Around the NFC North, Week 9: Losses for Everyone

The division went 0-4 this week.

The Vikings saw their four-game winning streak come to a heartbreaking end on Sunday, falling to the Chiefs on a last-second field goal in Kansas City.

As it turned out, the loss didn't end up costing them any ground in the division, because all three of the other teams in the NFC North also lost.

Let's get into the recap of what was a rare ugly day for the entire division.

Chicago Bears (3-5)

Game result: Lost 22-14 to the Eagles in Philly

The Bears' free fall continues.

This has been a shocking implosion for a team with an elite defense and Super Bowl aspirations. Once riding high after a 3-1 start, the Bears have now dropped four straight games.

An offense that has struggled mightily behind QB Mitch Trubisky reached new heights of futility in the first half in Philadelphia. The Bears had nine – yes, nine – total yards of offense at halftime, their fewest in 40 years. They actually had negative ten yards of offense at the two-minute warning, so that first-half total nearly looked even worse.

The story has been the same for the Bears, week in and week out: Trubisky just isn't good enough right now. The man Chicago traded up to select second overall in 2017 completed just 10 of 21 passes for 125 yards.

The Bears had less than 20 minutes of possession, both due to their inability to sustain drives and the success of the Eagles offense. Jordan Howard ran for 82 yards and a touchdown against his old team, and Zach Ertz was unstoppable with nine catches for 103 yards and a score. The Eagles jumped out to a 19-0 lead and held on for the win. At this point, it would take a near miracle to salvage the Bears' season.

Detroit Lions (3-4-1)

Game result: Lost 34-27 to Raiders in Oakland

This was another tough loss for a Lions team that has to feel like it's better than the 3-4-1 record would suggest. We've previously discussed in this space how the Lions could've easily beaten the Chiefs or Packers, and this was another game that just didn't go their way.

It was also another squandered performance from Matthew Stafford, who threw for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns and ranks in the top five in both of those categories this season. However, he did turn the ball over twice, which was the difference as the Lions failed to record a turnover on defense.

The Lions and Raiders traded scoring plays throughout the game, but the Lions came up tantalizingly short on their final drive of the game. Trailing by seven at the two-minute warning, the Lions drove down the field and got all the way to the Oakland 1-yard-line before coming up short.

The Lions and Bears play next week in a fight just to keep their seasons alive.

Green Bay Packers (7-2)

Game result: Lost 26-11 to Chargers in LA

The Vikings weren't the only NFC North team to see a four-game winning streak snapped by an AFC West team on the road.

The Packers came crashing back to earth on Sunday, getting thoroughly dominated by a Chargers team that had been struggling in recent weeks. The Packers, who were out-gained 442-184, played maybe their worst game of the season on both offense and defense.

This game could've been an ever bigger blowout if the Chargers didn't settle for field goals on their first four scoring drives. Still, behind 159 rushing yards and an efficient day from Philip Rivers, the Chargers led 26-3 before a late garbage time touchdown from the Packers.

The biggest story from this game was how much the Packers' offense struggled. Rodgers was sacked three times by the Joey Bosa/Melvin Ingram duo and could never get much going down the field in the passing game. The Packers only ran the ball 11 times, committed too many penalties, and struggled on third down.

Overall, it was a performance that raises some questions about how good this team really is. They'll look to bounce back and hold onto their division lead next week against the Panthers in Green Bay.