NFL North roundtable Week 14: Most impactful on offense, keys to victory

The Packers and Lions meet Thursday night while the Vikings host the Falcons and the Bears visit the 49ers.

Sam Darnold / Minnesota Vikings

We're going around the NFC North with our On SI colleagues from the Lions, Packers and Bears and the two questions/topics of choice this week are identifying the most impactful players on offense and the keys to victory in Week 14. Let's dive in with team-by-team perspectives.

Minnesota Vikings

Week 14: Vikings vs. Falcons (12 p.m. Sunday, U.S. Bank Stadium)

Most impactful player on offense: Justin Jefferson is the easy answer, but it's high time we give credit to Sam Darnold. The Vikings are 12 games into this campaign and Darnold has posted a passer rating of 103.5 or higher 10 times. He had nine such games in his career before signing with the Vikings. It's impossible to ignore the boneheaded plays that pop up in the red zone from time to time, but he's been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and he's making himself a boatload of money ahead of his expected free agency after the season. 

Keys to victory: Pressure Kirk Cousins. There's no doubt that Cousins is feeling intense pressure upon his return to Minnesota, but the heat is turned up after he threw four interceptions last week. The Falcons are a middling team in a bad division while Sam Darnold is playing at a higher level for the contending Vikings. Cousins is more than capable of shredding a defense, but Vikings fans know all too well that Cousins can fall apart when he's dealing with consistent pressure. That has to be the game plan Sunday in Minneapolis. – Joe Nelson, Vikings On SI

Detroit Lions

Week 14: Lions vs. Packers (7:15 p.m. Thursday, Ford Field)

Most impactful player on offense: The Lions have a lot of weapons that give them flexibility on offense. They’ve won games despite quiet games from Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams at different points this year. As a result, the most impactful player is the guy getting all of them the ball, quarterback Jared Goff. The Lions are at their best when he’s in a groove, and while he doesn’t have to play at the level he did in October all the time, Goff is the player the Lions can most ill afford to lose. 

Keys to victory: The Lions have to generate takeaways. They’ve gone two straight games without one, and have been able to win regardless. However, the one takeaway they got against Green Bay turned the tide of the game completely. With all the injuries on defense, the Lions could be in danger of getting gashed with a trio of defensive linemen uncertain to play. As a result, getting takeaways will make life easier defensively as well as generate momentum for the offense. — John Maakaron, Lions On SI.

Green Bay Packers

Week 14: Packers at Lions (7:15 p.m. Thursday, Ford Field)

Most impactful player on offense: Josh Jacobs has changed the offense. The Packers are running the football 50.7 percent of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. Last year, the first season with Jordan Love as the starting quarterback and Aaron Jones leading the backfield, the Packers ran the ball 43.0 percent of the time. In 2022, the final year with Aaron Rodgers, they ran the ball on 43.4 percent of their offensive snaps. Jacobs is an old-school workhorse. The more carries, the better. That run-first mentality seemingly has made the entire roster more physical, which is just what you need in December and January.

Keys to victory: The Packers have to take care of the football. It’s the most cliché thing on earth, obviously, but Green Bay seems to have hit its stride with a three-game winning streak and Detroit has been beaten to a pulp by injuries. The Lions’ offense remains a powerhouse, though, and a shootout could be on deck. The worst thing the Packers can do is hand the Lions some freebies, like they did with Jordan Love’s pick-six before halftime of the first game. — Bill Huber, Packers On SI

Chicago Bears

Week 14: Bears at 49ers (3:25 p.m., Sunday, Levi's Stadium)

Most impactful player on offense: Easily Caleb Williams. The Bears offense malfunctioned throughout the first nine game while offensive coordinator Shane Waldon called plays. As soon as Williams had interim head coach Thomas Brown working with him the offense became more potent and this resulted from Williams' improved passing. Williams’ 99.2 passer rating in those three games is 18 points higher than under Waldron. They've averaged 22 points in those games, 2 1/2 points more than under Waldron. Suddenly veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen are factors after they were invisible at times before Williams caught fire.

Keys to victory: Physical play on both sides of the ball. It's the only thing the 49ers respect. A team that stands up to the 49ers along the defensive front and in the running game and in pass protection has a shot, especially with key players like Nick Bosa and Trent Williams out. It seems unlikely the Bears can do this with the running game as their ball carriers break the fewest tackles in the league, according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. But Cole Kmet, Moore and Allen in the passing game can do it. The defensive line needs to defend the run all game like it did in the second half against Detroit. — Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI