Minnesota Vikings 20, Detroit Lions 13

Who would have thought that Minnesota would be in first place in the NFC North a quarter of the way through the 2012 NFL season? I know they weren’t even on my radar.

Their win against the Lions in Detroit was as surprising as any this. Minnesota has now matched their entire win total from last season and have done so against two playoff teams from 2011.

While Christian Ponder may had his worst game of the season, the second-year quarterback managed the game extremely well and did just enough to win. Defensively. Minnesota held their own against a suddenly struggling Lions’ offense. They held Calvin Johnson to just 54 receiving yards on 12 targets.

Meanwhile, Detroit has now dropped three of their first four games and sits in the cellar of the NFC North. This is a team that has now lost 11 of their last 17 games, dating back to last season.

Top Fantasy Performers

Adrian Peterson: 21 rushes, 102 yards, four receptions, 20 yards and zero touchdowns.

Matthew Stafford: 30-of-51, 319 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Green Bay Packers 28, New Orleans Saints 27

This game had the makings of a blowout leading up to Sunday afternoon, but New Orleans definitely came to play in Lambeau Field. Drew Brees and company came out and looked the best they have on the offensive side of the ball this season. This has to give you pause if you think that Green Bay was improved defensively after solid performances against both the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks.

In reality, Green Bay is extremely close to be either 3-1 or 1-3. As it is, they are in a second place tie in the NFC North at 2-2 through four games. Meanwhile, New Orleans has seen its playoff chances take a thump during the earliest stages of October. Since the AFL-NFL merger only one team has started the regular season 0-4 and made it to the playoffs that same year (1992 San Diego Chargers). Enough said!

Top Fantasy Performers

Aaron Rodgers: 31-of-41, 319 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Drew Brees: 35-of-54, 446 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Jordy Nelson: eight receptions, 93 yards and one touchdown.

James Jones: five receptions, 56 yards and two touchdowns.

Marques Colston: nine receptions, 153 yards and one touchdown.

Chicago Bears 34, Dallas Cowboys 18

I had gone on record saying that the Dallas Cowboys could have made a real statement with a win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Well, they sure did make a statement. It read something to the tune of “we aren’t for real...Look elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, Chicago forced five Tony Romo interceptions en-route to a dominating 34-18 win over the homestanding Cowboys. Jay Cutler avoided the big mistake that we have come to know from him and found Brandon Marshall consistently on the outside.

Overall, it was a dominating victory for Chicago, who proved they, not the Cowboys, are the real contenders in the NFC moving forward.

Top Fantasy Performers

Jay Cutler: 18-of-24, 275 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Brandon Marshall: seven receptions, 138 yards and one touchdown.

Jason Witten: 13 receptions, 112 yards and one touchdown.