Lions & Packers & Bears, Oh My!
A look at the NFC North division race heading to the final one-third of the season
This whole season has been insane, wild, and absolutely on all sorts of drugs. We've seen about a thousand things happen during the first 12 weeks of this campaign, and part of the madness includes the NFC North. Thankfully, this year has been better for me as a Packers fan than last year was, as while last year saw us with a good enough record to possibly win the division, there were two other teams in Thanos mode. Yikes.
This year, it's pretty much established that the NFC North is a three team race. The Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions all have equal chances to win the division, while the Minnesota Vikings are just, well, there. Vikings dropped to 4-7 after losing their fifth in six games, so they're pretty much out of it. So with that, let's take a look at each of the three teams in this division race:
Chicago Bears (8-3)
With the Bears getting their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, they remain in first place for the second straight week. That is two weeks too many. When the Bears were 0-2, we saw it as typical Bears, another bad season even with a new coach. Then they won four straight. 4-2. Not bad, except they were 4-2 last year, and didn't get another win until the final week. Sure enough, they lost to the Ravens--the Lamar-less Ravens. The laughter at the Bears returned. Then they won four straight. Again. Now it's not funny.
The Bears are one win away from a winning season, and two wins away from reaching 10 wins. Yeah. I was confident that this whole "Bears leading the North" thing would end this week, but they beat the Steelers. Oh boy. As for their final six games, they are as follows: @ PHI (Black Friday), @ GB, CLE, GB, @ SF, and DET. Yep. They have two games left against this team:
Green Bay Packers (7-3-1)
The Packers' season, so far, has been a good one, but also a crazy one. We've been beating some good teams, we had that crazy tie with the Cowboys, and while we've had a few hiccups, we've bounced back. Our main shame last year was our 1-5 division record, and even worse, if that FG isn't blocked, it becomes 0-6. So far, we're two-for-two in division play, and the wins were against the teams who had a combined 29 wins last year.
We are a hair out of first, and we need to win this division. Jordan Love has yet to play a home playoff game in his young career, and winning the division guarantees at least one home game (depending on seeding and outcomes). We definitely have a great chance at winning the North this year, and here's our final six games: @ DET (Thanksgiving), CHI, @ DEN, @ CHI (Saturday game), BAL, and @ MIN. I would not be surprised if we win out, I'm dead serious.
Detroit Lions (7-4)
In my NFC North preview, I said that both the Vikings and the Detroit Lions would decline, because they had nowhere else to go but down. Already, the Lions have doubled their loss total from last year, but they were looking great. Following the opening week loss at Lambeau, the Lions won four straight games and looked strong at 4-1. However, they would spend the next six games trading wins and losses back and forth. This week, the Lions had to come back to beat the lowly New York Giants, coming from a double digit deficit to winning, 34-27, in overtime.
The Lions sit behind the Bears and Packers in the division, but they are one game out of first--a manageable deficit. As for their final six, they are as follows: GB (Thanksgiving), DAL (TNF), @ LAR, PIT, @ MIN, and @ CHI. That is a pretty tough stretch for the Lions.
* * *
The NFC North never fails to be interesting. It's a fun and wild rollercoaster that goes back and forth, around and around, and all sorts of directions. The Bears, Packers, and Lions will spend the final six weeks battling it out for the division, while the Vikings will serve in their familiar position as the comedy relief. And to think, each of the three teams play on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. That is absolutely delicious! Turkey, stuffing, all sorts of delicious sides, and the NFC North. Let's go!
About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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