DETROIT – With one week in the books, the Detroit Lions are tied with the Green Bay Packers atop the NFC North after the season began with one surprising upset within the division.
The Lions were the talk of the league for a few days after their win over the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Kansas City on Thursday night. The rest of the league (except for the Bills and Jets, who will play on Monday Night Football) got going Sunday.
Detroit came into the season as the favorite to win the NFC North for the first time ever, with the Minnesota Vikings second for most sports books. The Packers and Chicago Bears were somewhere in the neighborhood of the Vikings, depending on the site.
The Vikings ran away with the NFC North by four games and finished with a 13-4 record last season.
On Sunday, their quest to defend that division title got off to a rough start, as they lost at home to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that’s widely expected to finish with a losing record. Minnesota out-gained Tampa Bay 369-242 but couldn’t overcome three turnovers by Kirk Cousins.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Bears hosted the Packers in the season’s first divisional battle. The Bears were within four points at halftime, but then got blown out of the water in the second half, eventually losing 38-20.
So after one week, it’s the Lions and Packers atop the North at 1-0, and the Vikings and Bears one game back at 0-1. It’s still early, but hey, if the Lions had won their first game last year, that would have been the difference in going to the playoffs. Every week matters in this league.
Next Sunday, the Lions return home to what should be a raucous Ford Field. They’ll host a Seattle Seahawks team that got embarrassed by Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams at home in the opener, 30-13. Remember, the Seahawks only made the playoffs last season because the Lions beat the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Vikings are playing on the road against the Eagles on Thursday night, the Packers visit the Atlanta Falcons, and the Bears travel to Tampa Bay.
