NFC North Weekend Roundup – Week 2

Things are revving up in Detroit as the once tame Motor City Kitties jump off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2007. Matthew Stafford continues to wow with 294 passing yards and 4 touchdowns through the air to compliment the rushing touchdowns of Jahvid Best and Keiland Williams. The 2-0 record isn't the only record to note for the Lions. The 48-3 rout is the largest margin of victory the Lions have ever had over an opponent. Although a lot of emphasis has been put on the Lions defense, the offense is showing considerable signs of life as well. Stafford's ability to connect with his receivers has been an exciting change of pace for Detroit. This win marks the Lions' 6th regular season win in a row, going back to the end of last year's season. The Lions beat the Packers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Vikings to end the season.

Rookie Cam Newton for the Panthers had another record game, taking his team up early against the Pack. At the half, Newton's team was up on the Packers 13-7. Although Newton was able to throw for 432 yards, it only resulted in one passing touchdown. The ever-persistent Aaron Rodgers methodically developed scoring drives in each of the last three quarters of the game, managing to throw for 2 touchdowns and set up 3 field goals. The Pack's offense was able to out-pace Newton's Panthers, but the defense is a bit suspect and may be something of worry moving further into the season. Even with 4 sacks and 3 interceptions on Newton, the rookie QB for Carolina was able to throw for over 400 yards and rush for 53 more. This is the second game in a row where the Packers defense allowed over 400 passing yards.

After solidly thumping the Falcons last week, the script was flipped on the Bears as the Saints defended their home turf. The Saints defense sacked Jay Cutler 6 times and kept the pressure on the Bears offense; limiting them to only one touchdown, coming in the first quarter. The Bears rushing game was also held to only 53 yards in the loss. Oddly enough, this isn't all that different from the week 1 game against the Falcons. Matt Forte's biggest contribution in both game 1 and game 2 has been in the passing game. Forte caught for 117 yards this week.

"A Tale of Two Halves" continues to be the mantra of the Vikings as they managed to go ahead early in the game and have a drastic shift in the second half. The Vikings offense looked like a well-oiled machine early in the game, passing and rushing fairly evenly and having great success doing so. By halftime, the Vikings had amassed 17 points off a pair of Adrian Peterson touchdowns and a 22-yard Ryan Longwell field goal. Donovan McNabb was able to throw for 228 yards, surpassing his embarrassing week 1 showing, but most of the meaningful yards came in the first half. While the offense began to sputter in the second half, the defense also began to slow down, allowing 10 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter and 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter to get the win. The final possession of the Vikings was a fitting end to the game, as Percy Harvin nearly lost the ball on a kickoff return and a failed too-little-too-late effort was made to trick their way down the field. One highlight of the game is Adrian Peterson's record-setting performance, becoming only the second Vikings player to reach 6,000 rushing yards.