Well Week 1 happened. Every NFC North team lost so the division is wide open.
49ers 41 Lions 33
The Lions were getting crushed by the 49ers with poor defense and a Goff pick 6 to make it 28-10. However, the Lions made a crazy come back to almost tie the game late. They ended up losing 41-33. Lions lost Jeff Okduah to an achilles injury, Ty Williams to a concussion and Taylor Decker to IR for finger surgery. Woof
Goff was ok but checked down too much (92.6 rating) but had a really bad pick that ended up costing them in an 8 point loss. Lions pass rush was poor and their secondary coverage was awful including Okudah. 49ers ran the ball well as expected too even with an early injury to Mostert. Detroit did get 3 turnovers with a Garropolo botched snap, an onside kick recovery and a great late forced fumble by Trey Flowers to give the Lions a chance to tie late.
Saints 38 Packers 3
Saints crushed the Packers. Rodgers had 2 picks and looked lost. Jameis Winston made enough plays and the Saints ran the ball well with 171 yards. Rodgers will have to prove against the Lions in Week 2 he isn’t tanking the season. The Packers run game was shut down by the Saints defense so Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will need to rebound against a poor Lions defense.
Bengals 24 Vikings 21
Joe Burrow and JMarr Chase (101 yards 1 TD) did well together with the Bengals reconnecting from their Baton Rouge days. Burrow had 128 rating with 2 Tds and Cousins notched 106 against the Bengals defense with 2 TDs. Bengals ran well with Joe Mixon. Dalvin Cook struggled at 3.1 YPC and had a big questionable fumble in overtime. The Bengals recovered and kicked the game winning field goal after driving 46 yards.
Rams 34 Bears 14
Matt Stafford had a career high in YPA and QB rating in his first game with the Rams with 3 TDs going 20/26 for 321 yards. He won NFC player of the week for second time in his career. Excuse me while I cry a little. Bears ran the ball well with David Montgomery but Andy Dalton struggled in the red zone. Bears run defense was stout but they lacked enough pass rush or coverage to stop Stafford. Big Rams win at home and Stafford is a stud.
Week 2
Bengals at Bears 1 PM ET
Bears try to regroup against a young Bengals team. They are a decent team with Joe Burrow and managed to beat the Vikings. Bears better be careful to not drop this winnable game or it could be a rough season. Justin Fields got some snaps in Week 1 and another average to bad performance by Dalton could result in a change. They will need to run the ball and take advantage of the Bengals poor offensive line with a pass rush to mask their secondary. Burrow, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd could have success on Sunday for the Bengals.
Bears by 1 point. 24-23
Vikings at Arizona 4:05 PM ET
Arizona crushed the Titans in Nashville. The Vikings could drop to 0-2 as well with a really tough game in Arizona. Kyler Murray looked great and the Cardinals defense was humming with Chandler Jones back. Dalvin Cook must have a good game or the Vikings are toast.
Arizona by 10.
Lions at Packers 8:15 MNF
The Packers host the Lions on MNF. This is a great opportunity for the Packers to get on track against a bad defense (gave up 30+ points in 7 straight games). The Lions showed signs of life late but they are injured already and have enough holes for Rodgers to torch them. Three young CBs and a terrible safety in Will Harris will be a problem for Detroit. I
If Detroit gets a pass rush and force some turnovers and play 2 high safety most of the day, Detroit might have a shot. The Lions run game looked good and the Packers are susceptible on the ground. TJ Hockensen and Swift will need to lead the Lions offense in the passing game. The Lions young WRs will need to play above their talent. Green Bay will regather and gain some confidence with a MNF win. Rodgers 4 TDS and 400 yards.
Packers in a rout by 21.