NFC North standings heading into Week 13
Half of the NFC North had their games decided before Thanksgiving evening when the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions faced off to begin Week 12. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings both faced NFC West opponents in the late afternoon window on Sunday as they vied for playoff positioning with just seven weeks to go in the NFL season.
While the playoff seedings are in flux, the division standings didn’t change for the NFC North. Here’s how it looks after week 12 of the NFL season.
Green Bay Packers (9-3)
AP Photo/Morry Gash
Packers 36, Rams 28
It was a rematch of last season’s divisional round playoff matchup as the Green Bay Packers welcomed in the Los Angeles Rams to Lambeau Field. Despite being in prime playoff position, both teams were reeling to an extent with the new-look Rams losing three in a row and the Packers dropping two of their last three. And just like last year’s playoffs, it was the Packers who took control early.
On their second possession of the day, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford fumbled deep in their own territory, setting up Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for the score. Rodgers dialed up his own number, running the ball in from a yard out for the 7-0 lead. After a Mason Crosby field goal to make it 10-0, the Rams fought back and made it a game. Both teams traded touchdowns and field goals as the Packers led 20-17 at halftime. But that was as close as Los Angeles would get.
The Packers scored 16 unanswered points all in the third quarter. A.J. Dillon barreled into the endzone for a touchdown and Stafford threw a pick six to Rasul Douglas for a defensive score. A Crosby field goal was sandwiched in between as the Packers led 36-17 heading into the fourth quarter. The Rams were able to get back on the board, but it didn’t matter at that point. Green Bay got another victory at home and Matt LaFleur became the second fastest coach to get 35 wins, behind Chuck Knoll. At 9-3, the Packers get a bye week before facing the Chicago Bears in week 14.
Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Vikings 26, 49ers 34
The Minnesota Vikings were riding high coming into their matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, having won two games in a row, including a victory against the division-leading Green Bay Packers. The same could be said for the Niners, who also had a two-game winning streak as both teams vie for a wild card spot in the playoff race.
The Vikings drew first blood when Kirk Cousins delivered a strike to a tip-toeing Adam Thielen for the 7-0 lead. After a quick response from the 49ers, Cousins and Thielen to retake the lead. But as they’ve been known to do, the Vikings allowed the Niners to score as the half came to a close and were tied up 14-14 after two quarters. Things only went downhill from there.
San Francisco scored another touchdown coming out of the half and got the ball right back when Cousins threw an interception on the first play of the Vikings ensuing drive. That mistake led to yet another 49ers touchdown and a 28-14 lead. Minnesota clawed their way back, but the deficit was too much to overcome. They also were dealt a bad blow when Dalvin Cook left the game due to a shoulder injury.
The Vikings lost 34-26 and dropped below .500, but are still a game up on the Bears for second place. They face the Detroit Lions next week and try to bounce back.
Chicago Bears (4-7)
AP Photo/Rick Osentoski
Bears 16, Lions 14
The Chicago Bears played their fourth Thanksgiving game in six years when they visited the Detroit Lions. The Bears were in the news for much of the week after inaccurate reports surfaced that stated Matt Nagy would be fired once the game concluded. To add insult to injury, the Bears were missing starting quarterback Justin Fields due to a rib injury and started Andy Dalton in his place. None of that seemed to bother Nagy’s group as they went out and got to work.
After going down 7-0 early, Dalton and the Bears got things going in the second quarter. Following a field goal, the veteran quarterback connected with Jimmy Graham for a touchdown to take the 10-7 lead. It was the only touchdown the team would score though as Cairo Santos did the rest of the work. The Lions retook the lead on a touchdown catch from T.J Hockenson, but the Bears had the final opportunity to score points.
Dalton led his squad down the field on a drive that ate up 8:30 of gametime. The result was a game-winning kick from Santos to win 16-14, ending a six game losing streak. The Bears are going to have a tougher time next week when they welcome the NFC West division leading Arizona Cardinals to town.
Detroit Lions (0-10-1)
AP Photo/Rick Osentoski
Lions 14, Bears 16
Another Thanksgiving game ended in disappointment for the Detroit Lions. Still searching for their first win of the season, the Lions had a great shot to get there facing the reeling Chicago Bears. Things were looking even better when it was announced starting quarterback Jared Goff would be returning to the lineup after missing the previous week with an oblique injury.
The Lions got off to a hot start when Goff fired a deep pass to Josh Reynolds for the early lead. It would quickly vanish, however, when the Bears scored 10 unanswered points to take the 10-7 lead. Both offenses stalled for multiple drives until Goff got things going once again, finding T.J. Hockenson for the score and the 14-13 lead late in the third quarter. They wouldn’t get many chances in the fourth, however, as the Bears bled the clock down to the last second before kicking the game-winning field goal to win. Now at 0-10-1, Dan Campbell’s team is running out of weeks to secure a victory. Their next opportunity will be against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, who could be missing their star running back Dalvin Cook.
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