The Detroit Lions were one of three NFC North teams to come up victorious in Week 8. And the win propelled the Lions out of the cellar and firmly back into the very crowded NFC playoff race.
What happened with the rest of the division in Week 8?
Chicago Bears
The Bears are back at the bottom, thanks to losing in the most Bears way possible.
Chicago lost at home to the mistake-prone Los Angeles Chargers, 17-16, when rookie kicker Eddy Pineiro pushed a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal wide left. That came one play after the Bears opted to take a knee instead of trying to get in better position, a decision head coach Matt Nagy hamhandedly tried to explain away in his postgame press conference.
The Bears kicked three field goals from inside the Chargers’ 10-yard line, squandering several golden opportunities to put away the visitors from the AFC West. Los Angeles managed just 11 first downs, missed a field goal of its own and screwed up clock management down the stretch, but the Bears could not capitalize.
The Bears are now 3-4 and looking up at the rest of the NFC’s most competitive division. Up next is a trip to Philadelphia to play the 4-4 Eagles.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay took advantage of the absence of Patrick Mahomes to knock off the Chiefs in Kansas City on Sunday night. The Packers improved to 7-1 with the 31-24 win in an exciting game on national television.
Aaron Rodgers looked great in leading the Packers to scores on all three of their second-half drives (before victory formation on the final series). But the real star was RB Aaron Jones, who netted 226 combined yards from scrimmage. His long catch-and-run on a simple toss pass from Rodgers was the icing on the victory cake.
The Packers defense struggled with the speed of the Chiefs’ playmakers, but in the end, Matt LaFleur’s team made more plays than Kansas City coach Andy Reid could coax out of backup QB Matt Moore.
Green Bay heads to Los Angeles to face the 3-5 Chargers in Week 9.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings kicked off the NFL weekend with a triumphant Thursday night matchup against the weakling Washington Redskins. Minnesota won its fourth game in a row, 19-9, a score that does not indicate the dominance of the Vikings.
Minnesota did not punt in the game. Three drives stalled inside the Washington red zone, resulting in two field goals and a failed 4th down. A Stefon Diggs fumble at the end of a long pass play ruined another drive. Kirk Cousins was almost perfect, completing 23 of his 26 pass attempts and not turning the ball over.
Cousins is now the NFL’s top-rated passer and is a prime candidate to win the NFC’s Player of the Month for October. He and the 6-2 Vikings follow the Packers into Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs in Week 9.
