NFC North did their version of the Spider-Man meme in Week 2
By Adam Patrick
After the Minnesota Vikings kicked Week 2 off with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions all followed the Vikings lead and suffered a loss in each of their Week 2 matchups on Sunday.
That's right, all four teams from the NFC North came up short in their games this week. Both with a 1-1 record, the Lions and Packers are now tied for the lead in the division heading into Week 3.
Let's take a closer look at what took place in the other three NFC North contests that took place after Minnesota's loss on Thursday.
Packers lose 25-24 to the Falcons
Riding high after their easy win over the Bears in Week 1, Green Bay headed out on the road to take on an Atlanta Falcons team that was also coming off of a victory over the Carolina Panthers in their first matchup of the season.
On Sunday, the Falcons ended up being the team to come out of the game with an undefeated record still intact, thanks to a 25-yard field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo with 57 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw for 151 yards and three touchdowns, but Green Bay's defense didn't have an answer for Atlanta's rushing attack on Sunday, as the Falcons finished the game with 211 yards on the ground.
Bears lose 27-17 to the Bucs
One week after surprising the Vikings in their home stadium, Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took care of another member of the NFC North when they faced the Bears on Sunday.
Mayfield threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, and Mike Evans led Tampa in receiving with six catches for 171 yards and one score.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bucs sacked Chicago quarterback Justin Fields six times on Sunday, in addition to picking off two of his passes and holding him to just three rushing yards.
Lions lose 37-31 in OT to the Seahawks
After beginning their 2023 season with an upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Lions came back down to the earth on Sunday and fell short in their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.'
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns. But a pick-six thrown by Goff in the fourth quarter and two fumbles lost by Detroit ultimately ended up being too much for the Lions to overcome on Sunday.
The Lions will see if they can get things back on track in Week 3 when they host the team that defeated the Packers on Sunday, the Falcons.