Bears and Packers battle as the NFC balance of power shifts
After a couple of weeks of sitting at the top, the Packers dethrone the Bears after a classic NFC North matchup. Both the Bears and Packers look like teams that will be playing meaningful football in January, and the Lions reminded the NFL they should not be taken for granted, even in a down year, with a big win over Dallas. Minnesota is not playing for the playoffs this season, but the Vikings are searching for clarity at the quarterback position these last few games. JJ McCarthy delivered an encouraging performance.
Here are my takeaways from NFL Week 14 in the NFC North for each team:
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The Green Bay Packers steal a seat at the top of the NFC North throne after a win in a thriller versus the Bears. Both teams look as good as advertised. The Packers were the team that was sharper in the biggest moments. This was a week that showed the Packers still remain as a team that can come out of the NFC. Tucker Kraft is out for the rest of the season; however, Jordan Love has his new go-to guy in a healthy Christian Watson. Watson has now scored 5 touchdowns in the last 4 games. The Packers are getting healthier at the right time, and their defense is just as good as any in the NFL. The Packers have quite the test in front of them Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It does not get easier, as they have to head to Chicago with one less day to prepare to face a hungrier-for-revenge Bears team. The Packers hold control of the NFC North currently, but these next two weeks will decide whether or not that will be the case when the season is over.
The final outcome of the game evens the Packers feel very similar to the Bears, but in the fashion in which the Bears lost feels very different. It is hard to find morale victories in losing to the Green Bay Packers. However, with the Bears being 9-4 right now and second in the NFC North still after a loss to Green Bay in year 1 of the Ben Johnson era, it feels very promising. Caleb Williams missed on the potential game-winning play, but he showed the hard-to-find moral victories, all the makings of a quarterback who will have his fair share of wins against the Packers. He already has one under his belt from his rookie season. The Bears looked on the same level as a Packers team that is in contention for a Super Bowl this year. That is a dream scenario for the Bears. Also, the Bears now have a favorable game versus the Browns, and then they get to see the Packers again, this time at home at Soldier Field. The Bears may have lost their first-place spot in the NFC, but they could take back their seat at the top of the NFC North right at the conclusion of Week 15.
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Just when many of us were ready to throw in the towel on the Detroit Lions, Dan Campbell and the Lions cruised to victory against one of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions proved they can not be counted out, and they still, within the many crushing injuries, can go out there and beat anybody. It has been a down year for the Lions, but this team is way too talented to think they will just lie down and go down without a fight. Just like the Packers, things do not get easier for Detroit either. The Lions have the Rams up this week, the Steelers, and the Bears following that. Detroit also has to see Minnesota one more time, the team that beat them in Detroit. The odds are stacked against Detroit, and they have no margin of error to finish the season with how tight the race is in the NFC. Detroit at least gets to control its destiny, and if it wins out, it will get in the playoffs for yet another season.
The Vikings got a great performance out of their starting quarterback, and it was quite the refreshing sight after the disaster that was Week 13’s game. J.J. McCarthy’s great performance was not great for everybody, as Justin Jefferson’s woes continue. Jordan Addison was the only playmaker who benefited from his team’s leading 62 yards receiving. Minnesota has the talent and the coaches, but the rest of the season will decide whether they have their guy at quarterback. With both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold looking like MVP candidates this season at some points, it is still clear the Vikings made the wrong decision for this season. The Vikings will have to wait and see if they made the wrong decision in the long term. So far, that does not look too promising either, with the lack of consistency from McCarthy. However, there is still some hope for the former Michigan quarterback.
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Overview
The Packers and the Packers will be fighting for the NFC North title, and luckily for everyone interested, there will be another match-up between the two teams next Sunday. The Detroit Lions are looking to enter that conversation once again, but have a tough matchup against the consensus best team in the NFC, the Rams. Each of the contending teams in the NFC North division has a gauntlet schedule to finish the season, giving reason to believe only two teams will come out of the last 4 weeks of the season and make the playoffs instead of three. The Vikings, just a year removed from going 14-3, are hoping that J.J. McCarthy will be the quarterback who can help them get back to contention in this division, and even with a great outing, that notion still feels shaky.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Winners and losers in NFC North for NFL Week 14