The NFC North Continues To Be A Gauntlet Of Historic Proportions
As we approach Week 13 of the NFL season it's time to take a second and realize how fucking good the NFC North has been. I mean it's insane.
The Packers are 8-3 and in THIRD PLACE in their division. They'd be in first in four other divisions! What kind of bullshit is that? Historically this hasn't happened since 1970. They're the fucking 6 seed in the playoffs despite having a .727 winning percentage. Besides the Broncos, who are 7-5, every other 3rd place team in the NFL is below .500. Of those teams, everyone's season besides the Rams is over. This situation has happened because the Lions are a nuclear juggernaut and the Vikings refuse to lose a game themselves. The Bears are the Bears and invent ways to lose games, but the rest of the bunch are not to be messed with.
It all starts and stops with the Lions. Their offense was in neutral yesterday and they still cruised to a seemingly effortless win over the Colts. Even when they're bad and Goff throws 5 picks they find a way to get over the finish line. Watching yesterday, everything just flows so smoothly. They're faced with a 3rd and long, Goff throws underneath and allows his talented weapons to find the line to gain and extend the drive. In the red zone they alternate between Gibbs and Montgomery as they lean on their strong offensive line to get you home. It's a helpless feeling trying to stop their run game while also having to worry about St. Brown and Williams on the outside. LaPorta has had a down year by all standards but is still someone you have to worry about. They're gonna cruise to a minimum of 14 wins, it'll just depend what Philly and Minnesota do below them whether they push for more to wrap up the one seed in the final weeks of the season.
Below Detroit in the North are Minnesota (9-2) and Green Bay (8-3). They both keep winning to stay within striking distance, but it feels futile. They're destined for the 5 and 6 seeds which will have them travel on the road during the first week of the playoffs. With Washington taking a step back and the NFC West stuck in the mud, both teams have created a sizable gap of whoever claims the 7 seed down the road. Green Bay's remaining schedule isn't the prettiest, but finding ways to win to this point have put them in a great spot. Beating the brakes off the Niners yesterday, even if half the team was injured, made me feel so good. The Packers don't necessarily look like a true 8-3 team, but wins are wins, shout out Jordan Love for finally not throwing a pick in a game. Matt LaFleur has done a hell of a job navigating them to this point. The Vikings might feel the same way at 9-2 and with Sam Darnold as their savior, but their offense can explode at any moment. Aaron Jones has held up physically, Hockenson is finally healthy, Addison is a good complimentary receiver, and Justin Jefferson is flat out ridiculous. You keep waiting for the real Sam Darnold to show up, but so far he's mostly stayed away and steered them in the right direction.
It's a beast of a division. Whenever Caleb Williams and the Bears find their footing in a few years (if ever) it'll somehow get even harder. This is the best division in football and I don't see that title going away anytime soon.