Around the NFC North 2022 Week 14
Here's what's happening this week and next with the teams in the NFC North.
By Mike Price
It was a great week in the NFC North. The Packers didn't lose (and even moved up a percent in the likelihood of making the playoffs calculation), the Vikings lost, and, well, nothing else really matters. Let's get into the Bears bye week and more.
Chicago Bears
The Bears had a bye week.
Season Notes
- The Bears are in an obvious tank season. They have a bad o-line, no offensive weapons (other than Justin Fields), and their three best defensive players from 2021 have all been traded. So far, it's working. The Bears are third in the draft order and in a great spot to either grab a generational defensive prospect (Jalen Carter or Will Anderson) or trade down and build up more assets.
- The frustrating part is that the Bears have the third pick without looking all that bad -- on offense at least. The defense s trash. On offense, former Packers WR and QB coach Luke Getsy has designed one of the league's most formidable running attacks behind Justin Fields' running ability. The Bears aren't going to beat many teams, but they can put up points in bursts against almost anyone.
- The defense is truly terrible, and it's hard to even imagine how it's going to improve within the next 2 or 3 years. Their highest PFF-graded starter on defense is rookie UDFA linebacker (and former Badger) Jack Sanborn, who has a grade of 59.2, good for 52nd place among NFL linebackers.
- It will be interesting to follow the Bears over the next few years. Will this version of wunderkind head coach and GM be the ones who turn the franchise around? Or did they trade the team's best players for draft picks that won't work out?
Next Week
The Bears take on the Eagles.
Vikings and Lions
The Lions took down the Vikings 34-23.
Game Notes
- The conversation heading into this game was how no under .500 team had ever been favored against a 10-2 team before but it wasn't really that surprising because the Vikings are such an obviously fraudulent team and the Lions have some good momentum going. Turns out basically everyone was right. Outside of a run-of-the-mill Justin Jefferson performance, the Lions dominated the Vikings in this game.
- Both quarterbacks had good statistical performances and QB ratings over 120. But here's the thing, the Vikings are supposed to have a great defense, not a defense that gives up a 120 QB rating to Jared Goff.
- Neither team could get anything going in the run game, Jamaal Williams had just 37 yards on 16 carries and Dalvin Cook did even worse with 23 yards on 15 carries. Unsurprisingly, Justin Jefferson had a superstar performance with 11 catches for 223 yards. Jefferson will likely be the first receiver in NFL history to break the 2,000 yards mark in a season.
- The Lions had 4 sacks and forced a fumble but not much else interesting happened defensively on either side.
Former Packers
- Za'Darius Smith didn't record a stat and he has just one sack in the last six games. Chandon Sullivan did have 5 tackles though.
- Jamaal Williams had probably his worst game of the year and unfortunately didn't add to his TD total.
Next Week
The Lions play the Jets and the Vikings slide continues (crossing my fingers) against the Colts on Saturday.
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Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan who recently moved form Utah to Stoughton (a Madison suberb). You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice.
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Comments (27)
Leatherhead
December 13, 2022 at 01:30 pm
"the Vikings are supposed to have a great defense".
If that were true, it would be a great blow to the narratives around here about defense. By most objective measures, like scoring and redzone , the Vikings are worse than the Packers, yet they have 10 wins. How can that be? Could it possibly be the offense that scores 23 or more most games?
They're 24th in scoring defense, and about the same in the redzone. Most teams score 20 or more on them, they've given up 30 or more 3 times. Only one team failed to score at least 16 on them.
Packerlifer
December 13, 2022 at 02:35 pm
It makes the Packers losing to Detroit that much more inexcusable. The Packer defense held the Lions 20 pts. below their home field scoring average and the offense only nets 9! And that is likely going to be the game we may most point to for a season missing the playoffs.
PackAttack4155
December 13, 2022 at 03:14 pm
Blowing two score leads against the Giants and Commanders should be right up there in the inexcusable category of games this season.
Leatherhead
December 13, 2022 at 06:14 pm
The hand injury was a pronounced factor in both games, IMO. He hurt it in the Giants game, and and wasn't very good against the Commies. We held them to 23 points, which is the NFL average, but only had 16 first downs and 225 total yards of offense.
In fact 7 of the points we put on the board were Campbell's TD on the interception. Offensively, only 14 on the board, and that's rarely enough. I read a while back that the winning team scores 17 or more in something like 85% of NFL games, so when your offense only scores 14 and , it's hard to blame the defense that gave up 23 but scored 7 of their own.
Leatherhead
December 13, 2022 at 06:09 pm
That game sticks out, for sure. 9 points almost never wins in the NFL. I remember us beating the Eagles with 9 points once about 20 years ago, but that's a long time between drinks. Rodgers' worst game of the season, injured hand that was visibly bothering him. We should have tried the backup.
And yeah, if we win that, we're 6-7 right now and right in the thick of things with a win against the Rams.
Starrbrite
December 13, 2022 at 08:16 pm
I don’t know who said the Vikings have a great D—it wasn’t me.
The Packers D are better.
The Vikings have stumbled into most of their wins and are the worst 10-3 team ever.
PhantomII
December 13, 2022 at 09:03 pm
They have an excellent LB and an excellent Safety. This year just that would get them close.
PhantomII
December 13, 2022 at 08:57 pm
They have a couple super duper WR's....
Leatherhead
December 14, 2022 at 05:19 pm
This is a Wednesday addendum to yesterday. I did some checking. Which team in the NFC North has the best scoring defense? Go ahead, take your time, think about it.
They've all played 13 games. The Packers have allowed 23.2 ppg. That's about one ppg better than the Vikings, 2ppg better than the Bears, and better than a FG over the Lions .
The league average is 22 ppg. The Packers have won every game where they exceeded that except Philadelphia. They have lost every game that they were below that except Tampa.
Starrbrite
December 15, 2022 at 12:55 am
Excellent post Leatherhead.
Coldworld
December 13, 2022 at 01:34 pm
Well, we won’t be seeing if Heflin could help our run D in the DL. Released from the PS. (Along with Westbrook-WR/returner) If he couldn’t that’s fine, but it seems odd. Another OT and Menet, the C from camp.
Guam
December 13, 2022 at 03:03 pm
Heflin had some chances but just never seemed to impress the coaches enough to get to the field. The NFL is a pretty select group of athletes and Heflin may just be a try hard guy that doesn't have the athletic ability to play at the highest level. Tough to watch a dream die.
wildbill
December 13, 2022 at 03:59 pm
As fans, we all love the high effort guys and hate to see them go. Hoping that they cut him knowing he won’t be picked up and can be brought back if needed. The O/L pickups may be telling us Bak is done for the season but hope I’m reading that wrong
Starrbrite
December 13, 2022 at 08:20 pm
Heflin appeared to me to be “try hard” guy that was better than Lowry.
PackyCheese500
December 13, 2022 at 04:28 pm
Too bad. I thought he had promise. Oh well, maybe the coaches thought otherwise. Hopefully Chris Slayton can do something.
PackAttack4155
December 13, 2022 at 03:00 pm
The Vikings close game win rate this season will come crashing back down to the norm in the next. That porous defense, and an offense prone to disappearing for whole games at a time, won't last long in the playoffs. The Lions look like the divisional team on the rise. The players have bought into the coaching, they've got a solid offense, with a couple moves on defense in the offseason, and they're in a good position going forward. The Bears appear to be a knee injury to Fields away from being, perennially, 0-17.
PackyCheese500
December 13, 2022 at 04:29 pm
Aiden Hutchinson and James Houston have been studs at DE for the Lions, not to mention their LB Malcom Rodruigez. Secondary and IDL will be their chief needs.
Packerlifer
December 13, 2022 at 04:54 pm
Ed Donatelle is their dc and I think Mike Pettine is some kind of consultant. With all the defensive success they had in Green Bay did any one not expect the same in Minisota?
Starrbrite
December 13, 2022 at 08:32 pm
Yes PackAttack—the Vikings are the worst 10-3 team ever.
tomroth
December 14, 2022 at 09:04 am
It's hard to disagree!
LeotisHarris
December 13, 2022 at 03:51 pm
I watched the very entertaining Lions - Vikings game. The Vikings D looked old and slow, and DC Ed Donatell looked even older and slower as he shuffled on the sidelines, and mumbled into his headset mic. Justin Jefferson is an amazing talent.
The kinds of things the Lions are doing makes them fun to watch; fake punt deep in their own territory, tackle eligible where the big guy was sent in motion *and* caught a tough pass. They're also the kinds of things that eventually fizzle, and will send the Lions back to being the Lions. I know, I know, there are wise seers here at CHTV who predicted a resurgence in Dee-Troit and now we must bow to them and hail Dan Campbell as the second coming of Wayne Fontes. The Lions are the Lions. They're 6-7. Will this be their 5th winning season in the last 30 years? Stay tuned!
I'm going to steal most of a line from Ray Ratto. He used it in reference to the Raiders, but I'll apply it to the NFL franchise from Minnesota. The Vikings will leave a trail of methane and half-eaten tuna melts on the road to Hell. It's what they do. The Cousins Dynasty will be, um, okay, will not be.
The Packers are not years away from sitting atop the NFC North. The Vikings are a popcorn fart. The Bears will always have 1985, and that's special. The Lions are much improved and they play hard, but they're still the Lions.
Packerlifer
December 13, 2022 at 04:59 pm
Minisota jumps up with the big season every 5 years or so but ends up ultimately with nothing at the final gun. They're on schedule for the same now.
As the Souper Bowl Nazi says, "No Super Bowl for you!"
egbertsouse
December 13, 2022 at 05:31 pm
It’s a lot better look to crap on other teams in the NFC North when your team is sitting on top looking down. It just doesn’t have the same cachet when your team has had its ass kicked by two out the three teams you’re insulting. You just look like Cowboy fans.
Lphill
December 14, 2022 at 05:45 am
As long as Joe Barry is calling the defense the Packers are not winning out anyway.
Houndog
December 14, 2022 at 06:16 am
LP,
If I could I'd give you two thumbs up for that.
Houndog
December 14, 2022 at 06:12 am
Mike,
I'm really late to this party but, about the Bears you say "The defense is truly terrible", and they are, so where does that leave the Packers?
The Bears played with (how many) rookies and/or second stringers on the defense and made the Packers defense (including the highest paid cornerback in the league) look like 'unlikely to make it' Pop Warner candidates?
Without Fields helping out by throwing picks, the Packers get their asses beat.
Hmmm, could that be a coaching issue?
coolhand
December 14, 2022 at 10:23 am
Fields had his best passing game ever against our defense. What does that tell you?