After two weeks of the NFL season, the NFC North is back right where the season started. All four teams are even at 1-1 apiece, with the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions getting their first win, while the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings sputtered after a solid opening weekend.
With the division all tied up, it makes our power rankings a little more difficult than last week. But there’s one team that stands at the top in our opinion and it may surprise you. Here are our power rankings for the NFC North after Week Two.
1
Detroit Lions (1-1)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 3
- Week 2 result: 36-27 win vs. Washington Commanders
The Lions are still struggling to play a complete game, but when they score 22 unanswered points out of the gate, they can afford to stumble a bit. Detroit’s offense was on point Sunday, particularly wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The second-year playmaker totaled 184 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. The Lions are scoring points with ease and while they’re giving them up as well, they can overcome those issues. It feels weird to say, but they’re the best team in the division at this moment and will try to back that up next week against the Vikings.
2
Green Bay Packers (1-1)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 4
- Week 2 result: 27-10 win vs. Chicago Bears
The Packers didn’t fix all of their issues following last week’s loss, but they rebounded in a big way to get in the win column. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers still getting it done and a strong ground game led by Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, the Packers dictated the tempo of the game in a solid, if unspectacular offense against the Bears. It’s going to be a tougher year for Green Bay but they have enough to still be the favorites to win the division title. They could easily be back to under .500 next week, however, when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.
3
Minnesota Vikings (1-1)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 1
- Week Two result: 24-7 loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Whenever the Minnesota Vikings play in primetime, bad things usually happen. This time, it was a horrific performance from quarterback Kirk Cousins as he threw three interceptions in Monday’s loss. The Vikings offense took many steps backwards after an impressive victory in Week One. They might still be a dark horse to win the division when the season winds down, but they have plenty of work to do before they face the Lions.
4
Chicago Bears (1-1)
- Last week’s ranking: No. 2
- Week Two result: 27-10 loss vs. Green Bay Packers
The good vibes of the Bears’ comeback victory in Week One were nowhere to be found on Sunday Night Football. The Bears fell back down to earth as the Packers ran the ball all over their defense. Things weren’t much better offensively, indicating this team still needs to go through a few more bumps in the road before they get to the other side. Chicago’s offense has failed to impress in both games, cementing their spot in the basement for the time being. They have a good opportunity to get to 2-1 next week when they take on the Houston Texans.
