Detroit Lions fans got to take the weekend off from the NFL. While the 1-4 Lions were on an early bye week, the rest of the NFC North was still in action.
Here’s how Week 6 played out for the Lions’ divisional rivals.
Chicago Bears
The Bears opened the weekend by hosting the Thursday night game against the visiting Washington Commanders. Chicago lost 12-7 in a game that set back offensive football to the 1940s.
Washington didn’t cross its own 40-yard line on six of its first seven possessions, but that was enough to outpace the moribund Bears. Justin Fields did a lot of damage with his legs (88 rushing yards) and nearly doubled Commanders counterpart Carson Wentz in passing production (190 to 99). Yet the Bears managed just the one TD and came up short on three fourth-down conversion attempts.
The Bears fall to 2-4 with the loss, the same record as the Commanders–the one team the Lions have beaten in 2022. Chicago heads to New England in Week 7 to play a Patriots team rolling with Bailey Zappe at QB.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay held the visiting New York Jets to three first downs in the first half. Jets QB Zach Wilson threw for just 110 yards on 18 attempts and New York was penalized seven times for 79 yards, almost double what was assessed against the Packers.
New York won, 27-10.
The Jets dominated both lines of scrimmage and made enough big plays to bury Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. New York returned a blocked punt for a TD and scored on a nifty jet sweep by WR Braxton Berrios. The Jets defensive front mauled Green Bay’s offensive line, especially on the interior. Green Bay missed a field goal, lost a fumble and failed on fourth down three times.
Green Bay is now 3-3 after the home loss, while the Jets flew up to a surprising 4-2 record. The Packers play at Washington in Week 7.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were the only NFC North team to taste victory in Week 6, beating the Dolphins in Miami by a 24-16 margin.
It was not a great game from the Vikings, but they took advantage of a very sloppy performance by Miami. Minnesota went 3-and-out 10 times in the win. Kirk Cousins threw two TDs and Dalvin Cook ripped off a 51-yard TD run to power the otherwise underwhelming offense. The Vikings forced three turnovers and were helped by several key Dolphins penalties and a missed FG.
Minnesota now holds a two-game lead in the division at 5-1, plus holding the tiebreaker over the Packers due to the Vikings’ Week 1 win. The Vikings have their bye in Week 7.
