Week 16 News Around the NFC North: The Vikings Can’t Overcome an Old Foe
Josh Frey
|
Week 16 has come and gone for the NFC North, and with it, another round of games for all four teams. We saw some Christmas action, a pair of wins, and even an old NFC North QB coming back to Minneapolis to play the Vikings. Here’s all the news following this weekend’s action.
Chicago Clutches up in the Snow
With Justin Fields being banged up with injuries over the past couple weeks, the Bears opted to preserve the rookie QB by sending Nick Foles out for the start. The veteran backup got very little help in the running game, with David Montgomery recording just 45 yards on 21 carries. However, he held his own for much of the game, and with a still very limited Russell Wilson, the game was close throughout.
Then, the Bears got aggressive at the very end of the game. In classic Nick Foles fashion, he led the Bears offense down the field for a last-minute touchdown, cutting Seattle’s lead down to 24-23. Chicago then opted to go for two, converted, and won the game 25-24. Did aggressive Matt Nagy save his job? Probably not, but this was a cool win for the Bears.
Detroit Falls Just Short
The Detroit “Kardiak Kitties” Lions went down to Atlanta after an improbable win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. Tim Boyle got the start at QB for Detroit, and although he didn’t have a terrific game, the Lions defense once again came to play with their claws out.
This was especially true down the stretch, as they forced a Russell Gage fumble in Atlanta territory. Boyle then helped drive Detroit all the way down to the ATL 9 before throwing an interception to Dante Fowler, ending the last-minute comeback, losing 20-16. Even so, the Lions have been able to play competitive football for an entire month now. That’s a good sign moving forward.
Green Bay Makes it a Green and Gold Christmas
The Green Bay Packers started slow, but they did just enough down the stretch to come away with a 24-22 Christmas victory over the Cleveland Browns. It was their fourth straight win and also made them a perfect 7-0 at home. The story of this game is Aaron Rodgers passing Brett Favre for the Green Bay Packers career touchdown record, but a close second is a fabulous day for Green Bay’s defense.
Baker Mayfield threw four total interceptions on the day, including a pair to Rasul Douglas. The second of these interceptions by Douglas ended a final gasp effort by the Browns to steal this game. Cleveland was driving into Green Bay territory, needing a field goal to win the game when this INT took place. In the end, Green Bay managed to hang on to the game and the NFC’s top seed.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”929765″ player=”26281″ title=”NFL%20MVP%20odds%202021%20Aaron%20Rodgers%20Tom%20Brady%20ahead%20of%20the%20pack” duration=”68″ description=”The NFL MVP odds have received a big update as we near the final stretch of the 2021 NFL season. After getting shut out for just the third time of his pro career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is no longer the heavy favorite to win. Instead, Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has taken the top seat on the throne.” uploaddate=”2021-12-23″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/929703_s_1640290078514.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/929703/929703.m3u8″]
Minnesota Falls to a Familiar Foe
Minnesota was coming off an underwhelming victory in Chicago on Monday night when they headed back home to take on the Rams. Facing them was a quarterback that the Vikings had seen many times before, Matthew Stafford. It didn’t take long for the Vikings defense to assert their dominance over Stafford, forcing three interceptions on the day.
However, that was about the only thing that went right for the Vikings on this day. The offense was stale for much of the day, with Justin Jefferson noting that the team didn’t come out with much energy. The three interceptions were a bit of a coverup for how Minnesota’s defense performed as well. Overall, it was a solid day, especially for Anthony Barr, but the run defense especially was not very good. Once again, the Vikings just weren’t good enough in their 30-23 loss.