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Five reasons why Green Bay Packers will win NFC North in 2018

By Freddie Boston

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Rodgers
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Rodgers /
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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Head coach Mike Pettine of the Cleveland Browns during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 20, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 20: Head coach Mike Pettine of the Cleveland Browns during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 20, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

5. Defense will improve enough

Defensively, the Packers don’t need to turn into the Jaguars any time soon. The unit just needs to play well enough. And that’s exactly what will happen with Mike Pettine taking over as defensive coordinator.

Rewind to 2014. That year the Packers dominated, finishing 12-4 with a perfect 8-0 home record. They secured a first-round playoff bye, eliminated the Dallas Cowboys and probably should have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. But we won’t talk about that game in Seattle.

But the defense was hardly a dominant unit that year. Green Bay was No. 15 in total defense, No. 10 against the pass and No. 23 against the run. But it was good enough. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers put together an MVP season as the Packers offense dominated week in, week out.

Compare those defensive numbers to 2016, Rodgers’ last fully healthy season. He was given almost no help. Green Bay’s defense was No. 22 overall, ranking No. 31 against the pass and No. 8 against the run. Defensively the Packers were exposed through the air against top-tier offenses, which ultimately led to a heavy defeat in the NFC title game against Atlanta.

But with the signings made this offseason, paired with the addition of Pettine as the defensive coordinator, the Packers’ defense should be much closer to the 2014 unit than the 2016 version.

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