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So, two days away from the blog at the end of March was long enough to miss out on the conception and some of the execution of an ESPN.com blog network mock draft. I handled the NFC North's first two choices, for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. My ESPN.com blog colleagues filled in on the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.

There will be more mock drafts to come from the blog network, in addition to those authored by ESPN's host of draft analysts. So hang on. Below are the NFC North choices from Monday's blog network mock:

3. Vikings: USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil
Comment: There are of course no trades in this mock so we can't really explore what might be the Vikings' top choice here at No. 3. But barring a trade, I'm not prepared to predict they will choose outside the box at this spot. They don't have a left tackle, and Kalil is the consensus choice as the best non-quarterback prospect available. Despite general manager Rick Spielman's posturing, I don't see him getting cute. Yet.

19. Bears: Stanford T Jonathan Martin
Comment: I bet NFC East colleague Dan Graziano will grab Martin in our next mock, considering the newly-revealed Achilles injury of Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters. But for now, we get to ponder a Bears future with a more promising left tackle than current starter J'Marcus Webb. Coach Lovie Smith expressed support last week for Webb, but you have to couch such pre-draft statements. I was actually hoping that Stanford guard David DeCastro would be available, but AFC North colleague Jamison Hensley grabbed him for the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17. DeCastro is a beast.

23. Lions: South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore
Comment: This is a perfectly logical and reasonable choice by my colleagues, addressing a need with an appropriately-ranked player. Gilmore would give the Lions an immediate alternative to Aaron Berry and/or Jacob Lacey at cornerback, and would certainly give them depth at a position that contributed to their defensive collapse in 2011. We all know that general manager Martin Mayhew doesn't make decisions based on need, especially at the top of the draft, but this might be a fortuitous combination of talent and need.

28. Packers: Wisconsin center Peter Konz
Comment: Again, I see where my colleagues were coming from. Scott Wells departed via free agency and replacement Jeff Saturday is a year-to-year proposition. But I wonder if there is enough urgency to draft a center in the first round. Often you can find a development center in the later rounds, and the Packers have a total of 11 picks after the first. Unless general manager Ted Thompson thinks Konz is so far beyond the rest of the class, I'm not sure he would pull the trigger on this one.

Related: Two other mock-related features posted during my short time away from the blog. ESPN.com's Todd McShay offered a two-round mock that, among other things, got the Vikings a receiver (South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery) and the Bears a tight end (Clemson's Dwayne Allen) in the second round. Meanwhile, ESPN.com debuted a "Draft Machine" that allows you to conduct your own mock and compare it to your friends'. By all means, go at it.

» NFC Decisive Moments: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

We've spent plenty of time this week discussing Calvin Johnson's touchdown-turned-incomplete pass at the end of the Detroit Lions' 19-14 loss Sunday to the Chicago Bears. So for our first-ever NFC North decisive moment of the week, let's take a look at the fourth-down play that ensured the Green Bay Packers' 27-20 victory at the Philadelphia Eagles.

(Video of the play available on NFL.com.)

At the 2-minute warning, the Eagles faced a 4th-and-1 situation from the Packers' 42-yard line. The Eagles were out of timeouts, so it would be their final play if unsuccessful. Quarterback Michael Vick had already rushed for 103 yards in the game, so even though the Eagles set up in a shotgun formation, the Packers lined up in what for them amounted to a run-stopping defense.

In fact, it was one of only six snaps in the game in which the Packers had as many as seven men on the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Clay Matthews was one of them, lined up on the far right side of the defensive formation, just outside Eagles tight end Brent Celek.

After Vick took the snap, Matthews shed Celek and burst through the gap vacated by left tackle Jason Peters, who had charged beyond the line to block linebacker Brandon Chillar. Vick took one step backward before sprinting toward the line on a quarterback draw.

Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji held his ground against Eagles left guard Todd Herremans, limiting the size of the off-tackle hole. Running back LeSean McCoy made a weak attempt to shoulder-block Matthews, but Matthews stood his ground. Vick had nowhere to go, and linebacker Nick Barnett soon arrived to help Matthews seal the play.

The Packers' offense took over, kneeled three times and won the game.

We've spent some time discussing where Chicago will position new defensive end Julius Peppers. Coach Lovie Smith said last month he envisioned Peppers rotating between both sides of the line. The release of veteran right end Alex Brown suggested Peppers might ultimately spend most of his time there.

Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, however, suggests the best option is on the left side:

Bears coach Lovie Smith has talked about moving Peppers around, and that's a fine idea. But the truth is the bulk of his snaps and starts are going to come at one position, and that should be left end. Putting Peppers on the left side would be going against the trend, and that would benefit the Bears. For a while, teams were putting their best rushers on the left side, but all the NFL's best are right ends now. Thus every pass protection scheme in the league is set up to contain the right end against a 4-3 defense. Looking at the Bears' upcoming opponents, it's clear Peppers would have more advantages as a left end.

It's not a bad idea. As Pompei notes, would you rather have Peppers playing against, say, Philadelphia's Pro Bowl left tackle (Jason Peters) or against its right tackle, Winston Justice? It's a point worth noting.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune is waiting to see whether quarterback Donovan McNabb signs a contract extension in Washington. If not, he could become an option for Minnesota in 2011.
• Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette considers pass defense the Packers' highest priority in the draft.
• Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel looks at the possibility Green Bay will move up in the draft in order to select a top offensive tackle.
• Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com considers whether Detroit will use a "poison pill" contract to grab defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, a restricted free agent, from New Orleans.
• Lions fullback Jerome Felton would like an opportunity to carry the ball more often, writes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press.

Here on the ESPN Blog Network, we’re bracing ourselves for quite possibly the biggest divisional playoff game in the history of the 2010 postseason. Come Sunday afternoon at the Metrodome, Dallas and Minnesota will reprise a storied postseason rivalry -- sans (hopefully) whiskey bottles, push-offs and Hail Marys. (Well, at least the push-offs.)

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley and Kevin Seifert have spent most of the week buried in the film room -- er, basement -- refining the blogging plan for the rest of the week. As now they’re ready to start breaking down this most critical game.

Kevin Seifert: Greetings from the North Pole, Matt. Actually, you’re going to get lucky this weekend. We’re expecting unseasonably warm temperatures here this weekend, with highs in the 30s. Normally we call that “May” in Minnesota. Usually at this time of year, you can get frostbite on half your hand while walking from the parking lot to the media entrance at the Dome.

Matt Mosley: I will look for any excuse to visit Minneapolis in mid-January and this game is as good as anything else I might come up with. Sid Hartman and I have been waiting on this postseason matchup for years. Jerry Jones tried to capture the "charm" of the Metrodome in his new Cowboys Stadium, but I'm not sure things worked out. And by the way, Drew Pearson told me to pass along his best wishes to Vikings fans.

KS: OK, Matt. Let’s get down to it. Everyone in the world thinks the Cowboys are going to win this game. Even ESPN’s Trent Dilfer is convinced of it. You’ve been close to the Cowboys this season. Are they as hot as everyone says they are?

MM: Kevin, in my eight years of covering the team, I've never been around a more confident bunch of players. I think they're the hottest team in the NFC right now because of something that took place last month in New Orleans. The players got sick and tired of all the talk of their December failures and went out and overwhelmed a Saints team in the Superdome. That game did wonders for the Cowboys' confidence. No quarterback in the playoffs has performed as well as Tony Romo over the past six games and he benefits from having a dominant defense. So yes, I think the Cowboys are as hot as everyone at the Mall of America is indicating.

KS: Actually, Matt, you need to be more specific. We now have Mall of America Field here in addition to the Mall of America. At Mall of America Field, the conversation is revolving around two things: Are the Vikings willing to accept that they are a pass-first offense? And can their tackles, Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, keep DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer at bay long enough for Brett Favre to get the ball downfield?

If they come out of the gates aggressively and use their full array of offensive weapons, I think they can put up some serious points against the Cowboys' defense. The Vikings are one of two teams in NFL history to have six players catch at least 40 passes. That’s too many receivers for any defense to keep track of if the pass protection is there.

What’s your take, Matt? Do you think Ware & Co. can be slowed down?

MM: I agree with the aforementioned Dilfer that Loadholt and McKinnie are outmatched by the Cowboys' outside linebackers. Since the last time you saw this team, Spencer has become a force. Cowboys defensive coordinator/head coach Wade Phillips even lines them up next to each other at times. Donovan McNabb didn't have a chance against the Cowboys' pass rush and you can argue that Jason Peters and Winston Justice are superior offensive tackles to what the Vikings have to offer. The Cowboys' plan is to make sure Favre has to test those 40-year-old legs. The last time he saw this defense, he completed 5 of 14 passes and was intercepted twice before being knocked out of the game at Texas Stadium. He was of course with a 10-1 Packers team at the time in '07. Keith Brooking told me Tuesday that the Eagles and Vikings have similar offenses, but he alluded to the fact that Brad Childress is much more likely to use the running game than his mentor, Andy Reid. Of course, that's a lot easier to do when you have the pride of Palestine, Texas, Adrian Peterson, in your backfield. It's been quite a while since a team has put up points on this defense -- and that includes a Chargers team that was held to a season-low in points. I don't think we'll have a shootout on our hands, but Sid might have other ideas.

KS: I'll check with Sid when I see him. In the meantime, Matt, we have two elephants crowding the room for this game: The head coaches. In Minnesota, there is an unspoken fear that Brad Childress will get in the way and try to force his power running game on the Cowboys. Prior to Favre’s arrival, and at times this year, that has been Childress’ preference. Childress also made a couple of questionable game-management decisions in last year’s playoff loss to Philadelphia.

On the other side, however, is Phillips. Do Minnesota fans have anything to fear in this matchup?

MM: Calling Phillips an elephant is a low blow, Kevin. The man might fill out a pair of Russell coaching shorts, but he deserves better from you. And yes, there's reason for Vikings fans to fear The Wade. No matter what you say about his head-coaching credentials, he's always been an excellent defensive coordinator. He puts players in position to succeed and he does a superb job of exploiting weaknesses. From reading your fine work on a regular basis, I'm aware that Vikings center John Sullivan isn't a large man. He'll be facing one of the best nose tackles in the game in Jay Ratliff. From time to time, the behemoth-type centers give Ratliff a little trouble. But he's been known to destroy the guys who are close to his size. Everyone's focused on the offensive tackles, but I could see the "Ratt" having a big game in the middle. It all starts with him in this defense.

KS: Interesting. OK, Matt. This was great but is only a step in our coverage plan for this week. Keep checking back on the NFC East and NFC North blogs through Sunday.

MM: Just to be honest, my coverage plan for Saturday is a little weak because of travel. But I've thoroughly enjoyed this tremendous show of synergy within the NFL Blog Network. Kevin, I arrive at 8:10 local time on American, so please pass that along to my driver. Peace and courage from the Beast.