Through two weeks of messy action within the NFC North, only one team remains atop the standings in earnest: the Minnesota Vikings.
Two wins over divisional rivals in the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears to kick off their season have them sitting at 2-0. They've also, already, got a competitive advantage over the rest of the division after going 2-0 out of their six games against the NFC North.
Their defense, as expected, has been their calling card - Brian Flores has done an incredible job of controlling opposing offenses with a balanced blitz attack, which just held the potent Bears offense to a 25.9 percent rushing success in Week 2. They might have the only reliable defense in the entire division, which is what lands them atop this week's ranking.
NFC North power ranking: Vikings edge out Bears for top spot
4. Detroit Lions (1-1)
The Lions have yet to reveal when they expect their top safeties, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, back from the PUP list. We're approaching the four week minimum where players on the list can be activated to the 53-man roster, but no news has trickled out in regard to either players' return.
Aside from their safety room being such mystery, what's scarier is that their cornerback room is at full health. Rock Ya-Sin, who the team tabbed as their CB2 for this season, has a PFF grade of 43.7 through starts. D.J. Reed has looked a step slow in coverage in his first two games. Roger McCreary's shown some stuff, but is not utilized much on the outside.
They're grasping at straws to try and figure out the best lineup and roster for defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, but it's beginning to feel like it'll be impossible to set him up for success without taking a grander swing at adding a starting cornerback. But, at 1-1, the Lions are nowhere near panic-mode.
3. Green Bay Packers (1-1)
The Packers just barely left MetLife Stadium with a win over the New York Jets, and that's no knock on Aaron Glenn's squad - with a more timely block here and there down the stretch of this game and with a successful 4th and 1 rush in crunch time, the result of this contest might've been different.
Green Bay's offense has been struggling against strong defensive fronts to begin the year, but it does help that Jordan Love has seemingly begun to work through the kinks associated with that sort of pass rush. Moving quickly through his options helped to net Green Bay the win in this one.
Of course, their first two games have been proof that they miss Micah Parsons a bit next to Lukas Van Ness, and that they really don't have much of an effective ground game to start the season. Their offensive line being pretty porous doesn't help to establish that.
READ MORE: Kenny Moore II makes too much sense as a Lions free agency target
2. Chicago Bears (1-1)
The Bears got one of the biggest scares amid an injury-riddled Week 2, with Caleb Williams going down with a non-contact injury in their loss to the Vikings. They were struggling to get any scoring going before then, though, with Williams struggling against Minnesota's blitzing. He's usually very good against that sort of scheme, so that just speaks to Minnesota's strength.
Chicago's defense remains a concern, although they "held" the Vikings to nine points in their loss. Of course, the Vikings were without Kyler Murray.
With Williams potentially out for some time, and no answers for either their lack of defensive talent or questionable offensive line play, the Bears could find themselves in a precarious position within a strong division very quickly.
1. Minnesota Vikings (2-0)
There are "beat you with hammers" teams every year in the NFL. These are teams that, despite some potential issues on offense, can always drag you down in the mud with them thanks to their tough defense. That seems to be the Vikings' M.O. this year.
They've held opponents (just two, but still) to an average of 12. 5 points per game, and to an average rushing attack of 100 yards per game. Because Love managed to pick them apart to begin their game in Week 1, their passing yards allowed per game (258) is a bit skewed. But, what they did to Williams - and the Bears' run game - in Week 2 feels more like what their actual defense can be, and will be.
On top of that, Murray has yet to play a full game at quarterback with this offense, its strong O-line, or its plethora of weapons. Once he's back and comfortable, they could really hit the ground running. They'll need to, as they have the toughest remaining schedule in the division.
Add us as a preferred source on Google