NFC North Weekend Roundup – Week 11

The setup for this game is pretty simple; the Packers, playing the role of Goliath, welcome little David of Tampa Bay into town for a matchup. Tampa Bay has been heralded as an "up-and-coming team" with a "great fourth quarter field general" in Josh Freeman. Even with color commentators everywhere speaking highly of the Buccaneers, the team has yet to find solid footing; and this weekend was no different. The Pack got ahead early on a somewhat bizarre B.J. Raji touchdown and scoring pass to Tom Crabtree. From there, Aaron Rodgers threw for 299 yards and 3 total touchdowns. Rodgers also added a third interception to his season total. On the other side of the ball, Josh Freeman threw for 342 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. The Packers travel to Detroit (7-3) Thursday for a Thanksgiving rumble.

Detroit played host to the Panthers as they continue their playoff push. Cam Newton and the Panthers came out early against the Lions, going up 27-14 by halftime. Matthew Stafford and his high-powered offense fought back, with Stafford throwing three second-half touchdown passes and Kevin Smith adding two more scores on the ground for Detroit. The Lions defense also stepped up, holding the Panthers to only 8 second-half points and forcing a total of 4 interceptions and a fumble to stall Newton's efforts. Stafford ended the game with a total of 5 touchdown passes off 335 yards through the air. Kevin Smith's 2 touchdowns and 140 yards made up for the injured Jahvid Best's absence. The Lions play host to Green Bay (10-0) this Thursday for a Thanksgiving football feast, with the Lions licking their chops at the opportunity to take away the Pack's "undefeated" title in front of a national audience.

The Bears continue to follow their seemingly perpetual mantra of getting hot at the right time. Playing host to the struggling San Diego Chargers, the Bears outpaced their opponent on both sides of the ball to keep pace with the Lions in their chase of a wild card berth. On defense, the Bears forced three fumbles and intercepted Philip Rivers twice. Most impressive was the fact that they held the Chargers rushing attack to 52 yards. On offense, the Bears found the endzone twice through the air and twice on the ground, with Marion Barber and Jay Cutler each rushing for one touchdown. Cutler also threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Although he showed no signs during the game or in the post-game press conference, Jay Cutler apparently broke his thumb during the game and is expected to be sidelined for at least the remainder of the regular season. This could make for a challenge as the Bears continue their push in the race for second place and a wild card playoff spot. The Bears and backup quarterback Caleb Hanie travel to Oakland (6-4) next week to face off against Carson Palmer and the wildly erratic, yet fairly successful Raiders.

The Vikings came into this weekend still licking their wounds after being pummeled in Green Bay on Monday Night Football. Leslie Frazier hoped to take advantage of a Raiders team that has been plagued with penalties and inconsistent play this season to regain a little control in a season quickly spinning out of control. Oakland had other plans, however. After scoring a touchdown, Adrian Peterson was taken out of the game by an ankle injury and the Raiders took advantage - jumping up 24-7 by the half. The Vikings defense did step up a little in the second half, but a string of Oakland penalties and missed opportunities gave Minnesota the ability to come within 6 points in the fourth quarter. Hopes of a come-from-behind win were dashed in their last offensive drive as the team simply stalled out, giving the ball back to Oakland to finish the game. Of note in the game were Chrisitan Ponder's 3 interceptions, all of which were rookie mistakes that could have been easily avoided. Ponder did, however, offer some solace on the ground, rushing for 71 yards and leading the team in ground yardage gained after Peterson went down in the first half. Jared Allen was held to no sacks for the first time in several games, and the recent addition of Benny Sapp offered a contribution of only one tackle in the game. Next week the Vikings travel to Atlanta (6-4), who are still in the playoff hunt and are looking to gain ground on the Bears and Lions to get one of the NFC wild card slots.