Through three weeks of action, the Detroit Lions are exactly who we thought they'd be: a juggernaut on offense, with an improved pass-rush, and a really bad secondary.
Combine those three things, and you've got yourself a 2-1 squad headed into Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. It'll be the Lions' second primetime game of the year through four weeks, and their second road game of the year.
The rest of the NFC North is in an interesting spot: the Green Bay Packers genuinely just look not good. The Chicago Bears have a big Caleb Williams injury to manage, and he could be out for a few more games beyond Week 3. And, the Minnesota Vikings simply look like the team to beat in the division.
We'll dive into our Week 3 power rankings for the NFC North, ahead of the Bears' Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFC North power rankings for Week 3 show Vikings are the team to beat
4. Green Bay Packers (1-2)
The Packers look flat out awful to begin this season. They barely scraped by the New York Jets with a win in Week 2, and then they were blown out immediately after against the Atlanta Falcons. You know, the team that everyone loves to clown, with a never-ending quarterback rotation and one generational talent acting as the only concrete pillar for the franchise.
That team.
A huge part of their struggles have to do with the double-edge sword of having to be overly-reliant on Jordan Love, who is attempting to pass behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. No lineman for the team has posted a higher PFF grade than 60 this season.
They have an NFL-worst average 48.7 rushing yards per game through three contests, just to add insult to injury.
At least they have their draft pi--
Wait, sorry...I'm hearing they don't own their first round pick in 2027. Oh well, nevertheless!
3. Chicago Bears (1-1)
The Bears are in a tough spot right now - they have Williams likely out for a few more games with a hamstring injury, and their remaining quarterback options for Monday Night Football are Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent. Their defense continues to leave much to be desired, with their offense their best shot at taking down teams like the Eagles.
Can Ben Johnson work his magic with his backup quarterbacks to keep the Bears afloat until Williams is back? Or is he a Dan Campbell merchant?
Kidding. Mostly. But, it might be hard for Chicago to keep up with a team like the Vikings at this rate due to this injury.
READ MORE: Lions should take a hard look at changing key special teams role after Week 3 win
2. Detroit Lions (2-1)
The Lions got a gritty win against the Jets in Week 3, netting the victory off a clutch strip sack by Chuck Clark to end the contest. Their offense remains stellar, with Jahmyr Gibbs getting a hat trick in this game and looking like Detroit's true WR3. Jared Goff was also spectacular, and he's been a big part of why the Lions have scored 31 points in three straight games to start the year.
Their pass rush is also looking better, and some less snaps for Alim McNeill led to some great results, specifically. According to Next Gen Stats, McNeill was the closest pass rusher on average to Smith on the day, with an average distance of 3.72 yards at the time of Smith's passes. He had a nice sack on Smith on the day in addition to seven total pressures.
In fact, the Lions have the second-most sacks on the year so far with 12 total. It feels like they've really figured out that roster weakness on defense, at the very least.
Of course, their biggest weakness remains their secondary. Smith carved the Lions up, throwing for 321 yards on 31-37 passing, in addition to three touchdowns and zero picks. He was almost perfect passing for distance, going 5-6 on passes 20 yards or more past the line of scrimmage. He also had two touchdown passes from that range.
That speaks to Detroit's inability to get stops on explosive pass attempts, which is an ongoing issue. They have this excellent pass rush through three games, and an excellent offense, and none of it matters because they can't go for big stops in the air.
1. Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
The Vikings defense, on the other hand, has been stellar through three games so far. After allowing 22 points to the Packers in Week 1, they held the Bears to just three points in Week 2 and 16 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. The relentless pressure they showed against Baker Mayfield threw him off his game entirely, and their seven pass breakups killed Tampa Bay's work in the air entirely.
Even as they wait for Kyler Murray to get it together, they have an ultra-reliable defense to fall back on. That's such a plus for them as they have the second-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the division. You have to believe Murray will piece it together, as well, but even if he's just "average" for Kevin O'Connell, he can work with that.
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