We continue previewing the NFL with the NFC Central, which many believe to be the strongest division in the NFL.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

The defending NFC champs will try to win their fourth consecutive division crown this year. The Packers return the NFL’s MVP for three years in a row, QB Brett Favre, to lead a potent offensive attack that includes 1,000 yard rusher Dorsey Levens and 1,000 yards receivers Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman, as well as solid TE Mark Chmura.

The defense will be led by veterans Reggie White and safety LeRoy Butler.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings have arguably the strongest offense in the NFL. QB Brad Johnson will lead the charge. He was very solid a year ago until he was hurt, and the Vikings were not the same team without him.

Speaking of injuries, RB Robert Smith has been one of the most injury-prone backs in the NFL. However, when healthy he is one of the most dangerous players in the game.

They have an outstanding threesome at WR, with Chris Carter, Jake Reed and rookie Randy Moss.

The defense will be led by wild man DE John Randle and LB Ed McDaniel.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Buccaneers hope to have their first back-to-back winning seasons ever. They will depend heavily on their running game, which is led by Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn.

The man running the show will be Trent Dilfer, who has yet to prove he can take his team to the promised land.

On the other side of the ball, DT Warren Sapp and LB Hardy Nickerson will lead the charge.

DETROIT LIONS

The Lions will once again be led by RB Barry Sanders, who rushed for over 2,000 yards last year. However, their fate will be determined by QB Scott Mitchell, who has drawn the ire of many Lions fans in his four years with the team.

WR Herman Moore will be back again, attempting to have another year of 100+ catches, and he will be joined on the other side by Johnnie Morton.

The defense will be highlighted by the front four, which will feature newly acquired Dan Owens along with veterans Robert Porcher, Luther Eliss and Kevin Waldroup.

CHICAGO BEARS

The Bears finished last year with a record of 4-12, and this year does not figure to be much better. They did draft RB Curtis Enis from Penn State to help the offense, but other than that the unit remains intact. QB Eric Kramer and WR Curtis Conway are the standouts on this side of the ball.

The defense may have experienced addition by subtraction when they released million-dollar headaches Alonzo Spellman and Bryan Cox, but this is a unit that will struggle for the most part.

The NFC Central appears to have four legitimate playoff contenders for the second year in a row, and many experts believe the NFC’s representative for the Super Bowl will come out of this division.