After two weeks, the NFC North is all tied up with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago, Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions sitting at 1-1. Each team has a different tale. Detroit impressed against New York then struggled to find the end zone against the Carolina Panthers. Minnesota obliterated the St. Louis Rams then was steamrolled by the New England Patriots, while the Packers and Bears delivered big comebacks this week.
Now let’s take a look at Week 3—where fans get to see the first NFC North battle of the 2014 season, along with a Monday Night Football matchup and a potential high-scoring affair in New Orleans.
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
Overview
The last time these teams met Aaron Rodgers was out, helping lead to Detroit blowing out the Packers. Of course, Detroit would go on to choke away the division and the Packers went on to be crowned NFC North champions.
Now they meet again in Detroit, though health has already started chipping away at each team’s outlook. Detroit is significantly depleted in the secondary and at right tackle, the Packers are without B.J. Raji and could be without Bryan Bulaga. But they have their star players and that’s all this game needs to be great.
Key Matchups
Randall Cobb versus Cassius Vaughn: This is a matchup the Packers will certainly look to exploit often on Sunday. Detroit lost starting nickel cornerback Bill Bentley in Week 1 and his replacement Nevin Lawson dislocated his foot in Week 2. Now they must dig even further on their depth chart, sliding in Vaughn who will struggle against Cobb. Jordy Nelson had a big week against the New York Jets, now Week 3 will be about Cobb.
Ndamukong Suh versus Corey Linsley: Green Bay faced skepticism when they let Evan Dietrich-Smith walk in the offseason, leaving the job to an inexperienced J.C. Tretter. Tretter was quite impressive in the preseason and earned confidence from his teammates and quarterback, and then he suffered a knee injury and was out eight weeks. Linsley is a rookie who stepped into his place and impressed against the Seahawks then New York. Now he faces another challenge against Suh. We all know how dominant Suh can be, his mix of burst off the snap and power can be menacing. This will be another excellent test for Linsley as he establishes himself in the NFL.
Reggie Bush and Joique Bell versus Packers run defense: Detroit’s offense is explosive with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate. They have the passing attack to take on anyone, but they still haven’t shown the ability to run the football. Detroit has totaled just 146 yards on the ground in two games, compare that to Marshawn Lynch who rushed for 110 yards in Week 1. Green Bay showed some improvement last week against the Jets holding Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory to 54 combined yards on 25 carries. Now their goal on Sunday is to shut down the Lions’ running game, create pass rush and keep Stafford from having time to throw to Johnson.
Prediction: (Packers 34 Lions 31)
Fans love to see shootouts and that’s exactly what’s going to happen, two exciting teams who can throw for days. Rodgers and Stafford will go back and forth in this matchup exchanging touchdowns until Mason Crosby decides the game in the fourth quarter.
Both teams certainly know how to shoot themselves in the foot; mistakes and penalties can’t happen in this game. While it’s only the third week of the season, this is a crucial game in a tight NFC North race.
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
Overview
While the Vikings head out to New Orleans after an ugly loss to the Patriots, they can at least find solace in being 1-1. The Saints on the other hand, sit at 0-2 and kick off their home opener returning from a last second loss to the Cleveland Browns.
New Orleans should be amped up on Sunday to turn this young season around and avoid an unthinkable 0-3 start. But their defense has struggled often this season and you can bet Norv Turner will have plenty of methods to exploit it on Sunday.
Key Matchups
Norv Turner versus Rob Ryan: Even without Adrian Peterson and starting Matt Cassel at quarterback, Turner will always find ways to make his offense work. Of course he loves the vertical passing game, but it’s so much more than that. He knows how to utilize players like Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph perfectly. Now he takes on Rob Ryan who is coaching a defense that ranks 32nd against the pass and 22nd against the run this season. New Orleans has talent with key players like Kenny Vaccaro, Cameron Jordan and Jairus Byrd, the communication and flow just isn’t there yet. How Turner uses Patterson against this defense on the turf will be exciting to watch.
Khiry Robinson versus Vikings Defensive Line: The news that Mark Ingram broke his hand in Week 2 was disappointing. He finally seemed to put it all together with two strong performances, but now he is out at least a month. While the running back situation in New Orleans is cloudy with Pierre Thomas, Robinson should see more touches now that Ingram is out. He should get work inside the red zone and when the Saints need power out of the backfield. Minnesota just have up 101 yards to Stevan Ridley last week, so Robinson should have a great opportunity to impress on Sunday.
Prediction: (Saints 38 Vikings 24)
This is a must win game for New Orleans, as cliché as that sounds. It’s crucial that the Saints avoid a 0-3 start in a division where they’d already be two games back of the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
Fortunately, they get to fix their offensive and defensive woes against the Vikings. A tasty matchup for their defense to try and rebound, while Drew Brees tries to get into a rhythm again. Look for the Saints to get out to an early lead and keep hammering away late as this team just tries to build up some confidence.
Chicago Bears @ New York Jets
Key Matchups
Brandon Marshall versus Alshon Jeffery: While the Jets got after Rodgers very well last week and took away the running game, they had no shot at covering Jordy Nelson, who set a career-high 209 receiving yards last week. Milliner was toasted play after play, losing his focus on double moves and losing positioning on Nelson. It won’t get easier this week against Marshall who is not just a physical specimen but intelligent as well, certainly more than enough to leave a hobbled Milliner in his dust. Moving Calvin Pryor deep to help against Marshall certainly isn’t the answer, so New York will once again be in trouble.
Jordan Mills versus Muhammad Wilkerson: Chicago has drawn plenty of praise for their offensive line the past year but it’s clear there is a problem at right tackle. Mills was horrendous opening up the season versus Mario Williams and was bad last week against the 49ers. Now he faces Wilkerson who can obliterate Mills assuming he doesn’t throw a punch and is ejected. If New York wants a chance in this game and to take pressure off their quarterback, going after Mills all game long will be the mission.
Prediction: (Bears 27 Jets 21)
New York doesn’t get enough credit, this is a solid football team who generates a lot of pressure with their front-seven and has a reliable two-headed running attack. At home on Monday Night Football they certainly have the ability to defeat Chicago, especially if the Bears continue to shoot themselves in the foot.
While we will certainly see the Bears hurt themselves, the Jets just don’t have the secondary to keep up with Marshall and Jeffery. After allowing over 200 yards to Nelson last week, you know the Bears will target Milliner often. This game should stay close but in the end, Chicago walks out with a 2-1 record.