While it's always disappointing to see a week of football pass us by, it means that another week of games is just around the corner. This week in the NFC North there is plenty of intrigue with the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings each looking to build on their 1-0 records while the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers hope to avoid a 0-2 start. Let's take a look at the matchups going on in the NFC North this week.
Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers
Overview:
Both teams are coming off wins, though their opponents certainly left a lot to be desired. Detroit dismantled the New York Giants on Monday Night Football with a 35-14 win, while the Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all without Cam Newton. Now they square off in an attempt to clear up who is legitimate.
This matchup has so much to like—Calvin Johnson taking on a suspect Carolina secondary, Detroit’s running game taking on a defense that allowed just nine rushing yards to Doug Martin and so much more.
Key Matchups:
Joique Bell and Reggie Bush versus Panthers Defensive Line: Detroit’s passing attack was certainly impressive on Monday. Matthew Stafford was crisp, completing 22 of 32 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. The problem was their running attack, 30 carries for 76 yards, a miniscule 2.5 yards per carry. Now they face an even tougher test this week. The pressure will be on Bell and Bush to find some holes on the outside and pick up chunks of yards, or perhaps Detroit just focuses heavily on screens.
Larry Warford versus Star Lotulelei: Simply put, the Panthers secondary has zero chance of stopping Megatron. Antoine Cason isn’t a starting-caliber cornerback, but he starts by necessity for Carolina. If the Panthers want to dig into this Detroit’ offense and limit their potential, they have to win in the trenches. Lotulelei won’t line up the entire game against Warford, but it will be exciting when he does. Warford and Lotulelei are two of the young, rising names in the game and it’s enjoyable when you get to see two players of this caliber go at it. If Lotulelei wins in the trenches, Detroit will have some trouble on Sunday.
Greg Olsen versus Lions’ Safeties: Detroit’s secondary is hurting—James Ihedigbo and Don Carey missed the season opener, while nickel cornerback Bill Bentley is now lost for the season due to a torn ACL. If there was one area you’d like to see this team improve on from Monday, it’s covering the tight end. Giants’ tight end Larry Donnell led the team with five receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. The Lions will face tougher competition this week against Greg Olsen, who will have Newton throwing his way. Carolina doesn’t have many weapons on offense, which should make things a little easier, but this is an area to try and exploit the Lions’ defense.
Final Prediction: (Panthers 27 Lions 24)
The likely return of Newton, a strong pass rush and playing at home are all the factors that push this game in Carolina’s favor. They should be able to create much more pressure on Stafford than New York was, while also eliminating Detroit’s running game. Megatron is set up to have another monster game, but it just won’t be enough as the Lions fall short in the fourth quarter.
New England Patriots @ Minnesota Vikings
Overview
The first week of the season had plenty of surprises, two of the biggest surprise teams will square off this week. While the Vikings were expected to defeat the St. Louis Rams, nobody saw a 34-6 blowout coming. The Vikings were sharp on both sides of the ball, though it’s fair to point out it came against a bad Rams squad. There was still so much to like from Mike Zimmer’s head coaching debut and momentum to carry over into this week.
New England was seen by many as a serious Super Bowl contender, but they didn’t even look like a playoff team against the Miami Dolphins. From problems on special teams, the offense barely surpassed 300 total yards (315) and the run defense couldn’t stop anyone. Now this is just one game, but it’s a bad look for a team trying to prove themselves as an elite force. Now the Patriots hope to take this loss and get better, then dominate the Vikings on Sunday.
Key Matchups
Norv Turner versus Matt Patricia: It’s rare when a key matchups features coordinators, but that’s exactly what we have this week. Turner is one of the best offensive minds in the game, as we saw against the Rams last week. He takes full advantage of Cordarrelle Patterson’s athleticism, moving him around the field and making him a part of the running game as well. Turner has many other weapons to work with, Adrian Peterson dominating as the workhorse back and Greg Jennings out wide. Patricia will be tested this week, though his defense has the pieces to make things difficult. How these two coordinators make their game plans and execute them will be a major factor in this game.
Julian Edelman versus Captain Munnerlyn: If the Patriots want to avoid a two-game losing streak to open up the season, the offense has to look much better. One way to get Tom Brady in a groove is his connection with Edelman, who led the team last week with six receptions for 95 yards last week on eight targets. Rob Gronkowski should be the focus of Minnesota’s defense, leaving Munnerlyn to match up with Edelman. Munnerlyn impressed last season in Carolina, but has only grown more under Zimmer. If Munnerlyn can take away Edelman, Brady is going to have some real problems.
Cordarrelle Patterson versus Darrelle Revis: This is the battle everyone can't wait to see, one of the best corners in the game taking on a rising star. Revis can easily be considered right up there with Richard Sherman in terms of shutdown cornerbacks and he can quiet anyone. The biggest thing Patterson has going for him is his speed, he just needs the ball once to create a big play. The problem for Patterson is that he is still learning, his route running still needs work and that's a big advantage for Revis. Minnesota could look to counter this by using screens and jet sweeps, but Revis will certainly win in coverage.
Final Prediction: (Patriots 28, Vikings 17)
The Vikings are quickly putting the puzzle pieces together to turn around this franchise, but will face a buzz saw this week. New England simply can’t lose this week, two straight losses to teams who almost nobody predicted to be playoff contenders. While there would still be 14 games left in the season, these were two of the easiest for the Patriots.
We should see improvement from the Patriots defense as they look to take advantage of Cassel. While Brady may no longer be an elite quarterback, he is better than what we saw last week against the Dolphins. The Patriots will bounce back in this game and pull off a double-digit victory.
New York Jets @ Green Bay Packers
Overview:
The Packers had a chance to prove they could play against the physical, elite teams last Thursday and they fell short. Green Bay wasn't physical enough on either side of the ball and the team lacked fundamentals. Mistakes like missed tackles, dropped interceptions and penalties can't keep showing up. Fortunately, they will have a chance to get their mojo back in their home opener against the Jets.
Key Matchups
Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory versus Packers Defensive Line: One of the big areas that stood out in Green Bay's opening loss to Seattle was just how ineffective they were at stopping Marshawn Lynch. It wasn't just the missed tackles, it was Mike Daniels, Datone Jones and Letroy Guion getting pushed around in whatever direction Seattle wanted. While things will get a little easier against the Jets duo of Johnson and Ivory, the talent difference won't matter. If Green Bay can win at the line of scrimmage, which will make things easier for a very weak inside linebacker tandem and help put the game on Smith.
Jordy Nelson versus Dee Milliner: Milliner returned to practice this week after missing time with a high-ankle sprain, making it a good chance he plays on Sunday. The ninth overall pick last year had some ups and downs as a rookie, especially adjusting to veterans wide receivers who beat his athleticism with crisp routes and intelligence. Milliner now faces Nelson, who excels at running clean routes and creating separation from the cornerback. This will be an excellent test for Milliner, though he might be a little slower as he is return from the ankle injury. Expect Rodgers to look Nelson's way often on Sunday.
Final Prediction: (Packers 31, Jets 21)
The Jets are flying high after a win against the Raiders, but now face a motivated Packers team. Green Bay has more than enough weapons to exploit the Jets' secondary. New York doesn't have a cornerback who the Packers will game plan to avoid the entire game, giving Rodgers the entire field to attack.
Green Bay will also be kicking off their home opener and want to avoid an 0-2 start with two division games to follow. The defense will need to show significant improvement this week and that includes the coaching staff, as the Packers ran into way too many problems with making substitutions and missed tackles. Rex Ryan will find ways to try and mix pressures on Rodgers and move around the secondary, trying to get Rodgers off balance by any means necessary.
In the end, the Packers offense will just provide too many problems for the Jets to stop. While their defensive line is impressive, Rodgers is going to find holes in that secondary and spread the ball around to multiple wide receivers. Once he gets into that rhythm, this game will be over and Green Bay will win by double digits.
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers
Overview:
Nobody saw a Bears loss to the Buffalo Bills coming, it was a display of some bad injuries and some real issues with this team. Jay Cutler was impressive most of the game, but then you see him make crucial mistakes that lead to interceptions. Losing Alshon Jeffery for the second half was a big blow as was two starters going down on the offensive line.
Now after a very disappointing loss, the Bears travel to San Francisco to take on one of the best teams in the NFL. Even with the 49ers losing several defensive starters, they showed that they could still dominate and create turnovers. In a division where they expect to be in a tight race with the Packers, they need to avoid an 0-2 start.
Final Prediction: (49ers 28, Bears 21)
Chicago's offense is certainly elite, but the defense is dragging them down. A shocking loss against the Bills last week was in part due to injuries, but also a defense that can't avoid the big play and Cutler making mistakes at the wrong time. In order to beat the 49ers, Chicago has to be near perfect on primetime.
While some will say the 49ers win wasn't that dominant, that's simply not true. The 49ers held an early 21-3 lead and shut their offense down, as Harbaugh and Kaepernick pumped the brakes and coasted to a victory. A 28-17 victory easily could have been a 35-14 final if the 49ers floored it the entire game. Like the Packers, Chicago just isn't at the level yet where they can beat teams like the Seahawks or 49ers. Especially on the road where San Francisco will have the opening of their new stadium, this just isn't a good matchup for Chicago.