When the season is all over we won’t look back at week 15 as being a banner week for the NFC North. Sure, the division saw it’s fair share of excitement and national headlines but mostly for the wrong reasons save for the Detroit Lions’ comeback win over the Oakland Raiders.
Here is a quick recap of the week that was in the NFC North, a look at the current standings and a look at where each team goes from here.
New Orleans Saints 42, Minnesota Vikings 20 (box score)
Drew Brees has made a habit of carving up opposing defenses and that is exactly what he did to the Minnesota Vikings. Brees finished the day with number that look more like video game numbers, completing 32 of 40 passes for 412 yards and five touchdowns. The Vikings were able to hang with the Saints into the second quarter but there was just too much firepower on the opposing side for Christian Ponder to contend with.
Seattle Seahawks 38, Chicago Bears 14 (box score)
The Seahawks won their third in a row and sent the Bears to their fourth consecutive loss in doing so. A defensive touchdown and a pass from Caleb Hanie to Kahlil Bell gave the Bears a 14-7 halftime lead but it was all Seahawks from there on out. The Seattle offense and defense were each responsible for two second half touchdowns to cruise to the victory.
Kansas City Chiefs 19, Green Bay Packers 14 (box score)
One had to wonder if the Chiefs had squandered away one too many opportunities. They were stopped inside the Packers five yard line in one red zone opportunity and managed four field goals but no touchdowns through the first 55 minutes of game time. They finally broke into the end zone with less than five minutes left to extend their lead to 19-7. Aaron Rodgers would scamper into the end zone to cut the lead to 19-14 but the Packers could no recover the onside kick and the Chiefs were able to run out the clock to hand the Packers their fist loss of the season.
Detroit Lions 28, Oakland Raiders 27 (box score)
The arm of Matthew Stafford and the hands of Calvin Johnson were all the Lions needed to ensure their first winning season since 2000. Stafford found Johnson for a six yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds remaining to cap a 98-yard game winning touchdown drive. The touchdown capped off a fourth quarter comeback that gave the Lions the distinction of being the only team in NFL history to come back from 13 or more points four times in one season.
Current Standings
| Team | Record | Home | Road |
| Packers | 13-1 | 6-0 | 7-1 |
| Lions | 9-5 | 4-3 | 5-2 |
| Bears | 7-7 | 5-3 | 2-4 |
| Vikings | 2-12 | 1-6 | 1-6 |
NFC North Week 16 Schedule
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins (1 p.m Saturday)
San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions (4:15 p.m. Saturday)
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (8:20 p.m. Sunday)
Like what you see? Give SideLion Report a “like” on facebook, become a follower on twitter, or grab our RSS feed.