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Disappointing, surprising, and alarming were all adjectives one could use to describe the Green Bay Packers’ 38-10 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend. Despite grabbing an early 10-0 lead, the Packers, with the help of unfamiliar turnovers, collapsed in the second quarter and never quite found their way back to any level of comfort. While Green Bay still owns a 4-1 record and is very much in the thick of the NFC North hunt, the Packers do find themselves looking up at Chicago as of today.
Call them lucky, but the Bears took advantage of a key defensive takeaway in the final two minutes to cement their fifth win of the season. While the offense has been slow to evolve, Chicago’s quarterback is optimistic about the team’s room for growth. That luck may not carry over to Minneapolis as the Minnesota Vikings looked ugly in another loss Sunday, particularly at their own quarterback position.
Where do the Vikings go from here under center and at head coach? And how about the Detroit Lions’ defense carrying its weight as the team got back to winning ways?
Today’s rundown takes a deeper look at those stories and more.
Chicago Bears (5-1)
Won 23-16 at Carolina; Next at LA Rams
After win, Nick Foles steals the show with fiery press conference
“The good teams find a way to win a game.” The Bears’ quarterback got excited talking about his team’s ability to win without necessarily looking pretty, and believes it’s a positive sign that the team is winning with so many areas to improve on offense.
10 takes after a big Bears road win in Carolina
Chicago’s record, despite how they’ve reached it, has helped the team’s cause in long-term tiebreaker scenarios within the NFC. That’s just one of 10 takes after Sunday’s game.
Bears vs. Panthers: Snap counts, stats and more
One of the more interesting statistics was the Bears’ whopping 13 combined targets to their trio of tight ends, including Jimmy Graham.
Detroit Lions (2-3)
Won 34-16 at Jacksonville; Next at Atlanta
D’Andre Swift proves why he should be Detroit Lions’ feature back going forward
The emergence of the rookie Swift over the past two weeks has certainly given the running back an upward-trending stock.
How Detroit Lions’ most durable offensive lineman paved the way for team’s huge rushing day
One of the big positives from Sunday was center Frank Ragnow, who battled injuries last week yet helped create holes for some explosive runs in the victory.
Notes: Patricia gives credit to players after defense shuts down Jags’ rushing game
Much has been said about the Lions’ defense being porous to this point in the season, but their rushing defense put up a great fight against the Jaguars.
Minnesota Vikings (1-5)
Lost 40-23 vs. Atlanta; Next is a bye week
Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: Won’t finish season if interceptions continue
After throwing just six interceptions last season, Cousins leads the league with 10 already this season after tossing three in the first half against Atlanta.
The Vikings’ 2020 first-round draft picks are looking like long-term starters
If the team is looking for good news, Minnesota may have found two key contributors for the next several seasons in its rookie class.
Mike Zimmer takes ‘100 percent’ of weight on Vikings 1-5 start
The Vikings were thoroughly beaten by a team that had just fired its head coach. Zimmer took the fall for the loss, but how many more losses will Minnesota permit this season from its own coach before making a move?