NFC North Round-Up: Detroit Routs Green Bay, Vikings Snag Their First Win, Bears Fall to 0-4
Josh Frey
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Week 4 of the NFL season has wrapped up for the NFC North division.
In the latest set of results, we saw the group go 2-2 as a whole, and we got another divisional matchup to begin the week as the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers faced off on Thursday Night Football. With the weekend of football now behind us, here is a look at how everything went down across the division.
Lions Roar to Another Win in Lambeau
The Detroit Lions became the NFL’s darling in 2022, particularly because of a Week 18 victory to eliminate Green Bay from the playoffs.
Their first game back at Lambeau in 2023 went largely the same as Detroit cruised to another road win, and they did it largely by winning in the trenches. The Lions defense piled up five sacks of Jordan Love and forced a pair of turnovers while David Montgomery put up 121 rushing yards and 3 TDs in his first game back from injury.
Now, Detroit heads back to Ford Field to take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. As for the Packers, they hope to regroup and get their third win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Vikings Snag Their First Win
It seemed like Week 4 was going to be the same old story for the 2023 Vikings with a pair of first half turnovers in Carolina territory, but the second half saw a huge statement from Minnesota’s defense.
The Vikings allowed zero points over the final 30 minutes of the game, and they sacked Bryce Young five times during the second half. There are still consistency problems with the offense, but this was a very positive step for Minnesota as they try to dig their way out of the early-season hole.
Now, Minnesota heads back home to U.S. Bank Stadium, awaiting a matchup with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
Bears Collapse Against Denver
It seemed like Chicago was finally getting on the right track when they jumped out to a 28-7 lead against the Denver Broncos early in the second half. Justin Fields could do no wrong, completing his first 16 passes and throwing for 4 TDs.
The second half, though, saw an utter collapse all-around from Chicago. Their offense completely stalled out with two turnovers, a punt, and a turnover on downs over their final four drives. Meanwhile, Denver scored 24 unanswered points, including 17 in the fourth quarter to capture a 31-28 win at Soldier Field.
Now, the hapless 0-4 Bears will have to go on the road to take on a tough Washington Commanders defense as they try to find some answers and get their first win of the year.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.