NFC North Week 8: Around the horn
Incredibly, the National Football League season is almost halfway through. The league has given us plenty of surprises, including one in the NFC North.
After winning 11 games last year, the Detroit Lions sustained a pair of significant losses in the offseason with defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley leaving in free agency for the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams, respectively. Without those anchors in the middle of the defense, Detroit was expected to be compromised against the run, but still be a solid team.
Instead, the Lions are tied for the worst record in the league at 1-6. Detroit has been a mess, and this week fired most of its offensive coaching staff. The new offensive coordinator is Jim Bob Cooter, which can’t give anybody much confidence.
Here are the Week 8 games involving the NFC North teams, with preview and lines included.
The lines for all the NFL games can be found at our NFL odds page.
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5)
This is a game between two teams that have talent much more prevalent than their records indicate. The Chiefs were picked by many to win the AFC West and be a darkhorse Super Bowl contender. Instead, Kansas City is 2-5 and looks like one of the worst teams in the league. Still, the defense has been legitimate and the offense has shown minor signs of life, especially after head coach Andy Reid decided to revamp the offensive line after six weeks of looking horrific.
The main matchups to watch in this game is whether or not Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate can beat rookie Marcus Peters and veteran Sean Smith. Peters and Smith are one of the top duos in the game. If they can keep Tate and Johnson in check, the Lions are in all kinds of trouble.
Green Bay Packers (-3) at Denver Broncos
This is one of the best games in a long time. This is only the fourth time in league history that two teams with records of 6-0 or better have faced off. Denver has been tremendous defensively but can’t get anything going on offense. Meanwhile, the Packers have long been one of the best offenses in the game behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If the Packers can continue to throw the ball with effectiveness, expect a long night for Peyton Manning and Co.
Minnesota Vikings (-1) at Chicago Bears
This is a very interesting game. Chicago is 2-4 but has looked much better since quarterback Jay Cutler returned to the lineup a month ago. On the other hand, Minnesota is 4-2 and trying to prove it belongs in the playoff conversation. The Vikings have not been particularly impressive, barely beating some of the worst teams in the league. Can they make a statement on the road and trounce Chicago?
