Green Bay Packers Reason for Pessimism: For the Packers, there are three key areas of concern. First, do they have a dominant running back to lead an effective running game? The Packers have options -- Alex Green, DuJuan Harris, James Starks, number two draft pick Eddie Lacy, and number four draft pick Jonathan Franklin. But are any of them going to be able to dominate and be the lead back the team can rely on consistently? Next, offensive line depth is a trouble spot. The absence of injured left tackle Bryan Bulaga is significant, especially because 4th Round rookie David Bakhtiari is the projected replacement. If Bakhtiari does not produce, who will protect Aaron Rodgers? And finally, the entire defense is a question mark. Colin Kaepernick ran for 181 yards against the Packers in a playoff game. With Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush and Matt Forte in the division, run defense has to be an issue. Then there is the matter of replacing the veteran leadership of Charles Woodson in the back four and an inconsistent kicking game. Reason for Optimism: The Packers have the best quarterback in football and Rodgers had 39 touchdowns against eight interceptions -- and hes tough, as is evidenced by the 51 sacks he took. Jordy Nelson should be okay and is one of many talented receivers, so there is no reason Green Bay cant put up big numbers if it has too. The Packers are 53-27 since Rodgers took over as the starter. To help the defence, Mike McCarthy sent his whole defensive staff to Texas A&M to explore the read option offense that the 49ers used so easily against the Packers. The organization will see if it was money well spent right away, as Green Bay plays San Francisco in Week 1. McCarthy has a career record of 74-28, which is very good for any head coach at any level. Whatever the problem is, he will find the answer. Reality: This Packers team could be three touchdowns behind in the 4th quarter and their passing offense will find a way to score four. The running game will improve. Green Bay addressed that need and a new good back will be found in that mix. Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit have all improved, but the NFC North is still the Packers to lose, and I dont think they will. Prediction: First in the NFC North. Chicago Bears Reason for Pessimism: This will be interesting. Marc Trestman is the new coach for the Bears and his number one priority is to make Jay Cutler into a top NFL quarterback. Trestman is not Lovie Smith in personality. I had the impression that players enjoyed playing for Lovie Smith (see Brian Urlacher), and playing for Trestman will be different. Not better or worse, just different, so the players will have to adjust to his style. Last years Bears team was 10-6, so the Bears need to be 11-5 to say the coaching move was the right one. In a division as good as the NFC North, 11-5 will be tough but it would also mean a playoff spot. It will be difficult to improve upon that won loss record without Urlacher at middle linebacker. I am glad the future Hall of Famer did not sign with another team and left the game as a career Bear. But that is a huge leadership void to be filled. Even with Urlacher gone, age is an issue in Chicago. Julius Peppers is going into his twelfth year. Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman are in year 11. Thats three key starters needing to have the energy of a young player for 16 games and stay healthy. Reason for Optimism: I think Cutler will have a great year for several reasons. First, it is his contract year. Every pro football player knows if there is a time to turn it on it is in your contract year. With the money given to Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo and Joe Flacco, Cutler knows that an opportunity of a life time is in front of him and it will never appear again. Also, Trestman is a very good teacher and play caller. The association will work intellectually because of the clarity Trestman will provide. Another reason is this will be the best offensive line the Bears will have had in a long time. Jermon Bushrod can athletically compete with any explosive defensive end in football. Former Jet Matt Slauson is underrated because Nick Mangold took a lot of the attention in New York. And Kyle Long will improve and contribute due to his physical skills and blood lines. The talent in Chicago is there, it just needs to be focused, disciplined and progressively improved. Reality: I think the Bears can win the division expect for one obstacle -- Aaron Rodgers. The Bears would need to beat the Packers twice to win the division and I just dont see that happening. Prediction: Second in the NFC North. Detroit Lions Reason for Pessimism: The Lions dropped from 10 wins and a playoff appearance to four wins and a re-building label in just one season. They probably overpaid on the extension of quarterback Matthew Stafford but that was a salary cap management move as much as anything else. Breaking NFL records usually is considered a unique and wonderful accomplishment, but last year Stafford broke the NFL record for pass attempts with 727. Thats an amazing number, but it suggests that there is no balance in the offense. Just pass, pass and more passing. The defensive line, formerly a strength, is now being re-built. The tackle position is good with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, but the defensive ends are not proven. Number one pick Ziggy Ansah has exceptional potential, but he is very limited in terms of experience. In 2011, the Lions had perhaps the best defensive line in football, with assistance from the noise inside Ford Field when opponents were in third and long. Not anymore. Reason for Optimism: The Lions may have the single best football player on the planet in Calvin Johnson. When you have that talent at that position you can dictate to a defense every play. Then they added Reggie Bush through free agency. With a rejuvenated career and confidence, Bush will see seven man fronts because of Johnsons presence. Stafford might be the second-best thrower in football after Aaron Rodgers. He only connected for 20 touchdowns but threw for almost 5,000 yards. Red zone efficiency is a priority for the Lions offense in 2013. Reality: Are the 2013 Lions going to resemble the 2011 version that won 10 games or the 2011 squad that lost 12? About 50 per cent of last years losses were by three or four points and this year they should be able to win more of those close games, but it wont be good enough. Prediction: Third in the NFC North. Minnesota Vikings Reason for Pessimism: It is hard to believe that Adrian Peterson can top or duplicate what he accomplished last year. Peterson ran for more yards than 24 other NFL teams and finished nine yards short of Eric Dickersons single-season record. In the last 10 games, Peterson totaled almost 1,600 yards -- and all with a recently rebuilt knee. So Petersons greatness is established, but do the Vikings have a quarterback? In the month of November, Christian Ponder had four turnovers in three games and totaled just 443 yards passing. The Vikings lost three of those four games. With the second-worst passing offense, can the Vikings win 10 games in 2013 the way they did it last year -- all AP, all the time? The Vikings must also improve their pass defense after finishing 24th last year. They have to face Aaron Rogers, Jay Cutler and Matthew Stafford twice a year each, so defending the pass is a must. This division is also a cornerbacks nightmare as James Jones, Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson all reside in the NFC North. Leslie Frazier did remarkable things, taking a three win team and turning them into a 10-6 winner, but Im just not sure he can do it again. Reason for Optimism: When you have Adrian Peterson on your team you can dictate to a defense. Any time that defense brings a defensive back close to the line of scrimmage you simply find the best 1-on-1 matchup and make it happen. If they dont bring anyone up to the line, you just run Peterson all day -- football at its simplistic best. No deep thinking. What was good about the Vikings last year is that they started fast and finished strong. They won four of their first five and five of their first seven. Then they finished by winning their last four. With two good offensive tackles in Phil Loadholt and Matt Kahlil, the Vikings may be the best power team in the entire league. Reality: The other three quarterbacks in the division have a higher skill set than Ponder. If he has a breakthrough year, the Vikings are a playoff team again but thats a big ask. Prediction: Fourth in the NFC North. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500. Fake NBA Jerseys . -- Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Stitched NBA Jerseys . Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Allen Craig on the 15-day disabled list with a right knee contusion on Sunday. Clearance NBA Jerseys . Horford is out 3-to-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle for the Hawks, who have won two straight and five of six games. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the residency with Saturdays 93-91 triumph over Minnesota, as Ivan Johnson scored his teams final four points, including the game-winning free throw with 4.TORONTO – This was the Toronto Maple Leafs in a nutshell. With everything on the line, with any hope of the postseason hanging on by a rapidly dwindling thread did they deliver the baffling Mr. Hyde performance – a 4-2 loss to the recently eliminated Jets – that will soon seal another season of disappointment and collapse. One team on this night – the final home game of the regular season in Toronto – looked like it was fighting to get into the playoffs and it wasnt the Leafs. They were instead the lacklustre group that was pushed around, outworked, bodied off pucks, standing still, lost defensively, and lacking the urgency or emotion expected of a team fighting to stay alive for one more day. It was perhaps the predictable performance of an unpredictable and often bewildering hockey club, one who will (very) soon miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons and thus complete another shattering late season unraveling. "We seem to find ways to always wonder what the heck is going on," said a befuddled Randy Carlyle afterward. "Thats the frustrating part for us is that when we are able to execute and our work ethic is strong were a hockey club that can give teams difficulty and play to a high level, but our consistency level, it goes from game to game and sometimes period to period." The unraveling on this night began in earnest with less than four seconds left in the first frame. It was then, with the Leafs up 2-1, that Jacob Trouba knotted the score, ending a shift which included the usual assortment of failed execution and intensity. James van Riemsdyk, who failed initially to chip the puck out along the sideboards, was beaten to a rebound by the Jets blossoming young defender. Noticeably hungrier and more determined, Winnipeg wore out the home side for extended and repeated shifts in the two periods that followed. Toronto went seven minutes and 24 seconds at one point without even a shot on goal. Carlyle described his team as "flat", missing energy, chasing the game constantly. "They won more one-on-one battles than we did thats for sure," he said, a damning fact in a game of such importance. And while the head coach will surely and deservedly absorb his share of blame for a failed season, the stunning lack of fight in Game 79 cannot be thrust on his shoulders. Dave Bolland, known for a winning pedigree, wouldnt sugarcoat what was plainly apparent, that a team fighting for its playoff life was simply outworked. "When they were getting that puck in deep they were hungry," he said dejectedly of the Jets attack. Tobias Enstrom would reward those efforts, capping a power-play with the eventual game-winner. It was the deserved fate of the home team on this night, a group that was booed off the ice by an increasingly sour fan-base. "I think they outplayed us," said Phil Kessel. "We need to play better." He and the Leafs have very likely run out of time, however, their chances of returning to the postseason for a second straight spring all but torpedoed with the loss. Toronto has just three games left and would somehow have to jump over the Devils and Blue Jackets (and maybe even the Capitals) for the final wild card position in the East, highly unlikely given that both have games in hand and the requisite tiebreakers. Any momentum seemingly built up in back-to-back wins over Calgary and Boston slipped away in a hurry. "I know in our heads we wanted it," said a down-looking James Reimer, "[but] maybe it didnt show out there." Earlier in the day, Carlyle and his players spoke of controlling what they could control and then letting the chips fall where they may. "We dont want to get caught up too much in what other teams are doing," he said. "We want to make sure that our focus is totally 110 per cent on what were doing and what we have to do to give ourselves a chance." But there was none of that here to see, just more of the bizarre same from a flawed and highly unpredictable hockey team. Five Points 1. Outworked? It seemed a plainly evident notion, but Dion Phaneuf disagreed with the assertion. "I dont think we were outworked," he said, contradicting what seemed the obvious consensus, even for those in the Toronto dressing room. "We were working hard, but sometimes we made some mistakes that were costly mistakes." Tyler Bozak conceded that the Leafs were outworked in certain segments of the game, including a one-sided second frame which saw his team outshot 14-7. "We shoulldve been [outworking them] the whole game seeing as the situation were in," Bozak said.dddddddddddd"They were playing with nothing to lose and at ease and not afraid to make mistakes or anything like that." Winnipeg managed 41 shots for the game, nearly doubling the output of the Leafs (25). 2. Individuals vs. Team It was an extra pass by Kessel that landed in the hands of the opponent and eventually became the Jets first goal – one that Bryan Little scored. Such mistakes of added finesse have come to define some of the Leafs struggle. "Its one of those where the individual thinks that maybe hes going to make the difference and we play as individuals, not as a team," Carlyle said, though not referring specifically to the goal. The Leafs head coach, whose job security hangs delicately in the balance, has always preferred a meat and potatoes brand of hockey, but has more often been treated (frustrated?) to sometimes unnecessary displays of skill. He gushed over the simplicity some of the leagues top teams seem to display. "They keep it very simple," he said. "They dont complicate the game. And at times we seem to want to complicate it." 3. Home Ice The Leafs concluded their home schedule with 24 wins, the most of any Toronto team since the 2005-06 season (26). Improvement at the ACC was a priority of Carlyle and the coaching staff prior to the season. "In order for you to be a team thats going to qualify for the playoffs and build an organization your home rink has to be one place thats difficult for opposition to come in and steal points," Carlyle said. "Our mandate is to make it as difficult as possible." Maybe the starkest contrast between home and away for the Leafs all year has been their offence, considerably more pronounced in Toronto. They averaged more than three goals per game at home versus 2.53 on the road with three games still to play. A big part of that has been the leagues no. 1 ranked home power-play, which finished 1-4 against the Jets on Saturday. 4. Career-Highs Setting up Kessel for the games first goal, Bozak matched career-highs with his 29th assist and 47th point of the season. He met those marks in 18 fewer games than when he initially established them in the 2011-12 season. The 26-year-old Kessel meanwhile matched a career-high himself, scoring his 37th goal of the year while also hitting the 80-point plateau for the second time in his career. He sits just off the 82 points totaled in the 11-12 campaign. Having already set career-highs in all three main offensive categories (goals, assists, points), Nazem Kadri hit 20 goals for the first time in his career, scoring the Leafs second goal against the Jets. 5. Out of Town Scoreboard On the edge of his seat Friday night watching the Blue Jackets play the Blackhawks, Kadri cheered loudly when Ben Smith scored with four seconds left in regulation to lift Chicago to a 4-3 win. Columbuss last-second defeat kept them just a single point in front of Toronto for the final wild card spot in the East – they hold the tiebreaker. "Were following it pretty closely, at least I am," said Kadri of the out-of-town scoreboard before Saturdays game. "That was a pretty spectacular finish. I did fist-pump one or two times." The Leafs could not take advantage, however, of the door which cracked open ever so slightly in the Columbus loss. The Blue Jackets, with 85 points and six games to play, occupy the final wild card spot in the East. Stats-Pack 24-16-1 – Leafs record at the ACC this season. 20 – Goals for Nazem Kadri this season, the first time hes hit that mark in the NHL. 23 – Consecutive games without a power-play point for James van Riemsdyk. 0 – Victories in a start for James Reimer since Jan. 21. 10-4-2 – Leafs record vs. Canadian teams this season. 47 – Points this season for Tyler Bozak, matching a career-high. 7:24 – Time between shots for the Leafs in the second period. 37 – Goals this season for Phil Kessel, matching a career-high. 600 - Games played in the career of Joffrey Lupul. Lupul exited Saturdays game after the second period, re-aggravating a lower-body injury. Special Teams Capsule PP: 1-4Season: 20.6% (5th) PK: 1-2Season: 78.5% (28th) Quote of the Night "I know in our heads we wanted it, maybe it didnt show out there." -James Reimer, following the loss to Winnipeg. Up Next The Leafs conclude the regular season with a three-game road trip, beginning Tuesday night in Tampa. ' ' '