With just two weeks of regular season games remaining in the NFL season, many division races are just heating up. All four divisions in the NFC have yet to be decided, and with many divisional matchups yet to be played, the couch seems like a great place to be for the next two Sundays. Each team has faced their fair share of unforeseen circumstances this season, but none more than in the NFC North.
The NFC North is used to stellar quarterback play. Well, at least in Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago. Behind the arms of Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler, these three teams have regularly been involved in the playoff discussion over the past few seasons. But, this season, Rodgers and Cutler have missed significant time due to injury. Cutler missed five games due to groin and ankle injuries while Rodgers hasn’t played since Week 9 when he suffered a broken collarbone. Cutler returned this past week to play the Browns and led his team to a crucial 38-31 victory. Rodgers, on the contrary, remains on the shelf for the Packers, but hopes to play this week against the Steelers, a must win for Green Bay.
The biggest storyline, though, may not even be the injuries to Cutler and Rodgers, but instead the collapse of the Detroit Lions. The Lions (7-7) have all but squandered the golden opportunity presented to them in the Cutler and Rodgers injuries, having lost four out of their last five games. Detroit currently sits in third place in the division behind the Bears (8-6) and Packers (7-6-1). Now, lets take a look at each team and what they have to do to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
1. Chicago Bears
Remaining games: at Philadelphia, vs. Green Bay
With games remaining against NFC East-leading Philadelphia and division rival Green Bay, the Bears have the toughest remaining schedule of any of the three contending NFC North teams, but are currently sitting pretty in first place in the division. The Bears can potentially clinch the division this Sunday night with a win against the Eagles, but would also need the Lions and Packers to lose for that to happen. If the Lions were to lose this weekend and the Packers win, then the NFC North would be decided Week 17 at Soldier Field, in a game that would no doubt be the biggest game in Chicago since the 2011 NFC Championship game, when the Bears lost to the Packers.
2. Green Bay Packers
Remaining games: vs. Pittsburgh, at Chicago
Just this past Sunday, no one would have ever thought that the Packers would still be alive in the NFC North. Trailing 26-3 at halftime in Dallas, the playoffs seemed like a distant dream. After a dramatic comeback and a stunning collapse by Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys defense, culminating in a 37-36 Green Bay victory, the Packers were suddenly back in the discussion. And did I mention they did all this without their star quarterback? Rodgers, coming of the aforementioned collarbone injury, hopes to return this week against the Steelers, a game the Packers desperately need to win to keep pace in the NFC North. The path is easy for the Packers. Win out and they are in the playoffs. A loss this week coupled with a Bears win would eliminate Green Bay from playoff contention.
3. Detroit Lions
Remaining games: vs. New York Giants, at Minnesota
The Lions have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. With so many weapons on offense in Matthew Stafford, running back Reggie Bush and wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the Lions were a popular pick to win the NFC North this season. However, they continue to find new ways to shoot themselves in the foot and lose games that they should win. The latest of their meltdowns came this past Monday on “Monday Night Football.” The Lions lost to Baltimore, 18-16, after a 61-yard Justin Tucker field goal with less than a minute remaining. The Lions failed to win even though their defense did not give up a touchdown, with all 18 Ravens points coming from the foot of Justin Tucker. With two games remaining, the Lions will most definitely have to win both games to have a chance to win the division. If they were to win both games, they would also need the Bears and Packers to each lose at least one of their final two games as well. Things are looking bleak in Detroit right now, but as we have seen so far this season, no one is out until they are mathematically eliminated.
This NFL season has been as good as advertised, and as we enter the final two weeks of the regular season, many division and wild card berths remain up for grabs. With the two wild card positions all but assured to Carolina, New Orleans, or San Francisco, it seems the only path to the playoffs for these three NFC North teams will be through a division crown. The Bears are in the driver’s seat entering this crucial stretch, but the Packers and Lions are still very much alive. Despite all the adversity that these teams have faced, there is one thing that cures all ails in the NFL: winning. If the Bears win their final two games, the division title is theirs. If the Packers and Lions win out, they will have put themselves in the best position possible to win the division.
The NFC North division race has been one of the most compelling all season long. With three teams still alive and two games to be played, it seems as though the division will be decided in the final week of the season. Though the Bears lead the division at this moment, anything can happen in the final two games and nothing is a given. If there is one thing to be learned from the craziness that has been the 2013 NFL season, it’s that nothing is over until its over.