NFC North Round-Up: Lions Clinch First Division Title in 30 Years with Win over Vikings, Bears Cruise, Packers Squeak Out a Win
Week 16 has gotten off to a crazy start with multiple games going down to the wire on Christmas Eve.
Games throughout the NFC North were no different as two of the three games featuring teams within the division came down to the final plays. With all four NFC North teams having played already, here is a look at how the groups fared as they head into the final two weeks of the season.
Bears Cruise to Win over Arizona
The Bears’ rushing attack led the way as they dominated the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday to get their sixth win of the season. Khalil Herbert rushed for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Justin Fields added another 97 rushing yards to Chicago’s team total of 250.
With the win, Chicago improves to 6-9 on the year, and they remain with a slim chance of making the playoffs if everything works out in their favor over the final two weeks of the year. Next up, they take on the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.
Lions Clinch NFC North
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings met at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday. Detroit came in with a chance to clinch their first division title in 30 years while the Vikings needed a win to keep their hopes of back-to-back titles alive.
Ultimately, the Lions proved to be too much for Minnesota as they moved the ball with ease up and down the field and forced four interceptions from Nick Mullens en route to a 30-24 victory. With the win, Detroit moves to 11-4 on the season and inked their first ticket to the playoffs since 2016. The Vikings now fall out of the playoff picture entirely, and they will need to win their final two games of the year and get some help from other teams in order to get into the playoffs again.
Packers Squeak One Out in Carolina
The Green Bay Packers came into the weekend hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Carolina Panthers, and while things got interesting down the stretch, they were able to pull of a 33-30 victory on the road.
The Packers burst out to a 23-10 going into halftime, but a pair of touchdowns toward the end of the fourth quarter got the Panthers even with Green Bay at 30-30 with four minutes remaining. Then, Jordan Love led the heroics leading the Packers to a game-winning field goal drive.
The Pair of Christmas Gifts Vikings Fans Deserve
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.