NFC North Round-Up: Lions Cruise to Another Win, Vikings Top Bears
Most of Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season is officially in the rearview mirror, and the slate of Sunday games saw three NFC North teams take the field.
One of the games was a head-to-head matchup between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay Packers were on bye this week as well, meaning we’ll have a bit of a shorter recap for Week 6. Regardless, though, here is a look at all the NFC North action from this past weekend.
Detroit Rallies Against Tampa Bay
Things didn’t necessarily get off to a great start for the Detroit Lions as they punted on three of their first four drives against Tampa Bay. The only one that didn’t result in a punt was a field goal following a Buccaneers turnover.
However, to close the first half and into the second half, the floodgates opened for Detroit. Amon-Ra St. Brown scored a 27-yard touchdown on their final full drive of the first half, and the Lions went on a 17-3 run to end the game.
This performance happened even without David Montgomery, who left during the second half with a rib injury. Detroit was unable to muster much production on the ground, totaling just 40 rushing yards, but they owned the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 13 minutes longer than the Buccaneers.
Now with a 5-1 record on the season, the Lions head back out on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens for Week 7. Baltimore defeated Tennessee in London to improve to 4-2 and take control of the AFC North.
Vikings Defense Leads the Way Over Chicago
In the first 2023 intradivisional game for the Minnesota Vikings, they headed out to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. Both teams went into the game with 1-4 records, hoping to avoid the cellar in the NFC North.
While the game was a bit of an ugly one, the Vikings were able to pull out a 19-13 victory on the road, largely behind the strength of their defense. For the first time in 2023, the Vikings actually won the turnover battle, forcing three turnovers from the Bears offense.
The main star of the show was LB Jordan Hicks, who intercepted a pass in the red zone that set up Minnesota’s only offensive TD drive of the game. He also scooped up a fumble and returned it for the only other Vikings TD.
The Vikings now get a bit of a longer week before their Week 7 game against the San Francisco 49ers, which is set for Monday night. The 49ers lost on Sunday, meaning they will be 5-1 when they travel to Minneapolis. Meanwhile, the Bears will play host to the 3-3 Las Vegas Raiders, who are on a two-game winning streak.
Green Bay Rests Up for Week 7
The final team in the NFC North did not play in Week 6. Green Bay took their bye after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders last Monday night, dropping them to a 2-3 record. This weekend, the Packers will play host to the 1-5 Denver Broncos, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
Green Bay’s bye couldn’t have come at a much better time, considering they are dealing with a number of injuries. Aaron Jones has sat out three of the first five games this season, and the Packers have been unable to establish much of a running game without him. Jaire Alexander has also been dealing with a back injury for a few weeks, so hopefully for Green Bay, their star veteran players will get healthy soon.
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.
