Week 13 NFC North Power Rankings and Previews

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers remain No. 3 in our NFC North Power Rankings, but have a chance to move up over the next eight days if they can beat the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving and upset the Detroit Lions the following Thursday .

Until then, here are this week’s NFC North power rankings.

Selected by On SI team editors: Bill Huber in Green Bay, John Maakaron in Detroit, Gene Chamberlain in Chicago and Joe Nelson in Minnesota.

1. Detroit Lions (10-1): The Lions seem unbeatable. Everyone in the NFC North is playing for second place. Is everyone also playing for second place in the NFC phase? You are #1 in ours Consensus Power Rankingsas well as.

2. Minnesota Vikings (9-2): The Vikings received all four second-place votes and are No. 5 in our rankings Consensus Power Rankings. Of the nine wins, six came by a margin of one point.

3. Green Bay Packers (8-3): The Packers received all four third-place votes and are ranked No. 7 in the consensus. The Packers are 8-3 in third place through Week 12. a first since the 1970 merger.

4. Chicago Bears (4-6): The Bears received all four last-place votes. They have lost five in a row, but teams should now have fun beating them before it is too late.

1.Detroit Lions: The Lions only beat the Colts by 18 points and Jared Goff didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The sky is falling in Detroit.

2. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings, like the Packers a week earlier, were lucky to escape Chicago with a win. Minnesota has won four straight; Given the schedule, it could be eight games in a row when Green Bay visits in Week 17.

3.Green Bay Packers: The Packers defeated the 49ers JV team 38-10. After a lull in the second quarter, the defense led the attack as Green Bay pulled away and claimed a stunning victory.

4.Chicago Bears: The Bears have lost five straight, before a three-game road trip against the Lions, 49ers and Vikings and a home game against Detroit.

Best team in the NFL: The Lions have won nine straight games, six of them by double digits.

Worst team in the NFL: To review, the Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a $40 million per season contract, decided they didn’t need Saquon Barkley or Xavier McKinney, and then released Jones. Bravo.

As written by our NFC North team editors.

Green Bay Packers

vs. Miami Dolphins (Thursday, 7:20 p.m.)

Players the Packers are most grateful for: Aaron Jones is one of the best running backs in Packers history and a true face of the franchise player. But what would the Packers be without Josh Jacobs? Coach Matt LaFleur always seemed unwilling to give Jones a heavy workload. He has no such problems with Jacobs, who had 19 runs in the first half alone and 26 runs in the game against San Francisco, even though he knew the Packers would have to face the Dolphins on a short week. Jacobs is third in the NFL in rushing, often rushing for 3, 4 or 5 yards alone.

Key to Victory: Since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for four games, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is second in the NFL with a passer rating of 116.2, fifth with 1,277 yards and second with plus-10 touchdowns vs. interceptions. Dealing with Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle would be a challenge under any circumstances. Without Jaire Alexander? Somehow, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has to take away the big play without allowing Tagovailoa to simply pick apart the soft zone defense.

Detroit Lions

vs. Chicago Bears (Thursday, 11:30 a.m.)

Players the Lions are particularly grateful for: The Lions have a lot to be thankful for with their early season success, and it’s hard to single out just one player who can highlight the entire team’s performance. However, the anchor was quarterback Jared Goff. The fan base expresses their appreciation for the passerby every week by chanting his name at home and on the road. His story of recovering from adversity resonates with fans, and the success he has brought them is unusual for the organization.

Key to Victory: Dominate early. The Bears have enough firepower to compete in a shootout. Therefore, it is paramount for the defense to suppress them early before they get a chance to get going. If the Lions can get off to a fast start, they can use their signature ball control style in the second half. However, if they come out of the gates slowly and allow the Bears to gain confidence, this game could be difficult down the stretch.

Chicago Bears

at the Detroit Lions (Thursday, 11:30 a.m.)

Players the Bears are particularly grateful for: Caleb Williams. While some doubters were there as recently as two weeks ago, it had long since become apparent that he had the arm and could read defenses well. After two strong tries against better defenses, Williams has made it clear that he is the player everyone was hoping for on draft day. He threw no interceptions on 193 passes and led three late drives to set the Bears up for a win or overtime, only to see it all end in defeat because of decisions made by the rest of the team or the coach. Williams is pretty much all the Bears have to be thankful for this season, although Rome Odunze has shown promise going forward as well.

Key to Victory: A key is done with the schedule. The Lions haven’t won on Thanksgiving since 2016 and the Bears have won four straight on Turkey Day. Seriously, the only way for the Bears to win this game is to get the pass rush going again like they did earlier in the season. When Jared Goff comes under pressure in the middle, he panics and throws interceptions. He threw five against the Texans, but Detroit still won. All the Bears need is a strong pass rush against the NFL’s best offensive line and then six interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings

vs. Arizona Cardinals (Sunday noon)

Players the Vikings are most grateful for: Justin Jefferson. Imagine a world where Jefferson isn’t dressed in purple and gold. Minnesota would be a “Mad Max” style wasteland. Sam Darnold wouldn’t put up the respectable numbers he has at Jefferson, and the defense could eliminate Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson because it wouldn’t have to use two or three defenders to cover the best receiver in the world. Without Jefferson, the Vikings might be 2-9 instead of 9-2. He is The Good.

Key to Victory: Collect points. It sounds silly, but Arizona has allowed just one offensive touchdown in the last 12 quarters. Of course, playing the Bears when the offense is at its peak, followed by a date with the hapless Jets, is a recipe for defensive success, and the Cardinals took full advantage of those opportunities. But they also held Seattle to 16 points at home last week. The Cardinals are a sneaky team that can leave Minnesota with a win. The Vikings can’t turn the ball over in the red zone and get away with it like they did in wins over the Jaguars, Titans and Bears.

Packers-Dolphins: Five keys | Packers-Dolphins final injury report | Updated playoff probabilities | The Packers lose their former first-round pick to the Vikings | Xavier McKinney and the NFL INT list | Our consensus NFL power rankings | Packers-Dolphins matchups | Winter weather for Packers-Dolphins? | Packers-Dolphins injury report from Monday | Xavier McKinney brings a culture change | Tom Brady on Josh Jacobs, Packers | Three overreactions | Snapshots, rivets and duds