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It's my duty as your NFC North blogger to administer this urgent alert: The play-in round of the "Madden 13" cover contest is over, and now it's time to get this bracket started.

We'll move through one round a week, culminating with the final matchup during the week of April 21. If you're a fan of an NFC North team, I highly encourage you to vote for your representative's opponent …. er, your representative. There's nothing to the Madden cover jinx. Nothing. Really, I mean it.

Here are the first-round matchups for our players. Seeds are in parentheses:

• Aaron Rodgers (1) vs. Joe Haden (16)
• Calvin Johnson (6) vs. Dwayne Bowe (11)
• Jared Allen (7) vs. DeMarcus Ware (10)
• Matt Forte (6) vs. Patrick Willis (11)

Follow this link to the bracket, where you can vote quickly and anonymously. Nothing less than the future of the free world is at stake.

We've discussed several times the possibility of a precedent-setting offseason fight between the Green Bay Packers and tight end Jermichael Finley. Namely: If the Packers make him their franchise player, could Finley justifiably argue he is a receiver rather than a tight end? The answer could be the difference between a $5.5 million tag and one around $9 million.

Neil Hornsby of Pro Football Focus has reconciled and further analyzed some numbers we introduced as part of last week's discussion. Finley is among a group of hybrid pass-catching tight ends who are used all over the field, according to Hornsby's film analysis, Finley could argue that he was aligned away from the tackle on 51 percent of his plays in 2011 and that he was in a 2-point stance on 60 percent of his plays.

Because Finley was lined up as a receiver on a mathematical majority of plays, Hornsby concludes: "In every measurable category Finley should be considered a wide receiver for the purposes of the tender."

That might be true from a technical sense. But from this vantage point, a more equitable challenge would be to request a new franchise classification that takes into account the way tight end play has evolved for some NFL teams. Finley, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski are used differently than earlier generations. On the one hand, they are higher-profile and have more impact on the passing game than traditional in-line tight ends. But it's hard to consider them receivers when true receivers play nearly 100 percent of their snaps away from the line of scrimmage and in a 2-point stance.

In that scenario, the value of Finley's franchise tag could rise above that of tight ends but fall short of the one assigned to wide receivers.

I'm not sure if that will happen, but that possibility seems much more realistic than putting players like Finley in the same category as, say, Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers or Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs. Stay tuned.

A few thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings' 22-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs:

What it means: The Vikings are 0-4 for the first time since 2002. Situated in a division with the NFL’s two undefeated teams, the Vikings can essentially kiss the playoffs goodbye. That leaves only one bit of drama left in their season. Namely ...

PonderWatch: Coach Leslie Frazier said "I don’t think" the Vikings are in a position where changing quarterbacks is required. But what is the value of playing a 34-year-old quarterback on a one-year contract when you’re 0-4 and four games back in your division? Donovan McNabb completed 18 of 30 passes against the Chiefs, including a nicely-thrown 34-yard touchdown pass to receiver Devin Aromashodu in the second quarter. Sunday’s loss wasn’t all on him. But the competitive portion of 2011 is almost done for the Vikings. That pushes our attention to 2012, when their quarterback almost certainly will be Christian Ponder. The only reason to delay the inevitable is if the Vikings feel Ponder hasn’t developed enough to give him a chance. I would find that hard to believe.

Tackling woes: I had my eyes mostly focused at Cowboys Stadium, but one play I saw from the Vikings really stood out. Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe blew past cornerback Cedric Griffin, who had slipped, and hauled in a Matt Cassel pass. Safety Jamarca Sanford bounced off Bowe on a shoulder-tackle attempt, and Griffin couldn’t bring him down either. Bowe scored on a 52-yard touchdown when all he had done was take about six strides past the line of scrimmage. Way too easy.

What’s next: The Vikings will try to avoid an 0-5 start when they host the Arizona Cardinals.

» NFC History: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

» Draft Watch: Biggest needs (2/17) | Busts/gems (2/24) | Schemes, themes (3/3) | Recent history (3/10) | Needs revisited (3/17) | Under-the-radar needs (3/26) | History in that spot (3/31) | Draft approach (4/7) | Decision-makers (4/14) | Dream scenario/Plan B (4/21)

Each week leading up to the NFL draft (April 22-24), the ESPN.com blog network will take a division-by-division look at key aspects of the draft. Today’s topic: History in that spot.

Chicago Bears

The Bears’ top pick is No. 75 overall. Here are the last five players taken in that spot, with their NFL team in parentheses:

2009: Ball State tackle Robert Brewster (Dallas)
2008: Oklahoma defensive back Reggie Smith (San Francisco)
2007: Illinois State receiver Laurent Robinson (Atlanta)
2006: Louisville guard Jason Spitz (Green Bay)
2005: Virginia Tech defensive back Eric Green (Arizona)

Robinson had 37 receptions as a rookie but has since moved to St. Louis. Spitz was the Packers’ opening-day center last season before a back injury sidelined him. He is a candidate to start in 2010. Smith has played in 13 games over the past two seasons for the 49ers, with seven tackles and no interceptions.

Detroit Lions

The Lions’ top pick is No. 2 overall. Here are the last five players taken in that spot, with their NFL team in parentheses:

2009: Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith (St. Louis)
2008: Virginia defensive end Chris Long (St. Louis)
2007: Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson (Detroit)
2006: USC running back Reggie Bush (New Orleans)
2005: Auburn running back Ronnie Brown (Miami)

Brown, Bush and Johnson have all been dynamic playmakers for parts of their careers. Coincidentally, all three have been slowed by knee injuries of varying severity. The Rams are still waiting for elite payoff from Long and endured an inconsistent rookie season from Smith.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers’ top pick is No. 23 overall. Here are the last five players taken in that spot, with their NFL team in parentheses:

2009: Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher (Baltimore)
2008: Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh)
2007: LSU receiver Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City)
2006: Oklahoma guard Davin Joseph (Tampa Bay)
2005: Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington (Oakland)

Oher, Mendenhall, Bowe and Joseph have been full-time starters. Washington moved from Oakland to Baltimore.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings’ top pick is No. 30 overall. Here are the last five players taken in that spot, with their NFL team in parentheses:

2009: Rutgers receiver Kenny Britt (Tennessee)
2008: Purdue tight end Dustin Keller (New York Jets)
2007: LSU receiver Craig Davis (San Diego)
2006: LSU running back Joseph Addai (Indianapolis)
2005: Virginia tight end Heath Miller (Pittsburgh)

All five are skill players, for what it’s worth. Davis has been a bust, but Miller, Addai and Keller are highly productive players. Britt is on pace to be as well.

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

	Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire
	Greg Jennings could have a big season if he can stay healthy. Scouts Inc. rates him as a solid, but not top, receiver.

We didn't hear as many protestations as we thought we might after last week's NFL preview. But we did catch a reasonable tongue-lashing from Joseph, who questioned a Scouts, Inc. rating of 78 for Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings. (A 78 rating falls in Scouts, Inc.'s "solid player" category.)

You need an Insider subscription to get to this, but overall Scouts, Inc. rated Jennings No. 21 on a list of the NFL's top receivers. Jennings actually ranked ahead of teammate Donald Driver (24) but was behind such players as Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes (T-12), Chicago's Devin Hester (T-14) and Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe (T-18).

Joseph of Atlanta writes: Okay, enough is enough and I've gotta ask: what's with the apparent consensus that Greg Jennings is a nonentity? The latest is the 78 rating ESPN gave him in the Packers season preview (8/27). He put up top 10 receiving numbers last year in everything but catches and yards, and with six more catches, would have broken 1000 yards receiving with 11 fewer catches than Plaxico Burress (fewest catches among 1000 yard receivers). And that was in 13 games. Yet Marques Colston is a top wideout? I understand he played with Favre, but did Reggie Wayne (P. Manning), Colston (Brees), or Chad Johnson (Palmer) put up the kinds of numbers Jennings has? Not to mention he's only in his second year, and caught Aaron Rodgers' only career touchdown pass. Add in the three game-winning touchdown catches last season alone, and we've got some pretty awesome numbers for a second-year player. Where's his hype?

Kevin Seifert: Scouts, Inc., had this to say about Jennings in their ratings: "He is a versatile player who can align in multiple spots in the Packers' spread offense. Jennings is a very productive player with enough size to be a big-time threat in the red zone."

I can't speak to the methods of their numerical ratings, but I think that's a pretty accurate assessment of Jennings on a qualitative level. The best thing you can say about Jennings is that's he's productive, especially with 12 touchdowns in 13 games last season. The worst thing you can say is that he hasn't been able to avoid the injury bug.

An ankle injury cost him one game in 2006 and two games last season, and a knee injury sidelined him during the 2008 preseason. To me, the only thing holding back Jennings from a higher ranking is showing that he can play a 16-game season. That would put him on track for surpassing the 1,000-yard barrier that generally brings receivers a level of acclaim.

"Greg Jennings definitely makes a difference when he's out there," coach Mike McCarthy told reporters in Green Bay this week. Jennings will be especially valuable Monday night against Minnesota; highly productive No. 3 receiver James Jones could miss that game because of a sprained knee.