NFC North Recap- week 8/9

(Week 8) Washington 25, Detroit 17- The Detroit Lions made it interesting late, but the Redskins (6-2) defense warded off any potential comeback in the end. Dan Orlovsky passed for 223 yards and a touchdown, but a paultry 2-for-12 third down conversion rate spelled the ultimate doom for the winless Lions. The good news for Detroit fans is that the Lions are at least making games interesting, and perhaps in one of them they might catch a team (hopefully not the Vikings) asleep long enough to knock them off and pick up win numero uno in 2008.

(Week 9) Chicago 27, Detroit 23- We'll stay with the Lions, and as I was just saying, who caught the Bears in hybernation mode for about three quarters of play. Chicago led 10-0 after the first, but then lightning struck in the form of 23 second quarter points for the Lions who held a 23-13 advantage at half. Things were looking even worse for the Bears when Kyle Orton, who had looked great in guiding the Bears to success in games leading up to Detroit, injured his ankle and left the game. That meant that Bears fans would hear those dreaded two words once again over the PA: "Rex Grossman".
Grossman, however, looked poised in helping the Bears in their comeback attempt, completing a touchdown to Rashied Davis in the 3rd and running for another in the 4th to thwart the Lions' upset bid and hopes for getting their first win of the season. Matt Forte continued his strong rookie season with a 126-yard performance on 22 carries. The Bears can breathe a sigh of relief after that one, but better not get too comfortable as they must welcome the undefeated Tennessee Titans into Soldier Field on Sunday. The Lions, meanwhile, will win a game this season, of that I have no doubt. The question is against who?
Next game: Tennessee (8-0) at Chicago (5-3); Jacksonville (3-5) at Detroit (0-8)

Tennessee 19, Green Bay 16 OT- The streak is now at eight. The unbeaten Titans survived a scare from the upstart Packers led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers' 314-yard performance. Rodgers had a passing TD, but also threw a crucial interception. The Titans, meanwhile, relied on steady offensive production, a surprisingly stout defense, and the golden toe of Rob Bironas. Bironas, who missed a game-winning attempt at the end of regulation, went 4-for-5 on field goal tries including a second chance at the game-winner in the extra frame. Both the Titans and the Packers will stay in the NFC North for their next games. Tennessee will head to Soldier Field to face Chicago, while Green Bay ventures into the Metrodome for the big rivalry game with the Minnesota Vikings.
Next game: Tennessee (8-0) at Chicago (5-3); Green Bay (4-4) at Minnesota (4-4)

What does it mean for Minnesota- The Vikings are coming off a much-needed 28-21 victory over the Houston Texans. That puts them in a tie for second with Green Bay in the division. A win over the Packers and a Chicago loss to unbeaten Tennessee and the Vikings could find themselves in a tie for first place once again. The only problem is Minnesota's division record, which stands at 1-2 right now. Green Bay and Chicago are perfect thus far, but the two teams have not faced off yet this season. The Vikings are gonna need to keep finding ways to bottle up what works on offense each week if they hope to claw their way back into the divisional race since they do not own any tiebreakers at this point. A win over Green Bay at the Metrodome this Sunday is a must. The only problem is Aaron Rodgers is coming off one of his better passing performances against the Titans (314 yards, TD, INT) and the Green Bay defense seems to not mind that they're without a few key defensive players. They really pushed the Titans to the limit last weekend, so it will be interesting to see if the Minnesota defense is up to the challenge of slowing down the Packer offense (for a change). Whether or not Adrian Peterson can continue his consistent progress and add another 100-yard rushing performance to his accolades is also something to keep an eye on. Peterson performed well against the Packers in their first meeting, but not well enough. Minnesota is going to need the ground game to be effective if they have hopes of knocking off the Packers.

Plus it's a huge rivalry game, so there shouldn't be any excuse not to get up for this one.