense had tons of trouble containing Aaron Rodgers last season, and that will continue in 2012 as long as Rodgers has time to throw.

The only chance the Bears defense has of slowing the Packers offense is Julius Peppers and the rest of the defensive line dominated the Packers' offensive line. 

The Bears added playmaker Brandon Marshall and drafted Alshon Jeffery to boost their offense and give Jay Cutler some legitimate weapons. This should give the Bears a better chance to score points and keep up with the Packers offense.

It will be a big test for the Packers defense, and like last season, much of the success will come from how well the defensive line plays. 

Overall, the Packers are still a better team and the favorites in matchups, but with their offseason additions, the Bears have a better chance to compete with Green Bay.

Detroit Lions

Last season, in one of the most anticipated matchups of the Packers' season, Green Bay marched into Detroit on Thanksgiving and held on to beat the Lions 27-15 after taking a 24-0 lead into the fourth quarter. In the return meeting in Green Bay, the Matt Flynn-lead Packers outlasted the Lions in a bizarre 45-41 shootout to end the season. 

The Lions defense will likely struggle to contain the Packers offense—but so will most teams. The cover men aren't there for the Lions, and Rodgers and Co. should have their way most of the time.

In the draft, the Lions addressed some of those issues, drafting three corners, but it's unlikely they contribute in a big way this early on. The heart of the Lions defense rests on their line with Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Cliff Avril and the eccentric Kyle Vanden Bosch.

On defense, the Packers will likely continue to struggle against big Calvin Johnson but should be OK if they are able to cover the rest of the Lions wide receivers. That's something that's going to be potentially more difficult with the growth of Titus Young alongside Johnson and Nate Burleson.

The Lions may be closer to the Packers than the rest of the NFC North when it comes to youthful talent, but that's only the case if they can get out of their own way and avoid a potential collapse at the end of youthful ignorance and poor decision making off the field.

While this will determine how successful the Lions can be going forward, the Packers are still favored in this matchup with a more experienced and talented squad.   

Minnesota Vikings

Last season, the Packers struggled and allowed a poor Minnesota Vikings team to compete before Green Bay pulled out a 33-27 road win. The return trip to Green Bay saw the Packers flip the switch and leave the Vikings in the dust on their way to a 45-7 romping. 

On both sides of the ball, the Packers have more talent. This is especially true on offense with an established core of receivers supporting the best quarterback in the game, while the Vikings have a newcomer in Christian Ponder without a group of consistent, talented wide receivers.

The Packers defense should be able to use their experience to confuse and frustrate a young Vikings offense. The wild card in the matchups is likely to be Adrian Peterson. If healthy, Peterson has the ability to swing a game in his club's direction just by sheer dominance. 

While the Vikings are slowly headed in the right direction, they are light-years away from where the Packers are now. It would take quite the upset for the Vikings to handle the Packers.