Week 15 News Around the NFC North: The Kardiak Kitties Ride Again

The NFC North had no shortage of wild games in week 15. The results included crazy upsets, last-second defensive stands, and well, whatever we watched on Monday night. In the end, the winner of the division has officially been declared while another has been eliminated from playoff contention. Here’s all the news around the NFC North after another week of action.

The Bears Abysmal Offense Ends Their Playoff Chances

The Chicago Bears went into Monday night’s game against the Vikings without a single starting defensive back. They also didn’t have a single coordinator. This seemed like a recipe for disaster for a team relying on a rookie QB for virtually all their production.

It was better than it could’ve been, but not by much. The Bears defense managed to keep Justin Jefferson largely in check other than one touchdown catch. Kirk Cousins had under 100 yards passing. However, it was once again the offense that stalled out drive after drive. The Bears ultimately lost the game and whatever playoff hopes that remained, 17-9.

Act Two for the Kardiak Kitties

The Detroit Lions, aka The Knee-Biters, aka the Kardiak Kitties, got another hugely impressive win in week 15. This time, it came against a top playoff contender, the Arizona Cardinals. Detroit’s defense shined bright against Kyler Murray. Arizona was held scoreless through the first half of the game.

However, the big storyline for the Lions has to be Craig Reynolds, who in his first career start rushed for 112 yards while filling in for D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Additionally, Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to make great strides as a receiver. He caught eight balls for 90 yards and a touchdown in the 30-12 blowout win.

Green Bay Clinches Division in Last-Second Win

The Packers went into week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens with a simple mission: win the game, and you clinch the NFC North. At least, it seemed like a simple mission when we found out that Lamar Jackson wouldn’t be playing. However, Tyler Huntley proved to be quite a problem for the Packers defense this week.

The game was close throughout, and it inevitably came down to a last-second touchdown and two-point coversion attempt for the Ravens. On that play, the Packers defense showed up and covered Baltimore’s play call beautifully, escaping with a win and the division crown, 31-30.

Vikings Win a Slopfest

It wasn’t pretty, but Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings earned another primetime victory while also claiming the seventh and final playoff seed, at least for now. The Vikings seemed like heavy favorites in this game after all the Covid and injury issues that faced the Chicago Bears, but once again, they managed to find a way to make this a one-possession affair.

The Vikings stars didn’t really show up in this game, but it was certainly a coming out party for one D.J. Wonnum. The second-year DE finished the game with a pair of TFLs and three sacks. This is a Vikings pass-rush that has found success by committee this year, and it showed once again in this week’s 17-9 victory.

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