Category: NFC NORTH

Vikings cannot avoid Ben Johnson, Lions OC takes HC job within division

Ben Johnson not going far from Detroit, because he is staying in the NFC North.

The NFL world was turned upside down on Monday afternoon when the unthinkable happened: Ben Johnson finally took a head coaching job. The now-former Lions offensive coordinator made the leap to lead a team of his own, but he isn’t traveling far. 

Not only is Ben Johnson not going beyond Detroit, but he isn’t having to learn many new opponents to find success against because he is staying in the NFC North.

Ben Johnson is being hired by the Chicago Bears and joining their young, promising offense led by former Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams. The move will be finalized in the coming days, barring a last-minute snag, but the move is interesting for the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnson leaving Detroit means the best team in the NFC North now has to find someone else to make lead their effective offense. On the negative side of things, if you are the Vikings, Johnson averaged 30 points a game against the Vikings, and now he goes from one divisional opponent to another.

Good news for the Bears, bad news for the Lions, and yet-to-be-determined news for the Vikings.

The Vikings fans and media aren’t handling the loss to the Lions very well

The Vikings media and fans didn’t expect to get spanked by the Lions, and they’re not handling the blowout loss very well

Sometimes it’s illuminating to look at the reactions from the other side to see just how your team is being perceived. The reaction in Minnesota to the Lions’ dominating 31-9 victory over their Vikings paints quite a disturbing picture of how Minnesota is handling the crushing defeat in Week 18.

Take a look at some of the headlines and reactions from around the Vikings media:

Summarized simply, how can we trust Sam Darnold again?

This video reaction from KARE-11 in Minneapolis

Sam Darnold, Vikings blockers got exactly what Lions planned: ‘More than they could handle’

Assigning blame via the Daily Norseman

SAM DARNOLD STRUGGLES! Vikings-Lions Instant Reaction!

Vikings fall flat on their faces in 31-9 loss to Lions in primetime

They may or may not have expected to win the game, which is fair; there was a healthy skepticism from many Lions outlets and fans that Detroit could win, too. But the manner in which the Lions completely outclassed the Vikings in a showdown critical game opened up some veins of doubt that are bleeding all over Minnesota’s fandom right now.

The Vikings have to regroup quickly if they want a shot at redemption. They have to play the Rams in Los Angeles on Monday night for a potential trip back to Ford Field. Even if they make it, the crushing nature of Detroit’s ongoing domination over their venerated defense and how unready Sam Darnold looked on Sunday night isn’t something that will be easy to erase from the Minnesota memory banks.

What win total will it take for the Lions to win the NFC North?

A look from guest contributor Bruce Walker at the Lions chances of winning the NFC North and what history says about the division this year

The Detroit Lions are in the midst of a ridiculous season.

By now, most people understand the impact on the team from all the injuries the Lions have sustained. On Monday, several more season-ending injuries to key players were announced. But injuries are not my focus right now. Instead, I want to talk about the NFC North race.

Currently, the Lions are in first place with a record of 12-2 with three games left on their regular-season schedule. The Minnesota Vikings are also sitting at 12-2 after their victory in their Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bears, just behind Detroit by means of the Lions’ victory against them in week seven. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers are third in the division with a record of 10-4.

So, what is significant about this?

This morning, my son and I discussed other teams that have already locked up their respective divisions, namely the Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) and the Buffalo Bills (11-3). That made me think: How often would a twelve-win season have been good enough to win the NFCN? The answer is interesting.

I went back as far as 1967 on NFL.com and found that five times since then, teams in Detroit’s division finished in second place with a record of 11-5. The Lions did it in 2014, the Vikings in 1988, the Bears in 1991, and the Packers did it twice, in 1998 and 2009.

Only once did it happen. The Packers placed second in 2001 with a record of 12-4. That’s it. Every other second-place team in every single year since at least 1967 in the Lion’s division has posted ten or fewer wins. As a side note, the Lions placed second and missed the playoffs in their first year in Detroit (1934) with a record of 12-3 after starting 12-0.

Why is that important?

As of now, each team in the division has three games left to play. The Vikings are still set to play both the Packers and the Lions. If Green Bay wins their final three games, the Vikings beat the Seattle Seahawks next week but lose to both the Packers and Lions, the NFC North will have—not two, but three teams with at least thirteen wins!

Think back before the season. It does not matter which team you root for in this exercise: If you had imagined your team would finish the regular season with a record of 13-4, my guess is that—should that come to pass—you would find yourself to be deliriously happy. That is because most preseason projections considered any NFCN team reaching thirteen wins to be wildly optimistic.

For example, on September 23rd, BETMGM placed the Lions over/under win total at 10.5 games after they won twelve in 2023 and advanced to the NFC Championship game. The Packers’ O/U was set at 9.5, the Bears at 8.5, and the Vikings a mere 6.5 wins. For a small slice of satisfaction, you now know that the Bears have already achieved their “Under” total for this season.

Now imagine achieving thirteen wins and coming in third place in your division!

As I mentioned above, a team has only managed to secure second place in the division with twelve wins one time since 1967. Since then, thirteen wins have always been good enough to be the division champion. But not this year. Not yet, anyway. It will be captivating to watch this race play out.

Thanks to special contributor Bruce Walker for the research and write-up!

Ben Johnson notable among potential candidates for Bears head coach position

It’s not surprising that Johnson is considered an early front-runner for the Bears HC vacancy

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson surprised people when he decided to stay in Detroit for the 2024 season after being a solid head coach candidate. He’ll be a hot candidate in 2025. Could a potential landing spot be with an NFC North rival?

Sources told Chicago media’s Dan McNeil that there are four coaches currently on the wish list for the Chicago Bears to fill their head coach vacancy after they fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday. Those coaches include Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel…and one Ben Johnson. McNeil notes the Bears want to talk to more candidates, but these four are among their top targets.

The Bears cannot interview current coaches until after the regular season and depending on those teams’ success in the playoffs. Vrabel can interview whenever he wants since he is not coaching this season. Theoretically, the Bears could hire Vrabel today if they wanted to.

A case could certainly be made for Johnson in Chicago. The Bears may want to strongly consider an offensive-minded head coach to develop Caleb Williams after the rookie’s struggles this season, though the environment and coaching staff didn’t help. Shane Waldron flamed out in Chicago and Thomas Brown didn’t fare well in his first game as interim head coach. Williams threw for just 134 yards and the Bears only scored 13 points in their 38-13 loss Sunday to the 49ers. One could argue Johnson could have the magic to get Williams back into form and make Chicago a formidable offense.

Time will tell if a team plucks Johnson away this offseason, but the interest will undoubtedly be there.

NFC North watch: Vikings roll, Bears mauled in Week 14

NFC North watch: Vikings roll, Bears mauled in Week 14 after the Lions beat the Packers to kick off the NFL weekend

Week 14 marked the final weekend that included byes for NFL teams. Six teams were off for the weekend, though the entire NFC North was in action.

Detroit and Green Bay kicked off the weekend by playing a thriller on Thursday night, with the Lions improving to 12-1 by beating the Packers in Ford Field, 34-31. Detroit’s win streak extends to 11 games, while the Packers suffered just their second loss since September — both to the Lions. Green Bay is now 9-4.

The Lions host the 10-3 Buffalo Bills in Week 15 in what figures to be one of the marquee matchups of the entire season. Green Bay heads to Seattle for the Sunday night game against the Seahawks, now 8-5 and winners of five in a row.

The other two teams in the NFC North division were also in action. Their outcomes went as expected from afar, for better or worse.

Minnesota

The Vikings welcomed longtime QB Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota, with the Falcons coming to town. It was a close game until midway through the second half, when Cousins and the Falcons got sloppy and the Vikings capitalized.

A 14-13 game with five minutes to play in the third quarter quickly spiraled into a 42-21 Vikings win. Cousins’ replacement in Minnesota, Sam Darnold, threw five touchdown passes in the win. Darnold completed 16 of his 18 pass attempts after the half for 250 yards and three scores.

Minnesota remains one game back of the Lions at 11-2. The Vikings have won six games in a row and play the Bears in Week 15.

Chicago

The Bears debuted new interim head coach Thomas Brown in their first game since now-deposed head coach Matt Eberflus got fired for his epic mishandling of crunch time in Detroit’s win over his Bears.

Things did not get better for Chicago. The Bears were not competitive in any fashion in a 38-13 blowout loss in San Francisco. Chicago attained just one first down in the first half while falling behind 24-0. San Francisco had scored just 37 points in its previous three games–all losses–before lighting up Chicago’s defense for over 450 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bears are now 4-9 after a 4-2 start. They head to Minnesota in Week 15 before hosting Detroit in Week 16.

Shake-up in the NFC North, Bears fire Matt Eberflus

Fast forward a week later, following a clock management disaster on Thanksgiving, the Bears have made a coaching change. 

The Minnesota Vikings played a tough Chicago Bears team in Week 12 but held on for a win in overtime. They showed fight and, with his promising performance, that Caleb Williams is the future of the franchise.

Fast forward a week later, following a clock management disaster on Thanksgiving, the Bears have made a coaching change.

Matt Eberflus became the fifth head coach from the 2022 hiring cycle to be fired. He joins Dennis Allen of the Saints, Nathaniel Hackett of the Broncos, Josh McDaniels of the Raiders, and Lovie Smith of the Texans in being fired by the teams that hired them.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is now one of the five who still have their jobs, while others, like Doug Pederson and Brian Daboll, are on the hot seat.

This is the second coaching change for the Bears this season after they fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Now, the man who was hired to replace Waldron, Thomas Brown, is set to be the interim head coach as well.

A lot of change is coming to a Bears franchise that is set up to be a problem in the NFC North in the coming years. Vikings Wire will keep you informed on who the Bears bring in to coch against them in 2025 and beyond.

The Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after Thanksgiving loss to the Lions

The Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after epic failure at the end of Thanksgiving loss to the Lions

In the aftermath of the epic mishandling of the final minutes of their Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions, the Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus.

Eberflus and the Bears blew a good opportunity to at least tie Thursday’s game at the end of regulation after mounting an impressive comeback. Down 16-0 at halftime, the Bears rallied back to move the ball into Lions territory and down 23-20 with under a minute to play. But the Lions defense recorded a sack, and then everything spiraled badly out of control for Eberflus and rookie QB Caleb Williams. The clock ran out when Eberflus didn’t call timeout or instill any urgency or coherent plan into his offense.

That was not the first, nor even the second, late-game blunder for Eberflus this season. It will be his last, however–much to the relief of Bears fans.

Eberflus finishes his Bears tenure with a 14-32 record. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, himself just promoted this month after the Bears fired prior OC Shane Waldron, will take over as Chicago’s interim coach.

The move comes almost exactly four years after the Lions fired Matt Patricia for similar gross incompetence at head coach.

Vikings need a win to stay on pace with Packers and Lions

Without a win on Sunday against the Cardinals, the Vikings will likely be out of any chance to win the division. 

The NFC North is undoubtedly the best division in the NFL in 2024. The division’s combined record is 33-14 heading into Sunday, Week 13, when the Vikings look to keep up with the Lions, who lead the pack.

Without a win on Sunday against the Cardinals, the Vikings will likely lose any chance to win the division.

The Lions are at a near-perfect record of 11-1 after beating a gritty Bears team that forgot to call a timeout to take a chance to tie the game on Thanksgiving. That mishap by Matt Eberflus led to his being fired on Friday morning.

Thanksgivings also saw the Green Bay Packers defeat the Miami Dolphins who had built steam in recent weeks. The only team left to play within the NFC North is the Vikings, who have a stiff test ahead of them.

As we mentioned, the Vikings, with a win, stay in the race for the NFC North, but a loss relegates them to a tie with the Green Bay Packers in terms of record. With one win over Green Bay this year, they would own the tiebreaker to remain in second place in the NFC North.

Things are heating up in the NFC North as we head into December.

NFC North watch: Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones signs with the Vikings

Ex-Giants QB Daniel Jones signs with the Vikings practice squad, ending any speculation he would join the Detroit Lions

Former New York Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones has opted to sign with the Minnesota Vikings. The quarterback will join Minnesota’s practice squad a few days after being released by the Giants.

There had been some reports and insinuations that the Lions would be interested in signing Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw cold water on that during his Tuesday press conference, saying of Jones,

 “We haven’t really talked about that. The name’s come up but it’s not like we’ve sat down and talked so I don’t want to give you a yes or a no.”

Jones lost his job in New York after struggling through a miserable Giants season, throwing eight TDs and seven INTS in leading Big Blue to a 2-8 record. He ranked among the bottom of all QBs in yards per attempt, sack percentage and QB Rating over the last two seasons. Tommy DeVito took over in Jones’ place and fared poorly in a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 12.

NFC North watch: Recapping the Lions division in Week 11

NFC North watch: Recapping the Lions division in Week 11 including a thriller between the Bears and Packers

A look around the NFC North and their matchups

Detroit Lions

In what seemed to be a lopsided matchup, the Jaguars looked to pull an upset against the Lions. 

Jacksonville started the game with the ball and got down the field just enough for kicker Cam Little to kick a 59-yard field goal. The lead would not stand for very long though, as Detroit would score a touchdown on every single one of their possessions in the first half. The Jaguars would tack on another field goal, but they were in a huge 28-6 deficit going into the half.

After that, it was more the same as Jacksonville would not score another point and were plagued by a Mac Jones interception and a turnover on downs. The Lions, on the other hand, continued their touchdown streak, scoring one on every possession except for the last drive, where they settled for a field goal. Detroit put on another sensational offensive performance and won the game 52-6. 

The Lions continue their dominance and remain on top of not only the division, but the NFC as well. They will travel to Indianapolis next week to take on the Colts. 

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings looked to get their groove back against the struggling Titans. 

Minnesota began the game with a fumble that set up for a Tennessee field goal for the first points of the game. That being said, the Vikings owned the rest of the half and would follow the mistake up with a three-play touchdown drive to reclaim the lead. That would then be followed by a methodical touchdown drive and a field goal, taking the 16-3 lead at the half. After the half, the Titans’ defense started giving Minnesota problems, forcing two straight punts and having a 3-play touchdown drive of their own, closing the gap 16-10. The Vikings would end up getting those points back on the very next drive, followed by yet another Tennessee field goal. The Titans’ defense looked stellar but their offense scuffled. The next three drives consisted of two turnovers on downs and an interception, and they could not close the gap, losing the game 23-13. 

Minnesota keeps the number two spot in the conference but will need to clean up their mistakes going into their next game against the Bears. 

Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears

The two conference rivals met for the first time this season after both of them took losses in their last game. 

Out of the gate, both teams were very strong on offense, getting points on the board in their first possessions. After the Packers picked off Jordan Love in the red zone, the Bears marched their way down the field and punched in a one-yard touchdown. Finding themselves on top, 10-7 going into the half. After Chicago kicked a 27 yard field goal, both teams scored a touchdown, leaving Green Bay in a 19-14 deficit. With 4:17 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears needed a touchdown to take the lead. Love threw a deep ball to Christian Watson for 60 yards and the very next play it was punched in for the touchdown, the Packers led 20-19. Chicago had a little under three minutes to get a field goal to win the game. After getting down into Green Bay territory, Cairo Santos was set to kick a 46-yard field goal, but it would end up being blocked, sealing the victory for the Packers.

Green Bay improves to 7-3 and sits at third in the division, while the Bears remain in last place with a 4-6 record. Next week, the Packers will head back home and face the San Francisco 49ers, while Chicago will take on division rival, Minnesota Vikings.