As always, the Green Bay Packers start the season looking like the class of the NFC North. Of course, they (and you guys, the fans) have to be wary of the rest of the division.

Just last season, the Minnesota Vikings snuck up and stole the title from them. So while it seems obvious that the Packers should have no issues in the division, we all know better.

Know your enemy. And that's what this column will be about here at CHTV. Making sure you know what is happening around the division.

Let's begin with those upstart Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings

Things were looking pretty good for the Vikings this offseason and then everything went sideways a week ago.

#Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater scheduled for surgery Thursday to repair torn ACL and other structural damage in left knee, per sources

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) September 6, 2016

When Bridgewater went down with a non-contact knee injury, it didn't just seem to end his season, but the Vikings' as well. It didn't seem like it could get worse, though; letting Adrian Peterson carry the ball for the year seemed like the best way to approach the issue. Don't give up, but don't panic either.

Or you can just go the other way and trade for Sam Bradford. 

And if you're going to panic, make sure you do it in a big way. Trade away next year's first and a fourth which can move up to a third or even second-rounder for what will amount to a one-year rental. 

There's really not much to say about this. We know Bradford will get hurt because he always does and now he's learning offensive scheme #4,121 which isn't really even hyperbole. This should end well.

As long as he isn't forced into starting too quickly like Josh Freeman..... ah, crap.

Well, get ready for a lot of those Bradford "deer in the headlights" looks, I guess.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears managed to not improve much on defense and yet also get somewhat worse on offense. Letting Matt Forte and Martellus Benntt go made financial sense, but they don't have a replacement for Bennett and Jeremy Langford hasn't excited this summer. That's not to say it all won't work out, but the offense is where this team has to shine because the defense is so shaky.

It'd be a nice story if John Fox finally found a way to fix the dumpster fire on defense, but we haven't seen results yet. There's talent there—Willie Young, Lamarr Houston and Danny Trevathan have ability—but the talent isn't executing. And the less said about the secondary, perhaps the better. 

Kyle Fuller is a great corner, but nobody else there really gives you much hope for improvement. 

This is a defense the NFC should pick apart, and it's hard imagining the Bears getting to 8-8 much less threatening the Packers' title hopes.

Detroit Lions

What will this offense look like without Calvin Johnson? Hold onto your hats folks—it might actually better.

That's right, not forcing the ball to Johnson on every down could mean that Matt Stafford will utilize the rest of his talented receiving options. More Golden Tate, more Marvin Jones and Ameer Abdullah out of the backfield—all scary prospects. Maybe Eric Ebron can become the tight end we all expected him to be coming out of North Carolina.

Stafford is the wild card here (though like every other team in the NFCN, the offensive line has issues), and whether he can be consistent will be key to the offense's effectiveness.

The defense is a hodgepodge of veteran placeholders and intriguing young talent. The front seven could be very good with Haloti Ngata and Ziggy Ansah holding the middle and DeAndre Levy on the outside at linebacker. If Tahir Whitehead and Kyle Van Noy can step up, the front seven will be fierce.

Which they will have to be since the secondary is only somewhat effective.  Darius Slay plays well, but isn't a lock down corner, and Nevin Lawson is a shaky option on the other side. Glover Quin is hit and miss, as is Rafeal Bush. 

If the front seven can pressure quarterbacks, the secondary should be able to take advantage. But on the occasions where the pass rush isn't there, this secondary is going to have to hold down the fort and there just isn't the talent to do it.