Vikings Take Two-Game Lead in NFC North With Win Over Miami and Packers Loss
If anyone was hesitant to call the Vikings the favorites in the NFC North, Sunday's results should be convincing enough. Minnesota won its fourth straight game, beating the Dolphins 24-16. Meanwhile, the Packers lost their second consecutive game to a New York team, laying an egg in a 27-10 loss to the Jets at Lambeau Field.
All of sudden, the Vikings are in the driver's seat. There's a lot of football left to play, but the Vikings look like the better of the two NFC North contenders.
The Packers clearly deserved to be heavy favorites coming into this season, having won 13 games and the division title in each of their first three seasons under Matt LaFleur. But through six games, the balance of power has shifted to the new young offensive-minded head coach in the division: Kevin O'Connell.
It began with a resounding 23-7 win over the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 1. That got the Vikings off to a great start and sent a message to Green Bay that this year might be different.
However, the Vikings lost to the Eagles the following week and the Packers bounced back with three wins in a row, including a couple nail-biters against the Buccaneers and Patriots. Heading into Week 5, both teams were 3-1.
Over the past two weeks, the Packers' struggles have caught up to them.
Prior to the Vikings' win over the Bears last week, the Packers squandered a 17-3 lead in London and fell to the resurgent Giants. This week, as the Vikings were winning their fourth straight, the Packers were getting booed in their home stadium.
The Jets — who are a fun story themselves — blocked a field goal, blocked a punt for a touchdown, and recovered a fumble in their 27-10 win at Lambeau. New York went 1 for 11 on third down and had fewer than 100 net passing yards, but they ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns in a big upset win.
With the Bears losing on Thursday night and the Lions having the week off, here's what the NFC North standings look like through six weeks:
The Vikings are off in Week 7, while the Packers get a winnable game against the Commanders. But Green Bay then faces the Bills, Cowboys, and Eagles in a span of five games from Week 8 to Week 12.
After the bye, the Vikings get the Cardinals at home and the Commanders on the road before tough games against the Bills and Cowboys. They have a span of five home games in six weeks from late November to all of December.
In other words, even with 11 games left, this is starting to look like the Vikings' division to lose. Who expected that coming into the year?
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