On a day where the entire NFC North lost, the Chicago Bears’ Week 9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles feels like a missed opportunity to gain some ground in the division.
After Chicago dropped its fourth straight game, this one a 22-14 loss to the Eagles, the rest of the division failed to mount a win in a division where every team had a winning record earlier this season.
The division-leading Green Bay Packers (7-2) struggled mightily against a Los Angeles Chargers team, who won 26-11, that knocked off two consecutive NFC North opponents. Just a week earlier, the Chargers beat the Bears 17-16 after Eddy Pineiro missed what would’ve been a 41-yard game-winning field goal.
The Minnesota Vikings (6-3), who sit in second place in the NFC North, couldn’t beat a Kansas City Chiefs team missing star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They suffered a heartbreaking loss off the right foot of Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who drilled a 44-yard field goal as time expired to win 26-23.
The Detroit Lions (3-4-1), who sit a half game ahead of the Bears, fell 31-24 to the Oakland Raiders. The Lions had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of the game, including a fourth-and-goal opportunity that came just short on a Matthew Stafford incompletion.
When all was said and done, the Bears still find themselves in the basement of the NFC North with nowhere to go but up. They’ll get a chance to do just that against the Lions in Week 10.
