Steelers Fan Playoff Power Rankings

The Steelers loss to the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs was unfortunate, and I'm still working on picking up the pieces of shattered expectations to formulate a game recap. That's coming later in the week. But for now, I wanted to get things rolling into the offseason by bringing back one of my most popular posts from last year.

In my post last year, I detailed three criteria for helping to rank teams when trying to choose a non-Steelers team to root for. With only 8 teams remaining in the field, here is your definitive guide for who Steelers fans should or should not root for to ultimately hoist the Lombardi.

The Criteria

1. Rivalries

Baltimore, Cincinnati and New England go to the bottom of the list. Always. I didn't include Cleveland or Oakland in this list because the thought of them making the playoffs would cause this post to lose all legitimacy.

2. Super Bowl Rings

As Steelers fans, we love holding the "Sixburgh" or "First to Six" or "How Many Yinz Got?" over fans of all 31 other teams. Therefore, we don't want to see anyone else get to 6 or even get within striking distance of 6 Rings. Looking at the 8 remaining playoff teams this year, Dallas leads the pack with 5 rings, followed by Green Bay and with 4, New England with 3, Denver, Baltimore and Indianapolis with 2, and Seattle with 1.

3. General Jagoffery

Does the team have a player that it's really easy to hate (i.e. Tom Brady)? Does the team have someone it's really easy to cheer for (i.e. Adrian Peterson)? Is their coach a Harbaugh?

The Rankings

8. Baltimore

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: I Hate JJ Redick, Purple Reign Show, @iHateJJRedick @BMoreBirdsNest @lindsayyok 

What To Like: Elite jokes

What Not To Like: They're Baltimore, so pretty much everything. Not just about the Ravens organization that endorsed Ray Rice but the entire city of Baltimore. Everything sucks.

The Verdict: Never under any circumstances should you root for the Ravens. Period.

7. Dallas

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Blogging the Boys, @BloggingTheBoys, @MattThorntonNFL

What To Like: DeMarco Murray, I guess. Sean Lee was the only good thing about the Cowboys and he's out for the year. Tony Romo playoff meltdowns, too.

What Not To Like: Dallas getting a gift to make it through the first round. The Cowboys are tied with the Steelers for most Super Bowl appearances (8) and have 5 rings. A Super Bowl victory would put them into a tie with the Steelers.

The Verdict: Our rivalry with the Cowboys may have grown thinner over time since we only play them once every four years, but we can never forget the Super Bowls of the 70s or Larry Brown in 1995. Much like the 49ers of 2013, the only acceptable time to root for them is if they are playing the Ravens.

6. New England

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: FoxboroBlog

What To Like: The Patriots and Ravens both getting the mumps. 

What Not To Like: Having to root for the Patriots to beat the Ravens. Ugh. What makes matters worse is this is the 4th time in the last 6 years we've had to watch these two play in the playoffs.

The Verdict: Rooting for the Patriots violates all 3 of the Steelers Fan Criteria. A Super Bowl victory would give Brady/Belichick 4 rings which would tie them with Bradshaw/Noll. 

5. Denver

Recommended Blogs/Twitter:

What To Like: Peyton Manning is the smartest player in football. Never forget that he bought 30 pizza stores in Denver right before Colorado legalized pot. The Denver Broncos have lost more Super Bowls (5) than any other organization.

What Not To Like: Emmanuel Sanders playing like a legitimate #2 receiver. I don't think he's dropped a pass all year. Where were these clutch catches when he was with the Steelers?

The Verdict: Unfortunately, Denver is the second best option in the AFC and you'll have to root for the winner of Denver-Indianapolis in the AFC Championship Game.

4. Green Bay

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: @PackersTherapy

What To Like: Aaron Rodgers. Jordy Nelson down the right sideline. John Kuhn in short yardage.

What Not To Like: Green Bay beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XL and have 4 Super Bowl rings. A 5th would put them within striking distance of the Steelers.

The Verdict: Green Bay is a middle-of-the-road choice depending on how torn up you are about Super Bowl XL. That was four years ago, so if you've moved past the fact that Ben threw 2 interceptions and Rashard Mendenhall couldn't hold onto the ball in a key situation, then it's okay to root for Green Bay.

3. Indianapolis

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Colts Authority, @NateDunlevy, @ColtsAuth_Kyle

What To Like: Andrew Luck memes, they are hilarious. Andrew Luck in general is pretty good, even if his receivers let him down a lot and he has no running game. TY Hilton is like Drew Brees - great indoors, not so great outside.

What Not To Like: TY Hilton outdoors. The Colts running game. The Colts pass rush, which had only 29 sacks this season. 

The Verdict: Of the 4 AFC teams remaining, the Colts are clearly the preferable choice. The Colts blogosphere has some really good writers, definitely worth checking out.

2. Carolina

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: @PanthersBryan, @PanthersMax

What To Like: Carolina's front 7 is incredibly fun to watch. Luke Kuechly is one of the best inside linebackers in the league. Head Coach Ron Rivera's house caught fire this week and thankfully everyone is safe.

What Not To Like: The Panthers 7-8-1 regular season record. They got by in the Wild Card Round thanks to facing an offensively inept Arizona team, but it's hard to see them getting past Seattle this weekend.

The Verdict: Mostly because of their 0 Super Bowl rings, Carolina appears very high on this list. Also, this 3 Act Play on the History of Teal Uniforms is worth your time.

1. Seattle

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Field Gulls, @30AcreFortress, @FieldGulls, @hawkblogger

What To Like: The way the Seahawks play defense. The way the Seahawks run the ball. Seahawks twitter (you should follow everyone I listed, just for the fun of it). Marshawn Lynch postgame interviews.

What Not To Like: Seattle's wide receivers. In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "Who are these people?" The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl Champs so that might make them a bit insufferable.

The Verdict: They might be the defending champs but there's not a whole lot to dislike about the Seahawks. They run the ball, they play defense. Sure Richard Sherman is outspoken and Marshawn Lynch doesn't speak, but this is a team that Steelers fans can comfortably get behind to hoist their second straight Lombardi.

Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal: Steelers Win

 38

 31

Things couldn't have gone better early Sunday afternoon. The Jets won. The Bills won. When the coin was flipped, the Steelers were still clinging to their slim playoff hopes.

The Steelers came out of the gates quick, with a Timmons sack forcing a 3-and-out then moving the ball out to midfield on the legs of Le'Veon Bell. Two penalties set things back and a give-up play on third and long sent the ball back to the Packers.

Playing for field position didn't work out so well as Matt Flynn started working the short passing game, moving Green Bay down the field. Eddie Lacy starts to take over on the ground once the Packers get into Steelers territory and moves Green Bay into the red zone. On first and goal, Flynn goes back to the air and lobs one up for Jarrett Boykin who makes a leaping grap over Cortez Allen. Pretty good coverage, Boykin just made a better play.

0-7

Before this game, the Steelers were 0-6 this season when they allowed a first quarter touchdown.

Thankfully, the Steelers weren't going to take any of that crap. The Prescription went to work, busting a big 22-yarder up the gut then Ben went up top and hit Antonio Brown streaking down the sideline to move us all the way into the red zone. The Prescription gets us down to the 1 where Ben hits Manny in the back of the end zone.

7-7

Second Quarter

The Packers go right back to Boykin who picks up 20 yards then they get 15 more on a roughing the passer call. Thankfully, a packers lineman decides to grab Jason Worlids' facemask on 3rd down, nullifying a conversion and knocking them out of field goal range. Worlids is pissed off and sacks Flynn.

AB rips off a great return to get us back to midfield before he's knocked out of bounds by a defenseless punter. The offense can't do anything but pins Green Bay deep. A holding penalty pretty much ends the Packers drive, and the Steelers get it back.

AB makes another grab to get us into Green Bay territory, but we can't get any farther. Clay Matthews injures himself sacking Ben.

Flynn starts picking on William Gay and Lacy picks up a few big chunks before cutting one back across the field and hurdling over Ike Taylor into the end zone.

7-14

Terrible backside contain by Chris Carter.

The Steelers took over with just under 2 minutes to go and got a great return from Manny Sanders across midfield. However, the Steelers "hurry up" offense wasted 50 seconds running just 2 plays that gained just 13 total yards. A pass to Cotchery got us into 3rd an short and we used our second timeout with 40 ticks left. The Prescription ripped one for 10 yards up the middle to get us to the 13, and Tomlin decided not to use a timeout. The clock kept winding and the Steelers didn't get another snap off until the 16 second mark. That's 24 seconds in between snaps. Two incompletions later, only 6 seconds remained on the clock and the Steelers opted for a field goal and took their last time out into the locker room with them.

10-14

Third Quarter

The Steelers got the ball to start the second half and Ben and AB went to work. Two quick strikes over the middle get us near midfield where things stall out. On 4th and 2, Tomlin shows his mettle with a ballsy call for a fake punt and Mat McBriar rolls out and lofts one down the field to David Paulson who hurdles a defender and takes it inside the 30.

What a job by McBriar standing in under pressure and hitting his second option and collecting a roughing the passer call to go with it.

On the next play, Ben steps away from pressure then takes off upfield, rumbling 13 yards into the end zone for the go-ahead score.

17-14

The Packers came back and slowly picked their way down the field, alternating passes and runs and slowly plodding against the Steelers defense. We finally caught a break when Flynn couldn't connect with Jordy Nelson on 3rd down and the Packers opted to punt it away and pin the Steelers deep.

That wound up being the right decision as Bell fumbled for the first time this season right on the goal line, giving the Packers the ball right on the doorstep. Despite gashing us on the ground all game, Green Bay threw two passes and had to settle for a field goal, which set off the most bizarre sequence you'll see all season.

Steve McLendon gets a great push and blocks Crosby's field goal attempt. Ryan Clark scoops up the ball then makes a bizarre decision to try to lateral the ball to William Gay who can't handle it and Ziggy Hood eventually knocks the ball out of bounds. Ziggy gets flagged for illegaly batting the ball out of bounds. The refs rule that the Steelers never possessed the ball (despite Ryan Clark having two hands on the ball and being able to lateral it to Will Gay) so they inexplicably gave the ball back to Green Bay.

(Credit to @SteelersDepot for the gif)

Not possession? Also, not down by contact?

When Tomlin tried to challenge, he was told that the play was not reviewable.

Of course, this is the same officiating crew that thought this wasn't pass interference:

Somehow, the Packers got the ball on the 1 and Lacy punched it in. 

Ludicrous.

17-21

Unlike in the past when Tomlin had benched backs for fumbling, he put Le'Veon back in the game. And The Prescription answered.

Bell busted the first carry right up the gut for 25, followed by a penalty on the Packers that moved us into field goal range. Dwyer made the most of a few chances to get us to the 11 before Ben zips one to Matt Spaeth down the seam for the touchdown.

Spaeth's first catch of the year. Huge.

24-21

After a big return from Dr Jekell and Micah Hyde, Flynn throws a hilariously bad pass out to Boykin that is tipped and picked off by Cortez Allen who takes it 40 yards back to the house.

Big-time turn of events for the Steelers after the terrible officiating.

31-21

A holding penalty on the Packers pretty much ended their next drive and the Steelers took over with good field position. Rather than running the ball (and running out the quarter), Ben tries to fit on in to Heath and it gets picked off by AJ Hawk.

Fourth Quarter

With a short field, the Packers were able to work it down inside the 5 but the defense held and forced a field goal.

31-24

The Steelers really needed to keep their defense off the field, but couldn't do it, going 3-and-out. A poor punt gave Green Bay the ball far too close to midfield.

After being on the field for so long, it was a lot to ask this beleagured defense to come up with a stop. James Starks started gashing the defense then Flynn found Nelson on Gay for 31 yards to get into the red zone. Starks got them to the 1 before Kuhn pounded it in to tie the game.

31-31

On second down from the 10, Ben buys time moving around in the pocket and comes back to AB on the right side who makes some guys miss and goes for 30 yards, moving him into first place on the Steelers single-season receiving yardage list. With the ball near midfield and the clock winding under 5 minutes, Tomlin uses a timeout and opts to go for it on 4th down. Ben hits Will Johnson out in the flat to keep the drive rolling, but the drive doesn't go much further from there.

Pinned deep, the defense stands strong with Brett Keisel coming up with a sack on first down then Troy running down a scrambling Flynn on 3rd down and knocking the ball out while flying through the air. Keisel falls on it to give us the ball in the red zone with 2 minutes to go.

Vintage Steelers defense turnover right there.

Green Bay had all 3 timeouts left, so the Steelers had to run the ball to use the clock. On second down, they make a bizarre decision to throw for the end zone and Ben overthrows AB, stopping the clock with 1:40 to go. Bell gets 5 on a 3rd down pass to get us to 4th and 3. The Steelers catch a huge break when the Packers jump offsides on the field goal, giving us a first down at the 5 with 1:35 to go.

And Mike Tomlin's clock management struck again.

At this point, with the Packers only having 1 timeout remaining, the Steelers should have taken 3 knees and kicked the field goal. Brian Burke at Advanced NFL Stats detailed this.

With 1:35 left, the Steelers could have kneeled the ball 3 times and run all but about 8 seconds off the clock, which would have enabled them to kick a 25-yard field goal for the win. Even after Le'Veon Bell's first down carry got them to the 1 and forced the Packers to use their final timeout, the Steelers had about a 99% chance of winning if they had simply kneeled it out. However, Tomlin opted to run the ball on 2nd down and Bell scored, which actually increased Green Bay's chances of winning from less than 1% to 9%.

38-31

Rather than kicking a field goal with under 8 seconds to play, the Steelers kicked off to Green Bay with 1:28 to play, and Micah Hyde returned the kickoff 70 yards back to the Steelers 31 (which actually gave the Packers a 21% chance to win the game).

Flynn went to work with new life, hitting Nelson and Quarless to get them down to the 5 with 43 seconds left. They opted to run the ball and Will Allen and Cam Heyward made the biggest tackle of the season, keeping Starks out of the end zone. With the clock rolling and 20 seconds to play, the Packers got flagged for a false start penalty, which ran 10 seconds off the clock. That was huge for the Steelers defense.

With 10 seconds left, you would think that the Packers could get 2 plays off, but Flynn lets the clock roll all the way to 3 before taking the snap and his slant pass for Boykin bounces off of his hands, incomplete.

Game.

Whew.

Can someone buy Mike Tomlin a clock for Christmas?

Ride or die with the Steelers, Bengals, Jets and Chiefs this weekend.

Gameday: Green Bay Packers

4:15pm

Lambeau Field

TV: CBS

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

What to Watch For

1. Let It Snow

It's going to snow in Green Bay on Sunday. A lot. There is a Winter Storm Warning in effect for most of Wisconsin for Sunday and there could be upwards of 5 inches of snow on the field for this game. Neither team has played particularly good defense this year and the game could devolve into an Eddie Lacy vs. Le'Veon Bell affair.

2. Antonio Brown

Last week, AB tied Hines Ward's mark of 95 catches (2003, 2009) that put him second on the Steelers single-season receptions list. The franchise record for receptions in a season is Ward's 112 (set in 2002). It's unlikely that Brown will get 17 catches this week, but a big performance against Green Bay could set him up to break or tie the mark at home next week in the season finale. Look for the Steelers to try to get him some easy catches on WR screens to boost his numbers. On the yardage front, Brown currently has 1307, which puts him 5th on the Steelers single-season yardage list and only trails Yancey Thigpen's franchise record 1398 yards by 91, which he could break this week against Green Bay's weak secondary.

3. That Time Zone Thing

I bring it up every time the Steelers leave the Eastern Time Zone, because the stat is just so startling. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers are 74-44 (.627) overall and 69-28 (.711) when the game is played in the Eastern Time Zone. But when the Steelers leave the Eastern Time Zone, they are just 5-16 (.238). To make matters worse, the Steelers have now lost 8 in a row outside of EST, dating back to December 2011. The last time the Steelers won a game outside of EST was against the Tyler Palko-led Kansas City Chiefs 13-9 on Monday Night Football on November 27, 2011. It's not like the Steelers have been toppled by great teams. Their current 8-game losing streak features losses to Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning, Matt Hasselbeck, Tony Romo, Matt Cassel, and Terrelle Pryor. Don't think for a minute that just because Aaron Rodgers isn't playing that Matt Flynn isn't capable of adding his name to that list.

4. Matt Flynn

Aaron Rodgers will miss this week's game and Matt Flynn will start his fourth game of the season for the Packers. Flynn has a habit for keeping games close - he is credited with Game Winning Drives in each of the last two weeks (though arguably Tony Romo deserves more for the Packers winning last week than Flynn). Flynn has been decent the last two weeks and the Steelers secondary is only a shell of their former selves. As usual, it all starts up front with getting pressure, as Flynn is significantly less mobile than Rodgers.

5. Finish Strong

I'm not going to talk about the playoffs, even though we are not mathematically eliminated. What I am going to say is that the Steelers have an opportunity to build some momentum heading into the offseason and into next year. They came into this season as a team that didn't know how to win. This was painfully obvious with an 0-4 start in the preseason followed by an 0-4 start in the regular season. Slowly, this team has begun to put it together, albeit too late in the season. But a strong finish to the season can close out 2013 on a high note (possibly even finish at 6-2 in the second half).

Ramrod: Green Bay Packers Season Preview

2012 Record: 11-5

2012 Rankings

Total Offense: 13

Passing Offense: 9

Rushing Offense: 20

Scoring Offense: 5

Total Defense: 11

Passing Defense: 11

Rushing Defense: 17

Scoring Defense: 11

Offense

Any offense with Aaron Rodgers at the helm is going to be in the conversation for one of the best passing offenses in the league. Even with the departures of Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, the Packers have enough depth at wide receiver to create mismatches all over the field. Green Bay played most of last season with Jennings injured, so the transition to a passing game without him should be relatively easy. The biggest concern continues to be the offensive line where LT Brian Bulaga went down with a season-ending injury in training camp. The Packers spent two draft picks on running backs (Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin) who figure to share the load for a team that really only runs as an afterthought.

Defense

The Packers defense has been their downfall the last two years in the postseason, giving up 37 points to the Giants in 2011 and 45 to the 49ers last year. The Packers pass rush is a bit of an enigma. The team was 4th in the league with 46 sacks in 2012 with Clay Matthews leading the team with 13 sacks. However, no other player had more than 4.5 sacks, a sign that the Pack is still seeking a reliable pass rusher opposite Matthews. The Packers are good enough in the secondary, and only gave up 300+ passing yards twice last season.

Intangibles

The Packers still have holes such as a consistent pass rush, a running game and the ability to defend the run. However, with Aaron Rodgers this team will be a competitor again this season and right in the middle of the NFC playoff race.

Prediction

The Packers were snakebit with injuries last season (James Jones and Jermichael Finley were the only two offensive skill position players to play in all 16 games). If the receivers can stay healthy this season, there's no reason the Packers won't be at the top of the heap. 12-4

NFC North Draft Preview

With a week until the NFL Draft, we're taking a look at what to expect from all 32 teams come Draft Day, including some recommended blogs to read and folks to follow on Twitter.

2012 Record: 11-5

NFC North Champion, Lost NFC Divisional Game to San Francisco

Draft Picks: 26, 55, 88, 122, 159, (167), 193, 232

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Packers Therapy, Total Packers

Draft Preview: The Packers have lost starters on both sides of the ball in free agency. Their depth at WR should make the departure of Greg Jennings relatively easy, as Aaron Rodgers will still have a plethora of weapons in the passing game. The Packers offensive line still needs work after giving up the second most sacks in the league last year. Their defense was better in 2012 than in 2011 but still has holes at all three levels. The Packers are still looking for a complement to Clay Matthews, but last year's first round pick Nick Perry could provide that piece. There are holes at defensive end and safety that the Packers could look to fill early in the draft.

2012 Record: 10-6

NFC Wild Card, Lost Wild Card Game to Green Bay

Draft Picks: 23, 25, 52, 83, 102, 120, 155, 189, 213, 214, 229

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Darren Page, The Viking Age, Daily Norseman

Draft Preview: The Vikings have had quite the offseason, trading star WR Percy Harvin to Seattle for a first round pick and signing former Packers WR Greg Jennings. With two first round picks, Minnesota has the ammo to either move up in the draft or to land two highly talented players. Despite signing Jennings, the Vikings still have a need at WR to give Christian Ponder additional weapons. Minnesota has needs on all three levels of their defense, starting with a defensive tackle and complementary pass rusher to Jared Allen. The Vikings also need a middle linebacker to anchor their defense and some reports have linked them to Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o. After losing CB Antoine Winfield in free agency, Minnesota's most pressing need is at cornerback to aid their 24th-ranked pass defense. The Vikings are loaded with picks, so don't be surprised if they make some moves on draft day.

2012 Record: 10-6

Draft Picks: 20, 50, 117, 153, 188

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: BearsSTH, ChicagoBearJew, 4th Phase Blog

Draft Preview: Another year, another draft where the Bears have a limited amount of picks. The Bears organization has typically treated the draft as an afterthought and built their team through free agency. This year is no different as they brought in a new left side of their offensive line, a tight end, and two linebackers in free agency. The Bears appear to have parted ways with long-time star Brian Urlacher, and they still have holes to fill at linebacker, defensive end, and rebuilding the right side of their offensive line.

2012 Record: 4-12

Draft Picks: 5, 36, 65, (132), 137, 171, 211, (245)

Recommended Blogs/Twitter: Ty Schalter, Pride of Detroit

Draft Preview: The Lions returned to form last season as Megatron put up record numbers but the team failed to win 5 games. The Lions will once again search for a running game this season, and signed free agent RB Reggie Bush to help shoulder the load. The Lions offensive line is still a work in progress, as they will need to replace both tackles heading into the season as long-time starter Jeff Backus remains unsigned and Gosder Cherilus was signed by the Colts. Detroit also lost DE Cliff Avril in free agency to Seattle, and has a hole to fill on the defensive line. The Lions pass defense improved last season, but they still have nothing resembling a shut-down corner and could use help at safety.

Discount Double Check-Down: Green Bay Packers Season Preview

2011 Record: 15-1

Lost in Divisional Round to NY Giants

2011 Ranks

Total Offense: 3

Run Offense: 27

Pass Offense: 3

Scoring Offense: 1

Total Defense: 32

Run Defense: 14

Pass Defense: 32

Scoring Defense: 19

Offense

Aaron Rodgers carried this team on his back to a 15-1 season and there's really no sign that the Packers offense will look any different this season. All of Rodgers' major weapons return and with a healthy JerMichael Finley, this offense could be even better. They also added free agent RB Cedric Benson, who could give them a between-the-tackles grinder that they haven't had in a few years.

Defense

The Packers offense was so good last year a lot of people overlooked just how bad their defense was. For a unit that seemingly has playmakers at all 3 levels (BJ Raji, Clay Mathews III, Charles Woodson) they didn't get a lot of pressure on the quarterback outside of Mathews (who only had 6 sacks) and their secondary was downright awful. The Packers brass took note and used their first 7 picks of the draft on defensive players, landing Nick Perry (DE/OLB - USC) in the first round.

Intangibles

Any time Aaron Rodgers is leading your offense, you're never out of a game. It doesn't really matter how good or bad their defense is, but if they want to make it back to the Super Bowl, they're going to have to defend the pass better.

Prediction

This is a tough division and the other teams have improved, but Green Bay is still head and shoulders better than the rest. 12-4.

2012 Draft Preview: NFC North

With Free Agency pretty much wrapped up, the NFL Draft is quickly approaching once again. As we have done in the past, we're going to take a quick look at the other teams in the league and preview their team needs and how they will likely approach the Draft. Today we take a look at the NFC North.

For reference, we compiled the draft picks each team currently has. Compensatory picks are listed in parentheses.

NFC North Champion, Lost to NY Giants in Divisional Round
2011 Record: 8-8

Draft Picks: 28, 59, 90, 123, (132), (133), 163, 197, 224, 235, (241), (243)

Recommended Blogs/Twitter:
@PackersTherapy

For much of the season, the Packers were the team to beat in the NFL and it looked like the Lombardi Trophy would once again find its way to the hallowed halls of...Lombardi Field. But coming off a bye week the Packers once-formidable defense, which had been porous all year but covered up by a stellar offense, fell flat against the New York Giants. The Packers defense, which looked airtight at times in their run to Super Bowl XLV, finished the year dead last against the pass and 30th in sacks. Clay Mathews had only 6 sacks last season after posting 13.5 in 2010. The lack of pressure on the quarterback directly contributed to the Packers secondary getting torched, and it's likely Green Bay will be looking for help on the defensive side of the ball early and often in the draft.

Wild Card, Lost to New Orleans in Wild Card Round
2011 Record: 10-6


Draft Picks: 23, 54, 85, 117, 158, 219, 230

Recommended Blogs/Twitter
The Lions in Winter
Side Lion Report
Pride of Detroit
@LionsInWinter
@Schottey

The Lions took the biggest step forward of any team in the league last year, ending their perennial losing streak and sneaking into the playoffs as the #6 seed in the NFC. While far from a finished product, this is a formidable team that has all the makings of being a competitor for years to come. The offense has a stellar QB-WR tandem with a solid supporting cast. The defensive front 4 is probably the best 4-3 front in the game. This team needs depth along the O-line to help protect Matt Stafford and depth on the back end of the defense. A shutdown corner would be ideal, but given their position at 1.23 in the first round, South Carolina CB Stephen Gilmore or Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick (both works in progress) seem more likely.

2011 Record: 8-8

Draft Picks: 19, 50, 79, 111, 150, 184, 220

Recommended Blogs/Twitter:
The 4th Phase Blog
@BearsSTH
@ChicagoBearJew

After winning the division two years ago, the Bears mounted a surprisingly solid campaign through the first half of 2011 before losing QB Jay Cutler to injury. After that, the wheels came off and the Bears spiraled down from being the front-runner in the Wild Card race to missing the playoffs. As usual, the Bears attacked free agency and went out and landed a #1 receiver in Brandon Marshall, who had a fantastic connection in Denver with Jay Cutler. The Bears also landed a backup QB (Jason Campbell) and RB (Michael Bush), making Matt Forte's potential hold-out a limited factor. The Bears reportedly love Kendall Wright (WR-Baylor) but it's a toss-up whether he will fall down to them at 1.19. Despite Julius Peppers posting 11 sacks, the Bears finished 20th in the league in sacks and could look to add a bookend pass-rusher or defensive back to help their 28th-ranked pass defense.

2011 Record: 3-13

Draft Picks: 3, 35, 66, 98, (128), (134), 138, 175, 210, 223

Recommended Blogs/Twitter:
The Viking Age
The Daily Norseman
Viking Kittens

The Vikings invested their first round pick last year in QB Christian Ponder, who took the reigns of the offense after the Donovan McNabb experiment fell flat on its face. Ponder went 2-8 in 10 games as a starter, throwing for 13 TDs and 13 picks. It's hard to blame Ponder for struggling. He was sacked 30 times behind a porous offensive line and didn't have the greatest targets in the world to throw the ball to (the Vikings had only one players with over 500 receiving yards). When All Day Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in Week 12, the Vikings lost pretty much their entire offense and it was struggle city from thereon out. O-Line is a huge need for Minnesota, which is why most mocks have them taking Matt Kalil (OT-USC) who is hands down the best lineman in the draft. However, Ponder also needs reliable targets to throw to, so it wouldn't be surprising to see them target a WR as well. On the other side of the ball, their front four was formidable as always, finishing the year 2nd in the league in sacks (led by Jared Allen's 22). However, their secondary was downright atrocious finishing 26th in pass defense and 31st in interceptions with only 8 on the season. This could make Mo Claiborne (CB-LSU) a target with the #3 pick as he would be the shutdown corner the Vikings desperately need.

2011 Season Preview: Green Bay Packers

2010 Record: 10-6

2010 Rankings:

Total Offense - 9

Passing Offense - 5

Rushing Offense - 24

Scoring Offense - 10

Total Defense - 5

Pass Defense - 5

Rush Defense - 18

Scoring Defense - 2

Offense

The defending Super Bowl champions will likely field one of the best offenses in the league once again this year. Aaron Rodgers has come into his own as an all-around quarterback. He's an excellent passer both in short yardage and downfield, can work the check-downs effectively to backs and tight ends and has the athleticism to escape pressure and pick up yards with his feet. Outside of Ben Roethlisberger, Rodgers is probably the best quarterback on the run in the league. The Packers will get RB Ryan Grant back from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 1 last year. Grant isn't going to stun anyone with his stats, but he is a solid back capable of putting up 1200 yards and 10 TDs. On the outside, Rodgers has a plethora of targets from downfield target Greg Jennings, the always consistent Donald Driver, one of the best #3 receivers in the league in Jordy Nelson, emerging talent James Jones, and rookie Randall Cobb. On top of all that, the Pack gets TE Jermichael Finley back from a season-ending injury.

Defense

The Packers defense is almost as good as their offense. They have Pro Bowl talent on all 3 levels of the defense from nose tackle BJ Raji, outside linebacker Clay Matthews, and cornerback Charles Woodson. The Packers have a lot of young talent in the secondary, and they showed up big time in the Super Bowl. Dom Capers 3-4 defensive scheme is similar in its blitz packages to Dick LeBeau's and former Steeler Kevin Greene is their linebackers coach. This is a very good defense that just needs to tighten up against the run to be elite across the board. That said, they were 5th in total defense, 2nd in scoring defense, 4th in sacks, and 6th in turnovers in 2010, so there isn't a ton of room for improvement. This is one of the top defenses in the league, without question.

Intangibles

The Packers suffered a TON of injuries last season, and still came out as Super Bowl Champs. Really the only indispensable player on the roster is QB Aaron Rodgers, but Matt Flynn stepped in last season and had some good performances when Rodgers was injured. This is a very, very good team and there's no reason why they can't make a run at a repeat title. 

If the Packers were a Beer, they would be:

Guinness

Old school, classy, full of flavor yet accessible to the masses. Guinness is about as old-school as it gets as far as beer goes. Nothing has changed with the way Guinness looks or tastes in a very long time. It's instantly recognizable to anyone just by the look of it in a glass. Similarly, the Packers are still rocking the same logos, helmets and uniforms and play on the same frozen tundra as every Packers team for over 50 years.