The NFL season is almost halfway over but it’s been quite the season, especially in the NFC North. We have seen heartbreaks, surprises, frustration and excitement — and it looks like we are going to keep seeing that for the remainder of the year. It’s a fight for the top spot in the North, but who is going to come out on top?
Detroit Lions
The Lions are currently tied for last place with a 3-3 record. After their week one loss to the New York Jets, 48-17, they have played solid football. They beat Tom Brady and the Patriots and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The other two losses were only by three points to the 49ers and the Cowboys.
They are slowly improving their running game with running back Kerryon Johnson, who became the Lions’ first 100-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013. The Lions have a solid wide receiver trio with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and Golden Tate, and a talented quarterback with Matthew Stafford to deliver the ball.
Their defense has slightly improved compared to recent years, but they haven’t been good. They are ranked fifteenth in the NFL with yards allowed per game (360.2) and 24th in points per game allowed (26.3).
The Lions do have a difficult schedule in front of them as they visit the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, the Packers at frozen Lambeau Field and still need to face the Vikings and Bears twice. It’s going to be tough for the Lions the rest of the way.
Chicago Bears
Not many people thought the Bears would be fighting for first place, but here they are. At the beginning of the season all the praise went to the defense, but now they’re struggling and the offense is taking over. The Bears defense has allowed 22.3 points per game and 350 yards per game so far this season.
Their offense is improving week by week — especially with quarterback Mitch Trubisky — but there have been issues with play calling, accuracy and decision-making. The conservative play calling started when the Bears infamously blew the 20-point fourth quarter lead to the Packers and then a 21-10 lead to the Brock Osweiler Dolphins. For a team tied in last with the Lions, the Bears have an easy schedule. They play the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers.
A problem for the Bears could appear at the end of the season when they’re up against playoff-contending teams such as the Rams, Packers and Vikings. If the division is still close between the Packers, Vikings and Bears, they might have trouble overcoming the odds at the end and finishing on top.
Green Bay Packers
The bye week for the Packers came at the perfect time. They went from third to second and got healthier. The Packers have a 3-2-1 record but have a tough schedule ahead of them as they face the Rams in Los Angeles and the Patriots in New England in back-to-back weeks.
They might win one of the two, but after the Patriots, the Packers have an easy schedule until the rematch in Chicago against the Bears. The Packers have the Dolphins, Seahawks, Vikings, Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons before the rematch. The only issue could be that game in Minnesota, but after coming off a tie last time anything could happen.
The defense for the Packers has improved compared to the previous years. The Packers defense is rank eighth in yards allowed per game (328.3) and fifteenth in points per game (24). Their Achilles’ Heel for them is that they don’t play a full game of football. Some weeks they have played a great first half but a poor second half or a bad first half, but a great second half to complete a comeback. With Aaron Rodgers anything is possible, but unfortunately, the Packers might finish in second in the North, though still capturing a wild card spot.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are by far the most complete team in the NFC North. Minnesota finally captured first place after a very slow start that resulted in a 1-2-1 record. The Vikings have a great offense and it starts with arguably the best receiver in the league, Adam Thielen. Kirk Cousins has been a great addition so far as well.
On paper, the Vikings have one of the best defenses, but they haven’t performed this year. They are currently ranked eleventh in yards per game (345.9) and fourteenth in points per game (23.6), but the reason for being such an average team is due to their slow start. The Vikings have an up-and-down schedule the rest of the way as they still need to face the New Orleans Saints, the Patriots, the Packers and then the Lions and Bears twice. With the Vikings firing on all cylinders, this team should cruise to an easy first-place finish in the NFC North.
It’s only week nine and the NFC North is still wide open. It looks like it’s going to be an incredible fight. There’s a chance we can get a new division champion in the Bears or Lions, or we can see the same old faces with the Packers or Vikings. You can count on this division race coming down to the last couple weeks of the NFL season.
