Inside The Vikings

NFC Standings: Vikings Can Be Second in North With Win on Monday

The Lions and Packers both lost on Sunday. Can the Vikings take advantage?
Will Ragatz|
NFC Standings: Vikings Can Be Second in North With Win on Monday
NFC Standings: Vikings Can Be Second in North With Win on Monday

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Minnesota Vikings

For the time being, the Vikings are technically in second place in the NFC North despite their 2-4 record. If they want that to continue, though, they'll have to find a way to upset the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The Packers lost a bad one on Sunday, falling 19-17 to the previously 1-5 Broncos in Denver. A late 52-yard field goal by Wil Lutz and a subsequent Jordan Love interception sealed Green Bay's fate. The loss drops the Packers to 2-4, where they lose a tiebreaker with the Vikings due to divisional record (GB is 1-1, MIN is 1-0).

The Lions also lost in shocking fashion on Sunday. After starting 5-1, they went to Baltimore for one of the most-anticipated games of Week 7 and got demolished. The Ravens scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions, taking a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter in a 38-6 win. The Lions didn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. Lamar Jackson was brilliant. Detroit is still comfortably atop the NFC North, but now faces questions about its legitimacy as true contenders.

The only team in the division who won on Sunday was the Bears, who beat the Raiders 30-12 in Tyson Bagent's first career start. Bagent was efficient, D'Onta Foreman scored three touchdowns, and the Bears picked off Raiders quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Aidan O'Connell three times.

Here are the NFC North standings ahead of MNF:

  1. Lions (5-2)
  2. Vikings (2-4)
  3. Packers (2-4)
  4. Bears (2-5)

A Minnesota win would get them within two games of the Lions, who they play twice near the end of the season.

Here are the full standings in the conference:

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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