Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (33) Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The NFC North is a division filled with elite talent, and out of the four teams, the Detroit Lions are the only ones undergoing a rebuild. So, the goal here is to determine how Detroit’s starters stack up against their division rivals.
I’ve placed a few rules before we get started. First, no rookies are allowed on the list. Despite some of them having the promise to be the best at their position, we still have to see them play an NFL snap.
My other rule is that we need to stay true to everyone’s position. Therefore, I will only place someone in a position if that is indeed their actual primary position.
QB: Kirk Cousins
Backup: Jared Goff
I excluded superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers frankly because I wholeheartedly believe he is done with the Green Bay Packers. So this leaves Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins as the clear starter.
The honest debate comes to the backup. Remember, I’m refraining from using rookies since they haven’t played a down of NFL football yet. Packers quarterback Jordan Love hasn’t played a snap either, despite being a second-year player.
So we’re standing with Lions quarterback Jared Goff up against Chicago Bears’ presumed starter in quarterback Andy Dalton. I went with Goff on two points of reasoning. First, Goff will give you more than Dalton in a clean pocket. The other is that both are similarly bad when facing pressure.
RB: Dalvin Cook
Backup: Aaron Jones
Running back was relatively easy to decide. No other backs in the NFC north come close to Cook or Jones. Although, the position is one of the better groups compared to other divisions, with both the Lions and Bears having young studs in D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery.
FB: C.J. Ham
Backup: Jason Cabinda
We’ll quickly brush past this one. Both the Packers and Bears use backup tight ends as fullbacks. Vikings fullback C.J. Ham is better than Lions fullback Jason Cabinda.