NFC North 2012 Quarter One Grades

Sep 23, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) celebrates his touchdown with running back Adrian Peterson (28) against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at the Metrodome. Vikings win 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

The first month of the 2012-13 NFL season has gone by and we are handing out first quarter grades to the teams around the NFL. How has your team performed through the first four weeks?

Minnesota Vikings

Record: 3-1

The Vikings are one of the surprise teams through the first month of the season. Running back Adrian Peterson has proven to be super human as he has shown no signs of the torn ACL injury which he suffered at the end of last season. Peterson looks 100% and is performing like he didn’t miss a step this offseason. It has been enough to lead the Vikings to the tenth ranked rushing attack in the league. While the rushing attack is performing well, Christian Ponder leaves a lot to be desired in through the air.

The real surprise in Minnesota is how well the defense has performed. It’s that unit that is carrying the team and if they can keep it up the Vikings could stay near the top of the NFC North and find themselves in playoff contention.

Grade: A

Chicago Bears

Record: 3-1

The Chicago Bears were my Super Bowl pick this season and their defense is showing why. It is no doubt a championship caliber group of defenders and they have been wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. The real worry is the Bears offense. Jay Cutler seemed to get it together last week and Matt Forte will be 100% soon so their biggest weapons will be ready to make an impact moving forward.

As long as the Bears offense can put up solid numbers moving forward, their defense will push them over the hump.

Grade: B+

Green Bay Packers

Record: 2-2

Many believe that if it wasn’t for a controversial call on Monday Night Football that the Packers would be 3-1. It’s nice to believe but the Packers struggles go further than one missed call. The offensive line has been awful and the team’s offense just doesn’t seem to be what it was in 2011. Aaron Rodgers leads the NFL’s 16th ranked passing attack and Green Bay has the 25th ranked rushing offense. That just isn’t going to get it done for a team that had Super Bowl hopes.

Grade: C

Detroit Lions

Record: 1-3

What a horrible start to the year it has been in Detroit. Coming in to the season there were concerns about Detroit’s lack of discipline and it seems to have carried over on to the field. The defense isn’t playing with the same kind of fire that we saw in 2011 and it is hurting the team’s overall record. The passing attack is picking up all of the slack as the Lions currently have the number one rated offense through the air.

As painful as it may be for Lions fans, the team has an uphill battle to contend for the playoffs and with what they have shown through the first quarter it doesn’t look like they will get to that point.

Grade: D