We’re officially at the halfway point of the 2022 NFL season and the Minnesota Vikings are running away with the NFC North division.
The Vikings are four and a half games up from the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears and also own the tiebreaker with both of them. It will take an epic collapse for them to fall out of the top spot, but we’ve seen it happen before.
The Bears and Packers continue to maintain the same record as one another for the third week in a row, though one can argue they’re moving in opposite directions. Meanwhile the Detroit Lions are inching closer to the pack after securing their second victory of the year, coming against Green Bay.
Is that enough to jump out of the basement of our power rankings? Here’s our list heading into Week 10.
1
Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 1
- Week 9 result: 20-17 win at Washington Commanders
The Vikings are riding a five-game winning streak as they’re continuing to stack victories, even if they don’t like great doing it. Kirk Cousins made his long-awaited return to FedEx Field for the first time since he left Washington for Minnesota and orchestrated a come-from-behind win after trailing by as many as 10 points to start the fourth quarter. Cousins led three scoring drives in a row, in part thanks to a timely interception by the defense off Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke. He also had extra reinforcements as tight end T.J. Hockenson made his Viking debut after he was acquired via trade from the Lions. Minnesota isn’t blowing anyone out of the water, but they’re doing enough to keep winning and that’s all you can ask for in this league. The Vikings have a challenging matchup coming up against the Buffalo Bills next.
2
Chicago Bears (3-6)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 3
- Week 9 result: 35-32 loss vs. Miami Dolphins
After falling behind the Packers in Week 8, the Bears hopped over them once again thanks to their surging offense and stellar quarterback play from Justin Fields. The Bears offense is borderline unstoppable these days, averaging over 31 points per game over the last three weeks. Fields is playing like a star and is wowing everyone across the country with his record-breaking performance on Sunday. Though their defense is now a shell of itself, the Bears offense appears capable of carrying this team against any opponent. They may have a 3-6 record, but they’re playing fun football and are clearly the second-best team in the division. The Bears welcome the Lions to Soldier Field this week in their first of two matchups this season.
3
Green Bay Packers (3-6)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 2
- Week 9 result: 15-9 loss at Detroit Lions
Giving the Packers the third spot in the power rankings this week is extremely generous. The gap between them and the Lions is so close, you can barely fit a slice of cheese in it. Green Bay continued their spiral into mediocrity with their fourth loss in a row. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his worst game of the season, throwing three interceptions in the red zone and scoring the second-fewest points of any team in the league this week. The Packers also were decimated with injuries in this game, losing a number of players that were unable to return. Green Bay is a mess right now and it isn’t getting better. They’re on their way towards becoming the worst team in the division, something that seemed almost impossible at the start of the season. They’ll face the coach who brought them their most recent Super Bowl title when Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys come to town on Sunday.
4
Detroit Lions (2-6)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 4
- Week 9 result: 15-9 win vs. Green Bay Packers
It’s been a rough season for the Lions and second-year head coach Dan Campbell. Entering Week 9 with assistant coaches already getting fired, their backs were up against the walls. But instead of bowing out, they fought back and defeated the Packers to find the win column for the first time since Week 2. Detroit was aided by their defensive rookies, securing turnovers by the Packers to keep them in the game. After going up 8-0, it looked like the Packers were about to overtake the game when they scored a touchdown midway through the third quarter, but Jared Goff and the offense responded with their own trip to the end zone to keep it out of reach. It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Lions will take what they can get. They’ll try and make it two in a row when they face off against the Bears this Sunday.
