Big changes this week in the North. Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties. The Bears lucked into an opposing QB concussion. And JJ McCarthy turned into a pumpkin (again).
Vikings
The Ravens took out the Vikings, 27-19.
Game Notes
JJ McCarthy (avatar of the psychopath known as '9') couldn't get it done against what has been one of the worst defenses in the league. He completed just 20 out of 42 passes for 248 yards, two picks and just one tud. To be fair, he only has two first-round receivers (one of whom was the second-best receiver in the league), a first-round tight end and a former Pro Bowler at RB to throw to.
You may have noticed that I said Justin Jefferson was the second-best receiver in the league. Some would say the best! It might be time to start questioning that ranking. Jefferson has 686 yards on the season - almost 400 less than Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His PFF grade (control yourself) of 77.7 is 19th 19th-best in the league. His biggest highlight this week was when he quit on a deep ball that was intercepted and then didn't run to try to tackle the returner. Not great! The good news is that he still has the second-highest receiver contract in the NFL and counts $39mm, $43mm and $47mm against the cap over the next three years.
Aaron Jones did average 5.2 yards per carry and had a TD; sadly he had just nine carries. The Vikings should've traded him to Green Bay last week.
The defense did fine against the Ravens offense, now with Lamar Jackson again. Lamar had 9 carries for 36 yards and 176 pass yards. Derrick Henry had 20 carries for 75 yards. Nothing exciting but the Vikings offense was so bad, it got the job done.
Bears
The Bears beat the Giants, and got Brian Daboll fired, 24-20.
Game Notes
Jaxson Dart was 19/29 for 242 yards and 66 rush yards with two rush TDs on the way to a 17-7 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. He then entered the concussion protocol and the horrific Russel Wilson came in. The rest is history.
On the other side of the ball, Caleb Williams was 20/36 for 220 yards and one TD. Not great. Not terrible. He also had 63 rush yards and a rushing TD and he made plays in the fourth when the Bears needed it to take over the game.
Speaking of the run game, the Bears had another dominant performance with 171 total yards. Almost makes you sad that D'Andre Slow got most of the carries over rookie 7th round pick Kyle Monangai.
The defense was led by CJ Gardner-Johnson. CJGJ has got to be on his seventh team at this point. He had nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
Lions
The Lions made easy work of the Commanders, 44-22.
Game Notes
Not only did Dan Campbell take over play-calling duties from first-year offensive coordinator John Morton before this game, but the Lions offense did so well that the Commanders head coach Dan Quinn stripped over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. after the game. You may remember Joe Whitt from his time as Packers' defensive backs coach and the press without your hands technique that he taught, to the chagrin of many Packers fans. Campbell took over play-calling from Anthony Lynn a few years ago in the same week of the season and then let him go after the season. Doesn't sound like Morton is in that level of peril, but we'll see how long the shine lasts on Dan Campbell, play-caller.
A key reason for the change in play-caller was the absence of Jameson Williams from the offense over the first nine weeks of the season. Williams had five games with fewer than fifty yards and just one over 100. Remember, he signed a $28mm per year extension this off-season. Williams had six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. The other reason was consistency in the run game, the Lions had 33 carries for 226 yards on the ground. Certainly seemed to fix those two problems against the Commanders' Swiss cheese defense.
On the defensive side, the Lions gave up 213 yards and two tuds (133.3 QB rating) to Marcus Mariotta and held the Commanders to 93 yards on 27 carries. Feels odd that the Commanders had more runs than passes in a game that they lost by over 20, and their QB had a 133.3 QB rating.
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Mike Price is a lifelong Packers fan who recently moved from Utah to Stoughton (a Madison suberb). You can follow him on twitter at @themikeprice.
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