Aaron Rodgers, Packers
GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers throws against the the Washington Redskins at Lambeau Field on September 15, 2013 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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NFL Week 10: What to watch for on Sunday

Matt Verderame NFL

The NFL season isn’t a marathon. It’s a sprint. Don’t let anybody lie to you.

Lose a few games in basketball, baseball or hockey? Who cares. You’ve got another 80 (or 160) left. Time to make corrections and move on. In football? A two-game losing streak leads to justified panic in most cases.

In that vein, a few teams in the NFC North are facing such a crisis if things don’t break well on Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings both lost on the road to AFC West foes last weekend. Green Bay was handled easily by the woeful Los Angeles Chargers, while the Vikings managed to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs who were without MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

This weekend, Green Bay plays host to the Carolina Panthers. Carolina is 5-3 and trying to make move towards a wild card spot, something a win at Lambeau Field would do wonders for. Additionally, Christian McCaffrey is making an all-out assault on the record for scrimmage yards in a single season, on pace for better than 2,500. If the Packers are going to get right after a bump in L.A., it’ll be with the defense limiting McCaffrey. It’s also be because Aaron Rodgers gets back to his dominant ways.

As for Minnesota, it’s another road game against a legitimate contender. This time, the opponent has its starting quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys are waiting for Kirk Cousins and Co., as the entire country will get to tune in on Sunday Night Football. Cousins has long dealt with the reputation of not being able to win big games against quality teams. He’ll have another chance to exorcise those demons.

Should the Vikings lose, they suddenly go from 6-2 to being in real danger of missing the playoffs. The NFC is loaded with competition, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and aforementioned Panthers. All three are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, and could either jump Minnesota or pull closer with victories of their own.

With the Packers and Vikings both playing fellow playoff hopefuls, the picture will change drastically in the NFC regardless of the winners and losers. Either Minnesota and Green Bay take huge steps in solidifying their statuses, or they suddenly become vulnerable.

Nothing equals the weekly drama of the NFL.

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