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The Detroit Lions’ much-maligned defense has stuck out like a sore thumb.
Welcome back, Brian Branch. The defense has emerged when it mattered the most in a divisional game.
Meanwhile, the Bears earned another massive test and the Vikings just keep winning.
Here’s what we learned about the NFC North after Week 7 of the NFL Season.
Lions: Welcome back, defense
Jahmyr Gibbs got stopped on a fourth and one at the Lions’ 30 yard-line with less than five minutes remaining. That puts the Packers in a position to take a late lead.
In fact, the Lions committed two other turnovers. Jared Goff fumbled the ball away at Detroit’s own 42-yard line and the other was a turnover at the end of the first half inside Green Bay’s 10.
The Packers turned those three swings into seven points.
One of those was at the end of the first half, but the Lions’ defense deserves some props. Limiting a clicking Packers’ offense to just 17 points is impressive.
That’s the fewest amount of points the Lions have allowed this season, and it came in a divisional game.
Brian Branch played his first game of the season. He got his first interception of the season.
The Lions got just one sack, but had six quarterback hits and batted away six passes. The special teams blocked a field goal but that only happens if the defense doesn’t stop the Packers’ offense.
Welcome back, Lions’ defense. And not a moment too soon.
What they're saying:
"Any division game is important," safety Brian Branch said, according to the Associated Press. "We need these. They're mini-playoff games."
Bears: Can they keep passing tests?
The Bears are 5-2 and second in the NFC North. A win over the Patriots on primetime in crunch time is a sign they’re ready for more challenges.
Luckily, that first test comes right away.
How about the Seahawks on Monday Night Football on the road? Sure. After that, what about another primetime game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Yeah, that’s there too.
The Bears are going to get tested more. Their secondary struggled against New England, so why not throw some gasoline on the fire with a chance to defend Jaxon Smith-Njibga?
That’s a chance they’ve earned to take.
If they can pass that test, they’ve earned a chance to pass another one. It seems to be a theme for the Ben Johnson era.
What they're saying:
"If we can continue to harp on that ball production and getting those takeaways, I think you're going to see some really good defensive play, some more consistent defensive play," Bears coach Ben Johnson said on Friday. "There's a little bit of back and forth. Once again, when you go against good players, good quarterbacks in particular, that can happen. I think these guys, they're really coming in their own. I think they're building their confidence, too. I think they know that they can be pretty good."
Vikings: The offense needs some help
The Vikings won again. Let’ s just put that out there first.
The Vikings won again, and the defense was phenomenal. The Colts missed two field goals in the second half, but the Vikings’ defense shut the Colts out in the second half after Indianapolis scored 10 points in the first half.
This has been the same story all season long. They have six wins, and they’ve allowed 10 points or less three times. They’ve allowed over 20 points just once.
The offense has scored 20 points or more three times in six games.
It's time to acknowledge what's been talked about for a few weeks. The offense needs some help.
The NFL trade deadline could help in this regard. The Vikings have some choices to make.
What they're saying:
"We feel really comfortable and confident to win football games when we don’t turn it over and we win the field position and boring stuff like that," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters after the game. "We know over the course of 60 minutes what that side can do."
Packers: Simply didn’t take advantage of opportunities
The refs had questionable calls, sure. When Tom Brady disagrees with a roughing the passer call, that’s when you know it’s a little tough.
"I’m not a fan of the refs right now," Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney told reporters after the game.
But, the Packers did make plays. Stopping Jahmyr Gibbs for no gain is a feat. Limiting the Lions’ offense to its lowest output of the season is a sign the defense is continuing on its roll.
In the end, they didn’t take advantage of the opportunities they had.
The Packers did score a touchdown after forcing a Jared Goff fumble. But, losing by three hurts more when kicker Trey Smack missed a field goal on the first drive of the game and had another blocked on their last drive of the game.
The Packers also had a fourth and four at the Lions’ seven they didn’t convert on.
The opportunities were there. Blaming the refs is fine, but it means a team put themselves in a position to lose by a bad call.
The Packers spent the last few weeks getting back into the NFC North conversation with wins over the Bears and Cowboys. On Sunday, they had four red zone opportunities and only scored on one of them.
They’re getting opportunities. They’re not taking advantage.
What they're saying:
"We had some premier field position and we just didn't take advantage," Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. "We missed two field goals, but we know Trey is capable of making those."
NFC North Standings
Minnesota Vikings: 6-0, 2-0
Chicago Bears: 5-2, 0-2
Detroit Lions: 4-2, 1-0
Green Bay Packers: 4-3, 1-2
The Source: Analysis is from FOX Chicago's Chris Kwiecinski, who covers the Bears and the NFL regularly for FOX Chicago.