One QB is Ascending in the NFC North, and he's in Chicago

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The Bears took care of business Sunday by knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs with a 24-10 win.  The way the Bears won was impressive.  The Bears defense was dominant, per usual, and the ground game carried the Bears offense.  Statistically Bears QB, Mitch Trubisky, wasn’t particularly impressive, but if you saw the game he was.  Trubisky was 18/26 for 163 yards and no TDs or picks.  He did however, make a bunch of plays on third down.

Bears looked to be well grounded

Jordan Howard had a huge day, rushing for 109 yards and two TDs.  The Bears rushed for 169 yards and had 332 yards of offense compared to the Vikings’ 164 yards of offense.  The game was turnover free, though the Bears did record four sacks.  For the first time in his NFL career, Mitch Trubisky didn’t take a sack.  The Bears looked like a conventional playoff team with an exceptionally defense and solid ground game.  This year, however, in addition to those assets, they have big play receivers and  an imaginative head coach.  The Bears are not only going to playoffs, they have the potential to go deep into them.

Was Cousins really and upgrade?

As for the Vikings, the Kirk Cousins signing isn’t off to a rousing start.  Their ground game isn’t impressive either.  I really don’t know what to think of the Vikings future.  Cousins’ passer rating was 99.7 for the season, which was actually up from 93.9 for 2017.  He threw 30 TD passes against 10 interceptions.  The stats looked pretty good, but the on field production didn’t.

Is the Packers elevator going down?

In a basically meaningless game, the Lions defeated the Packers 31-0.  Aaron Rodgers left the game with a concussion after going 3/5 for 26 yards.  It was a fitting end to a dismal Packers season.  Top Packers receiver, Devante Adams, also missed the game due to a knee injury.  The loss put the Packers record at 6-9-1.

Rodgers had, for him, a subpar season.  He did throw 25 TD passes against only two interceptions, but finished with a QB rating of “only” 97.6.  That’s not a bad number, but for his career his passer rating is 103.1.  While he’s still an excellent quarterback, he seems to have loss just a bit from his prime. Rodgers has carried his team more than any other QB I’ve seen in the NFL.  If he is in decline, it’s ominous for the Packers future.

Another reason I like Aaron Rodgers

One thing I give Rodgers props for his playing in meaningless games.  So many athletes grab some bench at every opportunity it’s refreshing to see a guy play just because he wants to play.

Meanwhile, in Detroit...

The Lions win over the Packers raised their record to 6-10.  It was also a disappointing year for Matt Stafford.  His passer rating for the season was 89.9.  That’s pretty much in line with his career stats.  His 21 TD passes were the fewest he’s thrown since 2012.

While things can change quickly in the NFL, the Bears are poised to dominate the NFL North for the next few seasons.