The NFC North picture is getting a little more clear after an ugly Week 8 of football across the NFL.
The Detroit Lions had the chance to rest this week with their 5-2 record keeping them in second place in the division with all four teams now through with their bye weeks. The Lions still have four division games on their schedule in the second half of the season to make up some ground and counteract a difficult non-division schedule.
Of the six non-division opponents left on the Lions’ schedule, three have winning records and two are leading their respective divisions through Week 8. Overall, the Lions remaining 10 games are against opponents with a combined 25-28-2 record.
Through seven games, the NFC North is the tightest division in football. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the division did while the Lions took a backseat to the action:
Chargers 37, Vikings 10
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t have much for Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
The Chargers controlled the ball for much of this game, with Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz turning the ball over once and spending a lot of time on the ground nursing an injured non-throwing shoulder. The Chargers sacked Wentz five times with J.J. McCarthy still sidelined with an ankle injury.
The Vikings have had McCarthy active as their emergency quarterback for the last two games, but still rode with Wentz who’s gone 2-3 in his starts this season. Reports indicated on Sunday that the Vikings are preparing to have McCarthy return and make his third NFL start in Week 9.
The loss to the Chargers drops the Vikings to the bottom of the NFC North at 3-4 with a matchup with the Lions in Detroit on Sunday. The Chargers improved to 5-3 with a road trip to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 9.
Notable performances:
Chargers
Vikings
Ravens 30, Bears 16
Lamar Jackson returned to practice for the Baltimore Ravens last week but wasn’t deemed ready to return for their Week 8 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
Tyler Huntley instead got the start and the Ravens looked as good as they have since before Jackson went down, snapping their four-game losing streak and ending the Bears’ four-game winning streak. The Bears couldn’t seem to put a solid offensive drive together for most of the game, putting up two field goals early in this game just to be held scoreless until the fourth quarter.
The Bears are one of the most penalized teams in football, and that killed their momentum in this game. They were flagged 11 times for 79 yards in a game in which they actually put up more yards of offense than the Ravens yet still lost by 14 points.
The Bears fell to 4-3, but are still right in the mix in the NFC North with two games against the division-leading Packers and the season finale against the Lions still in play. They’ll travel to Cincinnati next week to take on the Joe Flacco-led Bengals.
The Ravens have a short week but will have another opportunity for Lamar Jackson to make his return. They’ll take on the Dolphins in Miami on Thursday night.
Notable performances:
Ravens
Bears
Packers 35, Steelers 25
A Sunday full of blowouts and ugly football got only slightly better for the night game, if it wasn’t for the horrendous uniform clash between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
This game marked the first time that Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers faced his former team of 18 years since leaving in 2023. He also faced his former backup Jordan Love for the first time, ultimately getting outdueled by an improving Packers offense.
The Packers showed off just how dangerous their offense can be on the right night, with seven different receivers catching more than one pass, including deep threat Christian Watson who made his season debut on Sunday night. The Packers totaled 454 yards of offense, and won comfortably despite trailing 19-14 entering the fourth quarter.
The win gives the Packers (5-1-1) sole possession of first place in the NFC North thanks to their earlier tie with the Cowboys. They’ll host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Steelers (4-3) remain atop the AFC North with a matchup at home against the red-hot Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Notable performances:
Packers
Steelers
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: NFC North Recap: Packers roll, Bears and Vikings stall in Week 8
Reporting by Ryan Love, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
