It was a very interesting Week 1 in the NFC North. Two teams played host to NFC playoff teams from a year ago, while the other two divisional rivals faced off against one another.
The Detroit Lions lost their home bout with the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. Here’s how the rest of the division played out.
Chicago Bears
The Bears welcomed the San Francisco 49ers to Soldier Field by flooding the field with a steady downpour of rain in Chicago. The Bears won 19-10 despite entering the game as decided underdogs at home.
Bears QB Justin Fields outdueled fellow 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance, who struggled mightily with the field conditions and the speed of the Bears defense. Neither QB completed 50 percent of his passes, but Fields tossed two TDs and made a couple of crucial conversions. The Bears won despite accruing just 201 total offensive yards.
The Bears are 1-0 while the 49ers drop to 0-1.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers opened on the road in Minnesota and fell victim to an energized Vikings team. Green Bay lost 23-7 thanks to a flat start on both sides of the ball.
Aaron Rodgers had trouble with the constant barrage of pressure from the Vikings front. Rodgers was sacked four times, losing a fumble on of those as well as throwing an interception. The Packers failed to score a passing touchdown all game and were shut out in the first half.
Green Bay sits in last place in the division at 0-1 by virtue of losing to a fellow NFC North rival. The Packers host the Bears in Week 2.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings romped at home over the Packers. Minnesota’s 23-7 win was keyed by the connection between QB Kirk Cousins and WR Justin Jefferson. The duo connected nine times for 184 yards and two TDs.
It didn’t matter who the Packers put on Jefferson. And when they did take away the pass, Cousins turned to RB Dalvin Cook to gash the Green Bay underbelly. New head coach Kevin O’Connell won his NFL debut with a balanced attack that looked in midseason form in Week 1.
Minnesota sits atop the division at 1-0 thanks to the win. The Vikings travel to Philadelphia to face the unbeaten Eagles in Week 2.
