Green Bay Packers: Could all 4 NFC North teams be redeeming themselves this season?
It’s fair to say that this past NFL weekend’s games involving NFC North teams led many to question their preconceived notions about each of the 4 franchises. First, on Thanksgiving, the Packers upset division-leading Detroit 29-22. Then, this past Monday night, the underdog Bears defeated Minnesota in a slugfest 12-10. I’m not ready to make a mea culpa just yet, given some of my past articles, but I do have to ponder whether I was wrong about the direction that some of these teams are going in.
The red-hot Detroit Lions came out flat against the Packers on Thanksgiving, culminating in just their third loss this season. Despite this setback, they are still 8-3 and among the NFC’s best, alongside the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. On the other hand, Packers QB Jordan Love silenced his critics by completing 22 of 32 passes for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns. Not only are the Packers right back in the mix for a wild card bid, but Love may have permanently shut the door on speculation regarding a Green Bay quarterback change.
Many NFL pundits have labeled the rebuilding Chicago Bears as the worst of the 4 teams in the NFC North and maybe one of the worst in the entire league. Whether that’s true or not, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t compete or give their opponents a good run for their money. After blowing a lead against the Lions the previous week, Justin Fields engineered a late drive to set up a winning field goal against Minnesota. The Bears defense also came through, picking off Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs a whopping 4 times.
Despite their poor performance on Monday, Vikings fans should not fall into a state of despair. It’s worth remembering that the team lost starting QB Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury and traded for Dobbs mid-season. Yet, Dobbs has led the team admirably despite apparently not knowing the names of many of his teammates or even the team’s plays initially. They, too, are still very much in contention for a playoff birth.
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