NFC North Breakdown: Week 4

(Dan Zinski writes for The Viking Age, which is FSB’s Minnesota Vikings blog. Representing the rest of the NFC North are Bear Goggles On, Lombardi Ave. and SideLion Report.)

The division tightened up this weekend, with the Packers losing on the road and the Bears pulling out a tough home victory.  The Vikings squandered a chance to pull into first place themselves, and the Lions…all they did was can their team president.

Chicago Bears (2-2):

Looking Back: A 24-20 home win against Philadelphia. The Bears had plenty to prove after blowing late leads two weeks straight. Their embattled defense rose to the occasion with an epic goal-line stand to preserve the victory in the fourth. An impressive win for Chicago, even if Brian Westbrook was out and Donovan McNabb was less than 100%. Most impressive of all was the play of Kyle Orton who threw a career-high 3 TD passes. On the negative side: Matt Forte cooled off after his hot start, gaining only 43 yards on the ground. The Bears don’t figure to win too many games with the pass offense carrying that much of the load. But it worked for one week and the Bears now find themselves tied for the division lead.

Looking Forward: The Bears begin a relatively soft part of their schedule by visiting Detroit. If Kyle Orton enjoyed throwing it against the Eagles, he should really like tossing it around on the Lions’ de-clawed defense. Unless the Matt Millen firing somehow inspires Detroit, the Bears should find themselves facing a typically discombobulated, disheartened team. It would not be a shock to see the Bears rattle off a string of victories from here to their home match-up with Tennessee in Week 10. That would make them 6-2 and in a very comfy spot.

Detroit Lions (0-3):

Looking Back: Bye weeks are supposed to be times of rest and regrouping – but nothing is ever that simple for the Lions, who instead used theirs to can controversial team president Matt Millen (several years too late in the opinion of most). Now Detroit faces a front office void to go with the severe talent deficit they’re dealing with on the field. William Clay Ford, Jr. appears ready to take over for his father and run the team – but will Junior have any more success than the old man, who has presided over exactly one playoff win since buying the franchise in 1964?

Looking Forward: The Lions host a Bears team that should be feeling very confident after their stirring home win against Philly. Who knows what effect the front office shake-up will have on Detroit. It may put some fire in the bellies of their coaches and players…or it may not make a lick of difference. What the Lions need most, frankly, is stability. And a defense. Jon Kitna figures to be okay after spraining his ankle against San Francisco. He’ll need his full mobility once those Bears pass-rushers get after his butt.

Green Bay Packers (2-2):

Looking Back: A frustrating 30-21 loss to the Buccaneers. Turnovers killed the Packers’ hopes in Tampa Bay, and injuries put their immediate future in doubt. Aaron Rodgers wasn’t playing that well to begin with (3 interceptions), then he hurt his shoulder and was replaced by – gulp – rookie Matt Flynn. Rodgers eventually returned to the game – but not before setting plenty of Packer fans to grumbling about how fragile he is compared to Iron Man Brett Favre (and don’t even get them started on those 6 TD passes Favre threw against Arizona). Rodgers isn’t the only one the Cheeseheads have to fret about. Al Harris is down for an indeterminate length of time with a ruptured spleen, and several other defensive stand-outs also got injured against Tampa. And what of Ryan Grant’s 20 yards on 15 carries performance? Clearly, teams don’t respect the Packers’ passing game as much as they did when #4 was calling the shots, which is making it difficult for Grant or anyone else trying to tote the rock.

Looking Forward: The Atlanta Falcons visit Lambeau, and this isn’t the gimmie it might’ve seemed before the season. Especially if Rodgers isn’t able to go and the Packers have to start a rookie against the Falcons’ own rookie Matt Ryan. Atlanta has more than enough to stay with the Packers if they’re not on their game – and now the Green Bay defense is becoming depleted by injury. A.J. Hawk may miss this game and several more weeks afterward with a groin injury, and Charles Woodson, Nick Collins and Cullen Jenkins are also iffy. The Packers have to get production from Ryan Grant, or someone in that backfield, if they hope to snap their 2-game losing streak. And they have to forget all about Favre’s 6 TD performance for the Jets. #4 ain’t walking through that door (and neither is #15 for that matter).

Minnesota Vikings (1-3):

Looking Back: A gaffe-ridden 30-17 loss at Tennessee. The Vikings were looking to reach .500 after the Carolina win, but instead they imploded. A string of turnovers, penalties and various other bonehead mistakes doomed the Purple against a poised and professional Titans squad. It takes superior talent to overcome a lack of discipline, and the Vikings don’t have superior talent. They do have Adrian Peterson, but even he does them no good if they’re forced to play catch-up. The Vikings are finding ways to lose now – not a good sign for a team that was supposedly a Super Bowl contender.

Looking Forward: A trip to New Orleans on Monday night. The Saints may be depleted by injury, but they still have Drew Brees. The good news for Minnesota? The Saints are one of the few teams they can probably run up big points against, especially on the fast indoor track. This will be billed as Adrian Peterson vs. Reggie Bush, but it has a better chance of turning into Gus Frerotte vs. Brees. What the Vikes need worse than anything right now is focus. They do get Bryant McKinnie back from his suspension – some might not consider this a positive.