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Another in a periodic series examining the roles of NFC North newcomers: We have all debated the potential for Ziggy Ansah's immediate impact as a Detroit Lions defensive end in 2013. Ansah was a late arrival to football, a late bloomer on the NFL...

Our 2013 #bloggermock took an early twist and left me only partially satisfied as the protector of NFC North interests. Of note: Not a single quarterback was drafted in the first round, something that hasn't happened in the real draft since 1996. We ...

Breakdown: It gets real in a hurry for the Minnesota Vikings, who open the season with consecutive NFC North games -- on the road. They'll play at the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and at the Chicago Bears in Week 2, the first time the NFL has asked them t...

Breakdown: The Packers' 2013 schedule has a familiar ring. They open with the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive season, a quirk that also affords a rematch with the team that knocked them from the 2012 playoffs. They'll play the Detroit ...

Breakdown: New coach Marc Trestman will benefit from a relatively rare start to the schedule: two consecutive home games. The Chicago Bears haven't received that gift from the schedule makers since 1999. Overall, however, Trestman's first month on...

The Detroit Lions bottomed out and had desperate needs at nearly every position in 2009 when, with the draft's No. 20 overall pick, they selected ... a tight end. No one doubted the skills and potential of the Lions' choice, Oklahoma State's Brandon ...

The yearlong Pro Bowl narrative traces back to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' critical comments about last year's game. So it's worth circling back with Rodgers after Sunday's game, based on early reviews, seemed to go better. Speaki...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The back door to the playoffs has closed for the Minnesota Vikings, and they now have only one path to get to the playoffs: They must defeat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome. When the day started, a scenari...

Good morning and welcome to the dramatic conclusion of our Wild Week 17! The day will take place in at least two and maybe three acts, depending on whether we need to wait until the conclusion of Sunday night's game at FedEx Field to determine our fi...

OK now. Sunday's late afternoon games are complete and we can dramatically simplify our earlier playoff scenarios. The upshot: The Minnesota Vikings control their playoff destiny and the Chicago Bears will be -- gasp! -- huge Green Bay Packers fan...

As we approach halftime of the late-afternoon games, here are the playoff scenarios I've come up with, using ESPN.com's magical Playoff Machine and confirmed by people smarter than me. The Chicago Bears will be eliminated from playoff contention i...

ESPN.com's Playoff Machine encourages the kind of trial-and-error that brought one of you to an unlikely but fun NFC North playoff scenario. Via Twitter, @BremerNicholas submitted a path for three of our teams to be part of the six-team NFC playoff f...

OK. Let's wrap up the NFC North's playoff positioning as best we can at the moment. Many thanks to many conversations I've had this evening with several fine public relations staffers as well as the many curses I've thrown at the ESPN.com Playoff Mac...

CHICAGO -- After losing five of their past six games, the Chicago Bears no longer hold their playoff destiny in their hands. They'll need some help to reach the postseason after a 21-13 loss Sunday to the Green Bay Packers, but the bigger question is...

A few thoughts on Sunday's events in St. Louis: What it means: The Minnesota Vikings remain in the NFC playoff race with a takedown of the St. Louis Rams, just their second road victory in seven attempts this season. Almost as important: Tailback ...

Some of you are interested. Some of you hate me for it. But as long as I'm the NFC North blogmaster, we're going to post weekly updates of the NFC playoff standings*. The Green Bay Packers' loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 ended in unique an...