NFC North Round-Up: Vikings Leapfrog Packers in Standings
For the NFC North, Week 9 of the NFL season is officially in the books, meaning we have closed the chapter on the first half of the regular season.
Week 9 saw a divisional heavyweight matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who entered the weekend holding the top two spots in the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears matched up with the Arizona Cardinals, and the Minnesota Vikings had a primetime battle with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Here is a look at how everything in the division played out over the course of the weekend.
Bears Fall to 4-4 after Caleb Williams, Defense Struggle
After a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8, the Chicago Bears looked to bounce back in Week 9 as they continue to fight for a Wild Card spot in the NFC. In their way, though, was an Arizona Cardinals team who came into the weekend looking to usurp Chicago in the conference standings and take over the lead in the NFC West.
Rookie QB Caleb Williams struggled on Sunday as Arizona’s pass rush continuously put pressure on the rookie throughout the afternoon. Williams was sacked six times, and his 41 passes resulted in just 217 yards and no touchdowns.
On the other side, Chicago’s defense could not contain Arizona’s rushing attack, allowing 213 rushing yards and three TDs at 6.3 yards per carry.
Lions Prevail in Battle for First Place
For the second time in three weeks, the Detroit Lions found themselves in a battle for first place in the NFC North.
Once again, though, the Lions were the team to answer the call in a road matchup against a division rival. Detroit jumped out to a 17-3 lead going into the half, including a Kerby Joseph pick-six to put an exclamation point on the first 30 minutes of play.
Ultimately, despite being able to move the ball efficiently, Green Bay was unable to finish off drives as they settled for a field goal and had a turnover on downs in the red zone during the second half. Detroit did not make any mistakes throughout the afternoon, allowing them to cruise to a 24-14 win.
Vikings End Their Losing Streak with SNF Victory
The Minnesota Vikings entered the weekend having lost two consecutive games following their 5-0 start to the season. By the time Sunday night rolled around, Minnesota had a chance to re-claim second place in the NFC North if they could win and advance to 6-2 on the year.
It was an ugly first half for Minnesota’s offense that included a pair of Sam Darnold turnovers and a pair of missed field goals from Will Reichard, but the Vikings entirely turned things around in the second half. Darnold did throw a second interception, but otherwise, he was nearly flawless, throwing three touchdown passes and having just two other incompletions against a tough Colts secondary.
Sunday night saw Justin Jefferson total seven catches for 137 yards, and despite T.J. Hockenson returning to the lineup, it was Josh Oliver who saw a breakout at the tight end position, catching all five of his targets for 58 yards and the game-sealing touchdown.
Minnesota now heads out on the road for three consecutive weeks and won’t be back at U.S. Bank Stadium until December 1st.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via ESPN.
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