NFC North Round-Up: There’s a New Leader in the Clubhouse
Week 6 of the NFL season is in the books, and while the Minnesota Vikings were on their bye week, a lot changed around them within the NFC North.
From wild finishes to a new leader in the division, here is a look at all the action that took place this past weekend across the NFC North.
Bears Complete Comeback Against Commanders
Don’t look now, but the Chicago Bears have won three consecutive games after so many wrote them off following an 0-2 start to the season. Over those three games, Caleb Williams has thrown for 762 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception while also adding a rushing touchdown to his stats.
Monday night’s win was a rematch against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders after the Commanders beat Chicago on a hail mary last year.
There would be no such luck this time around as the Bears dominated the running game with D’Andre Swift turning his 14 carries into 108 yards. Daniels and the Commanders had a chance to seal the deal with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but a Daniels fumble gave the Bears a chance to score.
Some big running from Swift led Chicago down the field, and Jake Moody nailed a 38-yard field goal to give the Bears a 25-24 win on the road.
Lions Falter on Sunday Night
The Detroit Lions went into Sunday night as winners of four consecutive games. During that stretch, they scored an average of 40 points per game. However, the Lions went into Sunday night battling a few injuries on their offensive line, and they could not put together a rushing attack against a stout Kansas City Chiefs defensive front.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was also held in check for the first time since Week 1’s loss against the Green Bay Packers. He caught nine passes, but they only resulted in 45 yards. It’s an eerily similar outing to that Week 1 loss in which he caught four passes for 45 yards.
These offensive struggles combined with a banged up secondary allowed Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to pull away in the second half, ultimately winning 30-17.
Green Bay Takes Division Lead with Win over Bengals
It was ugly at times, but the Green Bay Packers got back into the win column following their bye week with a 27-18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite the well-documented struggles on Cincinnati’s offensive line this season, Green Bay’s pass rush only got home for one sack of Joe Flacco who completed 29 of 45 passes for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In the end, the game was defined by Green Bay’s rushing attack. Josh Jacobs led the way with 18 carries for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the Packers finished the game with 153 total rushing yards for an average of 4.6 yards per carry.
Vikings Hope to Return Key Players Following Their Bye
While the other three NFC North teams were in action this weekend, the Minnesota Vikings spent the week recuperating after a tough five-week stretch to begin the injuries that included a number of big injuries on both sides of the ball.
Now, as Minnesota prepares to host the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, the team hopes to bring some key names back to the field like Blake Cashman, Donovan Jackson, Andrew Van Ginkel, and maybe even QB J.J. McCarthy.
Wednesday’s injury report will provide a clearer story as to where the Vikings are at with their recovery.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
You must be logged in to post a comment.