Week 11 Roundup (Part 1) - NFC North
Another week of the National Football League has been completed and some of the most exciting encounters took place in the National Football Conference North Division. Here we look at the weekend’s results and what they mean for
teams.
Green Bay Packers (10-0, First in NFC North):
Green Bay continued their astonishing drive toward a complete unbeaten season in week 11 with a hard fought 35-26 victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Packers’ record has jumped to 10 wins and no losses after this game.
Aaron Rodgers put in another Man-of-the-Match performance ending the game with three touchdown passes as he completed 23 out of 34 attempted passes and finally showed that he was human too with a single interception during the
game.
Buccaneers, however, did not turn out the pushovers everyone expected them to be after coming into the game with three straight defeats and staring at a fourth as they faced Packers at home.
Bucs resilience shown throughout the game personified by a powerful 54-yard run by LeGarrette Blount who tossed aside Packers’ defenders to score his side’s first touchdown in the second period.
Tampa Bay could even have won the game with the score poised at 26-28 late in the fourth quarter, but their cheeky move for an onside kick did not come off and Aaron Rodgers sealed the game with a 40-yard pass to Jordy Nelson who
scored the decisive touchdown.
Packers will face their biggest threat to an unbeaten season in the form of Detroit Lions on Thursday in the week 12.
Detroit Lions (7-3, Tied with Chicago Bears Second in NFC North):
Matthew Stafford’s heroics in the final two quarters of the game led the Lions to an amazing 49-35 comeback victory over a struggling Carolina Panthers side.
Stafford put behind all his struggles in week 10 against the Chicago Bears to deliver a wonderful performance completing 28 out of 36 attempted passes and throwing five touchdown passes during the game and covered 335 yards.
Lions were down and out in the first half with Stafford throwing two interceptions and his team losing 27-14 to a Panthers side struggling with injuries.
The second half, however, showed the quarterback at his finest. Stafford threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter to get Detroit a 27-28 lead at the end of the quarter. With the score tied in the fourth at 35-35, and two
minutes on the clock, Stafford threw a seven-yard pass toward Brandon Pettigrew who scored the touchdown completing another exciting Lions fight-back.
Lions will hope for another gritty performance as they face the unbeaten Packers next at home.
Chicago Bears (7-3, Tied with Detroit Lions Second in NFC North):
Week 11 showcased the best performances from quarterbacks all around the NFC North and Jay Cutler was not left behind by his peers as his remarkable performance against San Diego Chargers helped the Bears to their fifth straight
win continuing their charge for a playoff Wildcard spot.
The Bears defeated the Chargers 31-20 and Cutler finally got the better of fierce rival quarterback Philip Rivers. The rivalry had started in 2007 when Cutler was with the Denver Broncos and he had previously won just one of his
previous encounters with Rivers.
Cutler had a rushing touchdown from one yard and provided two passing touchdowns as he ended the game covering 286 yards, completing 18 passes from 31 attempts.
Bears had a fight on their hands with the game tied 17-17 with five minutes left in the third quarter, but Cutler stepped up scoring a touchdown himself, and a minute later providing Johnny Knox the assist from 24 yards to give
Bears a 31-17 lead.
The game ended with the devastating news for Bears’ fans. Cutler had injured his thumb and would require surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the regular season with Caleb Hanie in line to replace him.
Bears will continue their tour of the American Football Conference west facing the Oakland Raiders in week 12 of the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings (2-8, Fourth in NFC North):
Unlike their peers in the NFC North, Vikings are in a slump. The season continues to go from bad to worse for Minnesota Vikings as they lost their second straight game to the Oakland Raiders 27-21 on Sunday.
Vikings took the lead in the first quarter but were overran by Raiders completely by the third period and were down 27-7 at the start of the fourth.
Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder got out of his stupor by the fourth period and almost managed to galvanise a late comeback. Ponder who had thrown three interceptions during the game provided two touchdown passes in the fourth
quarter with Vikings trailing by just six points with five minutes of play left but Raiders managed to hold out and win the game.
Ponder finished the game covering 211 yards and completing 19 of 33 attempted passes throwing three interceptions.
Vikings have lost their eighth game this season and have nothing but pride to play for. They will face off against Atlanta Falcons in game week 12 of the NFL.
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