NFL Football is finally back and week 1 is officially in the books! The first week of the NFL season was full of excitement, nail biters, and blowouts. Though we may be quick to judge or overreact to teams based on their performance, week 1 was one to forget for the NFC North. Each team in the division lost their season opener resulting in no movement of division standings. The teams looking to get an early lead in the division, will have to wait at least one more week. Until then, we analyzed each team's week 1 performance and look forward to their week 2 matchups. 

Chicago Bears

Bears 14 @ Rams 34

All the attention and lights were on the debut of the $5.5 billion SoFi Stadium and new starting QB Matthew Stafford. After head coach Sean McVay commended Stafford throughout the preseason, the 12-year vet did not disappoint during Sunday Night Football. The Bears defense gave up over 300 passing yards including a 56-yard touchdown by Cooper Kupp due to a miscommunication. The Rams offense was stellar all night which caused the Bears  to abandon the running game in order to keep up.. Though David Montgomery scored a TD while running for 106 yards, the Bears defense gave up two 50+ yard TDs  which put even more pressure on QB Andy Dalton. Dalton was dared all night by the Rams defense to throw down the field which resulted in a plethora of short pass completions. Dalton finished the night with 206 yards passing and an interception. With Justin Fields watching from the sideline, the Bears coaching staff may already be feeling the pressure to start the rookie at QB.  Both the offense and defense were out of synch in week 1, but they will look to improve upon their performance in Week 2 when they host the Bengals. 

Lions

49ers 41 @ Lions 33

The Lions were 24 yards away from completing a 28-point comeback to tie the 49ers late in the 4th quarter. Though the comeback fell short, this Lions team proved that even against a tough defense, they will play hard for 48 minutes while “biting off kneecaps”. This may be the result of having a coaching staff who have more playing experience combined than any other coaching staff in the NFL. They understand what it takes to win and are not afraid to express it (i.e. DB coach Aubrey Pleasant grilling Jeff Okuda after a missed assignment). Week 1 proved that the Lions defense is their biggest weakness and will ultimately make or break their season. Especially after losing starting CB Jeff Okudah for the season due to a ruptured Achilles. If there was anything promising about the loss on Sunday, it is that rookie tackle Penei Sewell played very well against Nick Bosa at LT, in place of injured Taylor Decker. The Lions also rushed for over 100 yards as a team and may have found a dynamic 1-2 punch in RBs D’andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. Week 2 will have the Lions traveling to Green Bay on Monday night  to take on a Packers team looking to bounce back from their worst game in recent years. 

Packers

Packers 3 @ Saints 38 (Game played in Jacksonville)

To put it lightly, the Packers did not look like their normal selves week 1 during the Saints. The main story entering the game was whether Saints QB Jameis Winston could keep from turning the ball over. 5 TDs and zero interceptions later, Winston quickly put those stories to bed. Instead, the concern was placed on the performance of reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers. Completing just over 50% of his passes, Rodgers threw for zero touchdowns and a surprising 2 interceptions. Finishing with his third-lowest QBR of his career (36.8), the Packers opted for 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love to finish the game at QB. The Packers defense performed just as poorly as the offense giving up over 170 yards rushing in the blowout loss. The Packers have a tremendous opportunity at home in week 2 against a Lions defense that gave up 38 points in three quarters to the San Francisco 49ers in week 1.  

Vikings

Vikings 24 @ Bengals 27 OT

The Vikings lost a tough game to the Bengals in overtime after Dalvin Cook fumbled late in the overtime period. The Bengals took advantage of the turnover which resulted in a game winning 33 yard field goal. Other than the three sacks given up and the costly fumble, the Vikings offense was solid all game. Kirk Cousins threw for over 350 yards and Dalvin Cook had over 100 yards from scrimmage. The WR duo of Thielen and Jefferson also combined for 160+ receiving yards. The Vikings defense played fair against the pass and was able to sack Joe Burrow 5 times. However, the defense had a tough time stopping the run giving up 150 yards of rushing. The Vikings may look back on this game as a missed opportunity come playoff seeding. Until then, the Vikings must focus on their week 2 matchup against a strong Cardinals team.