NEWSLETTER
There’s a chance we look back at Sunday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings – a game that featured four missed field goals and a blocked punt touchdown – as one that swung the fate of the NFC North. But in which direction? And is that direction good for the Bears? Let’s try to clarify that.
In case you missed it, the Packers and Vikings played to a 29-29 tie yesterday, and that result, depending on how optimistic you are, could have a profound effect on the rest of the Bears’ season, and, specifically, their chances at the postseason.
Should Chicago climb into the mix atop the division standings, the tie between Minnesota and Green Bay will be awfully relevant. Because while we may be only two weeks into the season, the NFC North looks like it’s going to be as competitive as we expected it to be at the start of the year. The Packers, in particular, have two home games under their belts already, but just one (one-point) win, which required a miraculous comeback (or a miraculous meltdown, depending on your perspective), to show for it. They also have a tie that could have easily been a loss had Vikings kicker Daniel Carson not whiffed on all three of his field goal attempts.
Meanwhile, the Vikings, who also won in Week 1, failed to capitalize on the rest of the division’s slow start (and on a win opportunity yesterday), by becoming the first team to two tallies in the “W” column.
NFC North Standings:
- Packers: 1-0-1
- Vikings: 1-0-1
- Bears: 0-1-0
- Lions: 0-2
Now, thanks to that tie – and with a win against the Seahawks tonight – the Bears can become the third team in the division with one win under their belts through two weeks. They’ll have one more loss than the Packers or Vikings, but a tie is a smaller hill to climb than staring down an NFC North leader with a 2-0 start in a Bears’ season we’re only hoping can be surprisingly competitive. In other words, this helps keep the (lowercase) pack close for now.
And, of course, the implications of this tie exist outside of the Bears’ perspective, as well. Sunday’s tie sets up the November 25th rematch in Minnesota as a head-to-head tie-breaker should the two teams finish the season with identical records. It’s a 69-day wait that could bring clarity to the division race and Wild Card picture, as there’s a distinct possibility that winning the rematch could be the difference between getting a home playoff game and starting the road to the Super Bowl in a Wild Card spot.
In the end, if this is going to matter to the Monsters of the Midway, the Bears will need to get into the win column as soon as possible. And tonight’s a great time to start.
Michael Cerami contributed to this post.
