Vikings atop NFC North after Week 1, Packers lone team to lose
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It’s victory Monday for the Minnesota Vikings, and for at least one week, they are atop the NFC North.
Not only did the Vikings dominate in a 28-6 win at the New York Giants, their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers, were the only team to lose. Vikings’ fans enjoy seeing the Packers lose almost more than their own team winning. Here’s a look at Week 1 from a division standpoint.
Vikings 28, Giants 6
Sam Darnold threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns in his Vikings’ debut. Aaron Jones had 109 total yards and a rushing touchdown in his Minnesota debut. Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor had receiving touchdowns.
The Vikings’ defense smothered Daniel Jones for five sacks, eight quarterback hits and Andrew Van Ginkel had a pick-6. Harrison Smith also had an interception.
Eagles 34, Packers 29
The Packers are 0-1 after a 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil. Saquon Barkley went off for 132 total yards and three touchdowns in his Philadelphia debut.
To add injury to insult, Jordan Love suffered a knee injury late in the game and could miss up to a month with an MCL sprain. The hope is he can return as soon as Week 4 against the Vikings at Lambeau Field.
Lions 26, Rams 20 (OT)
They needed overtime to do it, but the Lions beat the Rams 26-20 in the reunion of trade partners Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. Detroit never let L.A. get the ball in overtime, as David Montgomery’s 1-yard touchdown run sealed the win.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Lions are 1-0 after reaching the NFC title game last season.
Bears 24, Titans 17
The highly-anticipated debut of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams did not go as planned. Williams was 14-of-29 for just 93 yards. The Bears instead took the Iowa Hawkeyes approach and used a block punt for a touchdown, a pick-6 and three field goals to get the win.
They trailed 17-0, managed just 148 total yards and still won.
It can be argued that the Vikings were the best team on paper for Week 1 in the NFC North. They were predicted by many to finish last in the division.