NFC North Know-It-All: Week 10

Nov 10, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy (center) talks to quarterback Scott Tolzien (left) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. The Eagles won 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

With three teams tied for the top spot in the NFC North, Week 10 was an interesting and exciting one. The Lions prevailed, the Packers are flailing, and the Vikings are just looking to find rhythm at the quarterback position. Okay, but what’s it all mean for the NFC North and the Bears?

NFC North Standings

Detroit Lions: 6-3 (3-1 in division)

Chicago Bears: 5-4 (2-2 in division)

Green Bay Packers: 5-4 (2-1 in division)

Minnesota Vikings: 2-7 (0-3 in division)

Detroit Lions

The Lions traveled to Chicago to play for the top slot in the NFC North, where they came out 21-19 victors versus the Bears.

Fielding the dirtiest defensive line in the league comes with its share of consequences err penalties. The Lions gave the Bears too many second chances in the red zone, including the (would have been) game-tying two-point conversion. There’s no reason for it, and if the Lions think they will be playing beyond Week 17 with that mentality or strategy, they’re wrong

The only part of the Lions that truly underperformed was the defensive backs. The Bears picked on rookie Darius Slay in the first half. The secondary had a few good plays, but gave up big tackles to Bears wide receivers.

In Week 11, the Detroit Lions will face the suddenly surging Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at noon central.

Green Bay Packers

Without Aaron Rodgers for awhile, the Green Bay Packers are going to struggle for wins. They could not put their offense together to produce enough points to contend with the Philadelphia Eagles, who won 27-13 this week.

The Packers QB situation is a hot mess. Seneca Wallace started, but left the game with a groin injury. Enter former Fremd and Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien for the remainder of the game. Tolzien didn’t exactly have an ideal debut as he went 24-for-39, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Packers signed their former backup Matt Flynn as a safety net for Tolzien and are working out former Cincinnati Bengals QB John Skelton this week.

I would be scared Packer fans, because this is not good. I don’t even know which quarterback is worse, but I’m going to just assume it’s Flynn. Head coach Mike McCarthy announced Monday that Tolzien will be the starting under center for the Packers vs. the New York Giants in Week 11 — the same G-men who just happened to be on a three-game win streak after starting the season with six straight losses.

Clay Matthews returned Sunday from having surgery on his right thumb. Matthews was forced to play with a ‘club,’ that clearly restricted his abilities. He even admitted that the timeline was pushed to for a quick return, because the Packers linebacking corp is really thin at the moment. Next week Matthews will be strutting the club again but it may be one a little bit smaller.

After a seven touchdown performance in Week 9, Eagles QB Nick Foles threw for three touchdowns in Lambeau Field on his way to posting the highest ever passer rating by a visiting quarterback against the Packers. Of course, he had a little help from the Packers secondary. This unit can’t get an interception to save their lives. In addition to that, their tackling was god awful. The combination of the two allowed for the Eagles to continue to pound on the big yardage plays.

The Packers will look to stay in the hunt against those hot Giants on Sunday at 3:25p central.