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NFC North Q&A: Is Calvin Johnson still the division's most feared skill-position player?

Today's question: Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson will turn 30 this season. Is he still the most feared skill player in the division?

Rob Demovsky, Green Bay Packers: That depends on whether Adrian Peterson remains in the division. As much as the Packers respect Johnson, when you talk to defensive coordinator Dom Capers and coach Mike McCarthy, it all begins with stopping the run, no matter whom they’re playing. Think about it this way: The Packers have allowed Johnson to have some monster games -- he caught 11 passes for 244 yards against the Packers in the 2011 regular-season finale -- yet they’ve still won a good portion of those games, including that 2011 game. You could argue Peterson has been a bigger difference-maker. The 2012 game at the Metrodome comes to mind. Peterson rushed for 199 yards in a Vikings' win over the Packers. Everyone in the stadium knew Peterson would get the ball, yet the Packers could do nothing about him.

Jeff Dickerson, Chicago Bears: Even at 29 years old, Johnson is a dangerous weapon on offense -- 71 catches for 1,077 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014 -- but he’s not the division’s top skill-position player. That honor belongs to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the reigning king of the NFC North. Since he led the Packers to a Super Bowl title in 2010, Rodgers has thrown for 15,855 yards, 139 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in his past 56 regular-season games. Johnson still commands extra attention on game days, but he doesn’t dominate games as often now. Rodgers seems to take over a game almost every week. The most accurate quarterback in the NFL, Rodgers makes everyone around him better. That’s a rare trait. Rodgers' fear factor is off the charts.

Ben Goessling, Minnesota Vikings: If we’re considering quarterback a skill position -- and most definitions do -- then no, it’s not Johnson. It is and has been Aaron Rodgers. Johnson is probably still the receiver with the scariest combination of size and speed in the division, but I think Alshon Jeffery is going to challenge him for that title. Jeffery is nearly five years younger than Johnson. And if Adrian Peterson is back to his old form -- and on the kind of mission many expect he’ll be on this season -- he could also challenge Johnson as the non-quarterback who keeps defenders up at night.