Around the NFC North: 2025 Week 9
Bizarro week in the North.
By Mike Price
Part of my whole schtick is overreactions, but the whole Packers blogosphere has gone crazy this week. Demanding LaFleur give up play calling because of a bad week where the team put up 370 yards and screwed up a few red zone possessions. Bad games happen! The 15-1 Packers in 2011 lost to a horrific Chiefs team, interim-coached by Romeo Crennel. We have to stop being prisoners of the moment. NFL games are hard and the other team is coached by a millionaire, too. In this game, the Packers put up those 370 yards despite losing Tucker Kraft and Aaron Banks and Matthew Golden to injury. The defense gave up more rush yards than it usually does, but what do you expect when the best run-stuffing d-lineman got hurt? They totally stopped the Panthers' pass game. Looks for the Packers to continue to improve, Luke Musgrave to break out, some fun six offensive linemen plays and the same people who had their pitchforks out yesterday bragging about LaFleur on twitter.
Anyway, let's get to the sh** talking about the Lions losing to JJ McCarthy of all people.
Lions and Vikings
The Vikings somehow beat the Lions 27-24.
Game Notes
- The only good thing that happened in the early Sunday games was that we were able to see highlights of this crazy game. McCarthy didn't really have an offensive player of the week level performance, totaling just 143 yards and throwing a pick to go along with his two tuds. The more surprising part is probably that the Vikings, with 142 yards, more than doubled the Lions' rush total of just 65 yards. The Lions' success depends totally on their offensive line, and the Vikings had them figured out in this one.
- I'm relying basically totally on Nate Tice's analysis here - the Vikings' strategy was to target the Lions' interior offensive linemen and Jahmyr Gibbs in pass protection. They dropped the edge rushers (like former Badger Andrew van Ginkel) into coverage and rushed up the middle. Remember, a lot of the Packers' pressures in week 1 came from attacking the guards and center. Gibbs was the true weakest link in this game, giving up seven (!) pressures. The Lions as a team have allowed fewer pressures than that in whole games this season.
- The pressure got the Lions behind and they were never able to establish the run. Gibbs averaged just 2.8 YPC to go with his horrific pass protecting and Goff couldn't keep up.
- Former Packer, in his second game back from IR, was the Vikings' MVP in the first half with 89 total yards and then he injured his shoulder in an awkward landing in the third. The injury looked serious at first but is now being reported as an AC joint sprain that shouldn't cause him to miss too much time.
Bears
The Bears beat the Bengals by the insane score of 47-42.
Game Notes
- I'm not sure where to even start with this one. Caleb Williams had 280 passing yards with three tuds and no picks. He had another 53 yards on the ground and a receiving touchdown. That wasn't even close to the most impressive performance. The Bengals' new QB Joe Flacco had 470 yards (in regulation) with four TDs and two picks. The whole point of this Bears was supposed to be a strong defense and run game. I guess when you can throw it up to Ja'Marr Chase (111 yards) and Tee Higgins (121 yards, 2 TDs) the defense part sort of goes out the window.
- The run game was there. Kyle Monangai, Bears' seventh-round rookie RB, had 176 yards on the ground and another 22 through the air. Twitter is full of clips of the Bears' o-line dominating people and Monangai taking advantage.
- The most hilarious part of this game, for people who don't have Rome Odunze in fantasy, is that the Bears put up 47 points and accumulated 576 total yards and Odunze had zero catches on three targets. It just doesn't make sense.
- Dayo Odeyingbo, the Bears' big free agency acquisition at edge rusher, tore his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. Odeyingbo wasn't having a killer season and losing him was timed perfectly with the return of pre-season demigod Austin Booker. We'll see if the Bears try to make any moves at the deadline or if they stick with who they have now on the d-line.
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Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan who recently moved from Utah to Stoughton (a Madison suberb). You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice.
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Comments (7)
T7Steve
November 04, 2025 at 11:10 am
Thanks for putting us straight, Mike. If the Packers don't want us pissing and moaning, they just need to beat a team like Carolina handily so we can't find anything wrong to bitch about.
crayzpackfan
November 04, 2025 at 11:29 am
Mr. Mike thinks this is the first time this has ever happened in GB under MLF. Ignorance is bliss I guess. If he wants to be the first character to die in a horror movie, so be it. But the pattern I'm seeing developing here is telling me that going into the old basement with jars full of human parts and creepy dolls should be avoided at all costs.
Snap the ball
November 04, 2025 at 12:02 pm
That’s how the Vikings win
Pressure QB till you beat it and don’t make mistakes
They cover up a lot of there problems that way
Quick passes like last year and let people run after catch
We have done that once all year vs Steelers in 1 qtr of play.
Anyone out there remember when a Packer receiver has caught the ball and ran other than sit down routes other than Tucker.
Have you seen Golden run and catch one other than Browns game. Nope
Doubs maybe once or twice.
Reed vs Washington. Don’t realize how much we miss Reed and Wicks.
Wicks would tare it up with other teams . He gets open…..
I want to see a pass hit in stride so they can run ……
That might help the running game.
The offense line in flux because they just needed a center …….if we got a center and he got hurt at that point move Jenkins
Jenkins one of my favorite players on the team…..
You probably have a hall of fame center with Tom…
Oh well line still playing good enough to win games…
It’s something else…….watson wide open on some other plays. Wide open. Standing by himself. Wide open
Defense played good enough to win at home.
The team was flat and the crowd was horrible also…horrible. Hardly any panthers fans there
Crowd was horrible other than the last 4 mins
All around bad day
Noon game To many different start times for good teams.
Need to schedule games better Someone needs to be in charge of that
I know one team in the division is sneaky when it comes to that. For years.
Snap the ball
November 04, 2025 at 12:06 pm
Bears running game
Looks like student body right. Or. Get a seal here and a seal here Nothing special
And we can’t do that.
Snap the ball
November 04, 2025 at 12:08 pm
I just want to watch how many shoulders the Eagles players go after. Usually a lot.
Cheap shots they are called ..
Snap the ball
November 04, 2025 at 01:00 pm
Here’s the deal
We get around 65 plays a game x amount running. X amount passing
The run plays the lions and bears and what we used to do are basic run plays and move the chains nothing fancy. Just power football.
Next most teams have people with master degrees or computer degrees running every possible situations on analytics on our plays to see what defense to play and every situation.
The next team we play has a huge department in that plus stealing signs etc….like other teams …
So when Matt has to come up with something they haven’t seen on the computer a new twist to they play it’s confusing.
I’m not saying don’t make adjustsment but we have a good roster and other teams now it they just try to beat us in different ways.
You will not out guess the analytics of the pats staff or eagles staff They run sim plays just like AI
Football has changed and what I’m saying is the team is good enough to beat anyone
Play straight up football not confusing crap and we will win 87 percent of the time for my analytics.
They know of your 3rd and 3 what we will do 80 percent of the time
Just need to make the play.
Brett and Aaron used to say. I don’t care what they are defensive wise. I’m going to do what we want and get the first down.
Analysis and Analytics department for teams. If that’s the way you win now …..is kinda pxxxy football I think.
It’s like fighting a computer department…..just play straight up football and win….
The pats stoled more signs and taping more than anyone and other teams catching up with that we huge departments
Actually some teams almost have more analytics personal than coaches…..
At the end of the day. Last game. Don’t make in confusing. You’re a good coach. Kick the ball for fg get a stop and score again and win.
Do you know how many other teams in the nfl would take. Doubs. Watson. Kraft. Musgrave wicks. Reed Jacob’s golden health
Jenkins tom Gary parsons. Coooooopper. X. Williams wooden. Wyatt. Who I’m missing
31 other teams would take that all day
Time to win some ball games
65 plays. 26 non confusing running plays
25 good pass plays
And 14 mix bag plays
We win. All day everyday
And don’t miss fg
Starrbrite
November 04, 2025 at 07:47 pm
I was shocked the Vikings beat the Lions. Last week I said they were in deep trouble only watch them win—I’m ok with it…for now. Ravens should beat them next week.
The Vikings blitz on virtually every passing down. That works until it doesn’t.
The Bears game was wild and it looked certain they had lost. But, Cincy’s D is one of the worst ever.
I wonder what the Lions are thinking losing at home to a rookie QB?
Go Packers!!!