NFC North Rundown, Week 3: All even at 1-1 after Packers, Lions victories

After the first two weeks of the NFL season, it’s all knotted up in the NFC North. All four teams sit at 1-1 on the season, thanks in part to the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. The division has seen two games between division opponents so far, one each week featuring the Packers, and will have a third next week between the Vikings and Lions.

The four teams have worked their way to 1-1 records in very different ways, however. The Lions are impressing with their offensive explosiveness, putting up games of 35 and 36 points. The Packers bounced back from a week 1 dud with a convincing prime time divisional win in week 2, a similar pattern to their first two games in 2021. And this weekend, both the Vikings and Bears looked outmatched in prime time.

Here’s a look around the rest of the division at where things stand heading towards week 3.

Minnesota Vikings (1-1)

Week 2: lost at Eagles 24-7
Week 3: vs. Detroit Lions

Philadelphia Eagles 24, Minnesota Vikings 7: Vikings flop in prime time - Daily Norseman
One week after a convincing win over the Packers, the Vikings dropped to 1-1 on the season with a very ugly performance.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins throws three interceptions in loss, drops to 2-10 on Monday night | NFL.com
The clock struck 8 on the East coast before kickoff, so Kirk Cousins turned back into a pumpkin, throwing three picks (including two to Darius Slay) in an ugly loss to the Eagles.

Chicago Bears (1-1)

Week 2: lost at Packers 27-10
Week 3: vs. Houston Texans

Bears vs Packers Recap: 10 takes after another walloping at Lambeau Field - Windy City Gridiron
Sunday night's game is serving as a reminder for Bears fans of just how much of a rebuild project their team is right now and how far they have to go against the better teams in the division.

Matt Eberflus has advice for rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon - Sports Illustrated
Aaron Rodgers picked on the rookie early and often on Sunday, and it drew a conversation from his head coach after the game to just put the game behind him.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ running back wasn’t concerned about not getting the ball near the goal line, but he had a take on the replay review that was inconclusive and allowed the call of Justin Fields coming up short to stand:

Detroit Lions (1-1)

Week 2: won vs. Commanders 36-27
Week 3: @ Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions’ playmakers come in big for win over Commanders - Pride Of Detroit
It may be too early to call the Lions contenders in the division right now, but players like Amon-Ra S. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson show that they have several really, really good players that their opponents will need to scheme around.

Commanders credit Lions ‘great offensive play-calling’ in Detroit win | Lions Wire
Detroit posted more than 35 points for the second straight week and is sitting second in the NFL in points scored. The run game is a big part of that, but first-year offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is getting lots of credit for his playcalling.

One other note: despite the early results, the Lions are 7.5-point underdogs for their week 3 game in Minnesota.