Vikings’ Undefeated Start Proves Nothing As They Reside In The NFL’s Best Division

The Vikings have exceeded all expectations with their 5-0 start, but the intensity and focus needs to pick up dramatically this week as they prepare to play the best team in the NFC.

That’s just what the Detroit Lions are at this point in the season. The Lions went into Dallas and delivered a 47-9 beating to the struggling Cowboys. The Lions did what the Vikings could not do in their last two victories.

Minnesota jumped out to a huge lead over the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 and hung on for a narrow 31-29 victory. They followed the same pattern in the following game against the New York Jets as the Vikings left London with a narrow 23-17 triumph.

The Lions had no such issues against the Cowboys as they built an early lead and then displayed a killer instinct throughout the game that was missing from the Vikings’ performance. The Lions did have extra motivation because they had suffered a 20-19 loss to the Cowboys a year ago that was due in large part to an official’s call that eliminated a successful two-point conversion. Left tackle Taylor Decker caught a pass in the endzone from Jared Goff, but that play got wiped out when it was ruled that Decker had not report as an eligible receiver.

The Lions punished their opponents on both sides of the ball, rolling up 492 yards of total offense and taking the ball away from Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense five times. The Detroit offense has scored 40 or more points in back-to-back weeks – 42 points against the Seahawks in Week 4 — and they had not scored 47 points in a game since 2011. Head coach Dan Campbell was able to pull his starters early in the fourth quarter.

While the Lions suffered a brutal blow when star pass rusher Aidian Hutchinson suffered a brutally broken tibia, this team is surging and will be extremely difficult for the Vikings to contain.

The same holds for the rest of the NFC North. The Packers moved to 4-2 with an overpowering show of their own in a 34-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Before that victory is laughed off because the perception is that the Cardinals are a flawed team, they have one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league in Kyler Murray.

He had led Arizona to wins over the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, and he is capable of embarrassing any defense with his speed and explosiveness. The Packers are starting to hit full stride now that quarterback Jordan Love is healthy again and has recovered from the knee sprain he suffered in the season opener. Love threw 4 TD passes against Arizona and the Packers have a trio of receivers in Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs who can dominate.

The Packers also lead the NFL in takeaways, having registered 17 through their first six games, and that’s significantly better than the Vikings and Chicago Bears, the two teams that are tied for second in that category with 13.

Speaking of the Bears, they are starting to roll with No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams at quarterback. Chicago followed the Vikings to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and punished the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-16.

The Bears improved to 4-2 with the victory and have now won three games in a row. Williams was impressive in completing 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards with 4 TDs and 1 interception. The Bears quarterback also ran for 56 yards on four carries and demonstrated the ability to get away from the pass rush with little trouble.

If anything, the Bears defense is even better than their improving offense. Chicago has the sixth-ranked pass defense and the secondary has a chance to be the best in the NFL. The Bears are contending with injuries to cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, strong safety Jaquan Brisker and nickel back Kyler Gordon yet the back end is still playing extremely well.

The NFC North was touted as the best division in the NFL prior to the start of the season and the four teams are proving it by wide miles. For the Vikings, the five games they have remaining against their division rivals will determine their status going forward. Their 5-0 start has been impressive, but the proof will come from their results against the Lions, Bears and Packers.