And then there were two.
The race for the NFC North crown shrank Sunday night as the Minnesota Vikings held off the Green Bay Packers to essentially eliminate Aaron Rodgers and Co, from a possible division title.
The Packers fell to 4-6-1, giving them the same record as the Cleveland Browns this season. Green Bay isn’t eliminated from the playoffs, but they’ll need to win all five remaining games and potentially get some help from other teams to squeak in. That would have to include a win over the Bears in Week 15 at Soldier Field.
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The win for the Vikings kept them a game-and-a-half behind Chicago in the standings at 6-4-1, but the Bears will have a chance to extend that lead this coming week against the New York Giants while Minnesota takes on the New England Patriots.
The Detroit Lions’ loss on Thanksgiving more or less ended their hopes for the playoffs unless they got some serious help from other teams while also winning out. They play the Los Angeles Rams this coming Sunday.
The NFC North is setting up nicely for the Bears to finish on top in Matt Nagy’s first season. The final crown could all come down to Week 17, though, when the Bears head to U.S. Bank Stadium to face the Vikings in a potential showdown for division dominance.
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