NFC North Know-It-All 9/17/13

Sep 15, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley (88) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrate a touchdown during the second quarter against the Washington Redskins at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Week 2 is in the books. The Bears got their first taste of NFC North action against the Minnesota Vikings. As the Lions and Packers faced some teams on the rise. But what did we learn?

The NFC North Know-It-All is to help others, especially Bears fans, know what’s going on around the NFC North. And also give fans an idea as to how it will affect their play against the Bears.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions couldn’t resist the late surge from the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, which resulted in a 25-21 loss.

Ohhh Reggie. We knew it was only a matter of time before you got hurt and sure enough it was Week 2. Technically, it was Week 1…but this injury, to his knee, is a more serious threat. It sucks because Bush gets a ton of carries, and makes the offense more dynamic. Keep an eye out.

Calvin Johnson finally broke his streak of getting tackled within the 5-yard line and not scoring touchdowns as he scored two on Sunday. Is this a sign of things to come? Honestly, no idea. But I hope not.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Mikel Leshoure would welcome a trade to exit Detroit. The Lions don’t seem to be happy with their 2011 second-round draft pick out of Illinois. The city he might be headed to? Indianapolis. Since Vick Ballard is out for the season, Leshoure would make a nice fit. But I think the Lions are jumping the gun too soon. There’s a chance that Reggie could catch a case of the injury prones this season. And who the hell wants Joique Bell as their featured running back?

Next week the Lions look to bounce back as they will play the Washington Redskins at noon on Sunday.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers looked like they were in postseason form as they crushed the Washington Redskins 38-20. Aaron Rodgers threw for a ridiculous 480 yards and four touchdowns.

The big news out of Lambeau this week: Eddie Lacy getting hurt within minutes of the game. On his first run on the day, Lacy had a big collision with Redskins safety Brandon Merriweather. Reports say Lacy suffered a concussion, so that’s something to watch out for down the line.

Eddie Lacy down, James Starks up. Starks, who finished with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown, looked like the same running back that helped the Packers win the 2011 Super Bowl (2010 season). I was impressed because I don’t think anyone expected Starks to be as good as he was.

Aaron Rodgers’ 480 passing yards sort of stole the show. On the other side of the ball, Rodgers made a conscious effort to get the ball in James Jones hands. Jones finished with a career-high 178 receiving yards. What’s it all mean? Just because Donald Driver and Greg Jennings is gone doesn’t mean anything. Rodgers has plenty of great targets still.

The Packers defense has really been sliding under the radar. They didn’t give up any points until the Packers (offense) starting running away with it. Maybe there was some improvement there…

Sunday the Packers will travel to Cincinnati to face the mighty A.J. Green and his Bengals at noon.

Minnesota Vikings

Jay Cutler and gang pulled the come-from-behind victory to best the Minnesota Vikings late 31-30. The Vikings start off the season 0-2, and has yet to get a NFC North win yet.

CORDARRELLE PATTERSON. First play in regulation. Anddddd I told you so. I wrote about him weeks ago, and that he IS a force to be reckoned with! Patterson made his presence known early in the game as he scored a 105-yard punt return touchdown. Tisk tisk Bears.

Not a great day for Adrian Peterson. He did only have 100 yards rushing. But he fumbled…flashback to 2008. I’m alright giving up 100 yards rushing to Peterson in a game, because that’s probably considered a victory. Hopefully the Bears can carry over that defense to the next time they face each other.

The biggest reaction I’ve heard from the game and others is about Christian Ponder. I found him completely unimpressive (like always). Ponder completed only 16 passes, 6th worse in the league this week (Russell Wilson was 8-for-19 but he played the 49ers so maybe Ponder should be considered 5th). Was this game a wake up call that Christian Ponder may not be the guy leading this team to the playoffs? The Vikings front office have built the pieces around Ponder but I don’t think he has the pieces to fit the puzzle. After Sundays game against the New Orleans Saints, rumors have slowly leaked about Josh Freeman possibly getting traded…and the Vikings are interested. Personally, I can see Freeman as a better fit than Ponder.

Next week the Vikings will host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at noon.