Grades for EVERY NFC North team one month in: Packers, Bears, Vikings and Lions

Grades for EVERY NFC North team one month in: Packers, Bears, Vikings and Lions

What’s going on everybody? Welcome into HQ Spotlight. I’m Jacqueline Diagino, Emily Proud. We got a full house today. We got Logan Ryan and Ran Carthon in studio with us. Fellas, it’s going to be so much fun. How’s it going? Oh man, I’m excited. I’m excited. I’m next to this guy right here. N let’s not do that. Oh no. We’re just jumping from studio to studio. You guys are We’ve been on since the morning. We’re just We’re just waiting for some lunch. Yeah, we’re putting putting y’all to work. Yeah, we can uh we can try to get the lunch. We’ll see what we can do on that. And in the meantime, week four, we’re about to put a bow on it. We have not one but two Monday Night Football games to look forward to. Jets Dolphins, both of those squads looking for their first win of the season. Um and then of course the Broncos and the Bengals as well, Emily. Yeah, we’re about a month into the season, so seems like a good time to take stock. Most teams, as you said, have played four games, but we have some more action tonight. Let’s start though by giving out some grades and we’re going to go to the NFC North and first remind you of what happened in week four. We had it all really. We had wins for the Lions and Bears, a loss for the Vikings in Dublin, and a tie that everybody loves last night for the Packers against the Cowboys. And thanks to that tie, the NFC North standings, they don’t look very clean, guys. My Taipe brain hates that extra little one there. But the Lions are on top at 3 and one. That loss came in the division to the Packers, though. Packers with that tie or second, Vikings and Bears, both 500 in this early season. So, take out your red pens, get ready to give some grades to these teams, and let’s start things off with the Packers. Of course, that big week one win over the Lions helps things out in the division. But Logan, if we’re looking at this team in totality, what’s the grade? They’re a B minus to me. You know, I think we obviously all love the Michael Parsons acquisition and it was like, “Oh my god, after week one, these guys are the NFC favorites, right? They can they’re going to beat the Eagles. They’re going to be in the Super Bowl no matter what.” And then it’s been somewhat inconsistent following off with that tie. Like you said, I hate a tie. You know, I’m I’m an American football player. I do not like a tie. And I think when you’re going in with Michael Parsons into Dallas, you expect to win that trade and make a statement to the NFL. and they put up 40 points. You know, Jordan Love when healthy is as good as there is out there. Their receivers a little banged up. They’ve scored enough points, but defensively with Michael Parsons giving up 40 is not good. I think we would expect them to have a better record. It’s still early in the season. To me, I am a tough grade. I don’t give many A’s out there, but I got to go a B minus based on what I saw week one to what it’s been since. It’s been somewhat inconsistent. Yeah. Parsons even said after that game that he went to Jordan Love and said, “Thanks for having our back today on offense.” Woo. Yeah. And I’m I’m going to give the guys a B cuz I just think it’s been just right there kind of in the middle. A winning performance um if you will obviously by the based on the record. But here’s what I want to say. For a team like this, as talented as they are and as excited as they had everyone after week one, they have to find consistency and and that’s consistency across the board. Now, offensively, I think they have an identity, but they have to lean into it. and they still don’t have their full complement of of receivers and they’re going to start to slowly get guys back here, but you still have a strong running game that you have to lean on. And they they’ve rebuilt this offensive line a little bit. And then defensively, man, they came out of the gate uh like Logan talked about with the with the acquisition of Michael Parsons. Everyone was excited. You got a great performance week one, but now it’s about the consistency part like showing up week to week, down to down, and letting everyone know that the Green Backer Green Bay Packers have finally arrived. All right. So, we had a B a B minus. So, let’s move it along to the Lions. And it’s almost a totally different conversation when we’re talking about week one, of course, because there was almost a sense of panic after they lost to the Packers. Like, is wrong with the offense? Exactly. Like, oh no, Ben. No, Ben Johnson. It’s going to be a huge issue. They’re now sitting at three and one. They look pretty good, so to speak, right now. Um, three and one, by the way, or better in three straight seasons for the first time since the early 70s. Ren, what is the grade for the Lions in your eyes? Well, I have B minus down. I wouldn’t argue a B, right? And the reason, and I’m being I’m being I’m being hard on on Detroit because I did have Detroit in as my Super Bowl favorite uh for the uh NFC, but what I wanted to see this Detroit Lions uh team come out. I wanted them to come out and dominate and show that they were the class of the NFC. This what I really wanted them to do. And again, you have two new coordinators and you’re still learning and there’s going to be some es and flows there until everyone, you know, kind of gets their bearing, gets their footing. But, I mean, to to cap off a uh the first quarter of the season, three and one with two new coordinators, it’s a winning performance. Um, I just wanted to see a little bit more out of their superstars, so to speak. And so, that’s why I went B minus. But, if Logan wants to go higher, I’m not going to argue and we’ll roll with that one. Said he’s a tough grader. I am a tough grader. And this is a great grade for me. I’m going with a B+ and it’s because they did get punched in the mouth early, but what have they done since? I mean, the stars have showed up. Almond Ra showed up. Jared Golf, they’re getting the running game going and they’ve played better defensively than I thought they would. They put up tons of points. And you look what Almanra’s done in this last, you know, three game span. This guy is not the size of Calvin Johnson, but or Herman Moore, about a foot shorter, but he’s still got just as much production, man. They know who they are. And when you lose coordinators, right, we love to crown offensive coordinators, the head coaches. We love to take the coordinators of winning teams and say, “Okay, they’ll be a great head coach, right?” Because they called good plays, they’ll be a great head coach or they called great def defenses, they’ll be a great head coach. To lose both of that, they still kept the core players intact under contract. Jericho, Amar, St. Proud, young backs, Leaporta, the offensive line play. They still have that. Players know how to win the game at the end of the day. That is what Detroit has done. I don’t think this is slowing down. So, I got a B+ for Detroit. Three-game winning streak. Yeah. And Randy, you mentioned wanting to see consistency with the Packers. You talk about consistency with the Lions. I mean, they’re 30 and eight in the last three seasons, which is the best in the NFL over that span because like you said, Logan, they brought back a lot of that talent that’s been having success. When we look at teams week one, maybe not who we thought they were. How about the Vikings? They’re two and two. They got that division win against the Bears week one, but since then, obviously playing with a backup quarterback. So overall looking at these four games, what’s the grade? You know, I have the Vikings at a C++ and obviously it’s a it’s a tick below the other two teams. This is a really tough division they’re playing in now. Man, this these are all should be very good teams. And the reality is is the quarterback position and the quarterback play. And obviously we saw JJ McCarthy on that Monday Night Football. They decided to move on from Sam Darnold, who’s looking like a pretty good quarterback. They decided to not bring in Aaron Rogers, right? They decided to go with JJ McCarthy. He got your win. and then he got hurt, right? Then you go with Carson Wentz and you’re going to get the es and flows of a Carson Wentz experience and it’s going to be um some highlights and some low lightss allin one and and that’s what they got right now. They’re two and two with a good roster. And I get maybe you don’t want to pay the quarterback position because you want to keep the roster well around them, but you got to win games. I mean, this is a Super Bowl roster that they have and you got to get the quarterback position right in the window. I don’t fully agree with walking on for Sam Darnold. I know they did and now they got to live with that. And this is a an average start as you’re going to get. A C plus is an average grade in my opinion. And that’s what the Minnesota Vikings have. And I went a tick lower with a C minus. And a lot for me was based on the quarterback position. And I know their belief in JJ McCarthy. And he was able to will them to the win early, but like you said, he got hurt. But I think when he returns, there’s still going to be more questions than answers, right? And I think I think that’s going to linger all season. And with the way Carson Wentz came in and he played and led him to a victory and almost brought him back, you know, yesterday, that’s going to create some some conversation there in Minnesota as to who gives us the best chance to win. And if and and if that creates the conversation, then that lets me know where we are with the original guy we started the year with. And so for that reason alone, because I I’ll just say it and be frank, like I don’t think Carson Wentz is the answer. And if there’s a question of whether he is or not, to me kind of lets you know where you are. And I’m going to go with a C minus. Okay. And we have no A’s so far. Um I don’t probably won’t get it. I I would say I don’t I don’t think we’re going to get there in this division because we still got to talk about the Bears. Um they get the win. Kind of a heart attack, a comeback if you will. Caleb Williams really struggled against the Raiders in the fourth quarter was was very good for him, but the defense really showed up. They had four turnovers. Um, Ran, what is the grade here for the Bears? Cuz it’s certainly very different if they would have lost going into their by-week, but now they they won and feels like the vibes are a little bit different now. Um, I’m going C. Okay. Um, because I think they’ve been average. Um, enough to pass, but I think they’ve been average, especially with the expectations coming into this year having Ben Johnson and this is a really good coaching staff that they have here. But even yesterday’s game, yes, you won, but that game shouldn’t have been that close. You know, you create these turnovers. Gino is just throwing picks left and right and giving you every opportunity to pull away with the game, but yet you never pulled away uh to to the game. And then you had to block a field goal, which is one of the hardest things to do. and with in the angle in which the guy Blackwell came off the edge and Logan cuz I’m pretty sure he’s played that position where you’re rushing off the that’s a tough angle to get to which rarely happens. And so to me it created an even bigger feat for you to have to win this football game. And again we talked about it with these other teams like they have to a establish an identity on on offense and then they have to become consistent. Caleb Williams has to be consistent and they’re going to need a little bit more out of the running game which I don’t think they’re going to get this year. I got him NFC and it’s my lowest in this division and it’s because I really believed in Ben Johnson coming over and the hype and the hope and look two and two you’re not out of nothing but Caleb Williams has not been consistent at all and not what we need and where he was drafted and what he was doing in college and how it looks like it’s a perfect fit for the NFL. Now you have the hottest head coach in candidate Ben Johnson. That’s who everybody wanted. Everybody wanted Ben Johnson to come in and have success right away. But we have a Liam Cohen in Jacksonville’s three- one, you know. So to be two and two, my guy Kevin Buyers stole two picks, went and got him to help to help you get that, you know, that win there. But also Chicago Bears defense, I was expecting more from these guys. So I just think they really have not played to the potential they’re they should play at. I think they have a lot to untap there. And I I had these guys finishing near the top of the division, you know, early in the season. Now they got to go play the games, but it has not been as pretty as anyone predicted for the Chicago Bears. Yeah, I’m glad I was not asked to grade because the Bears is one of just one of those teams I’m not sure what to give them. Like you said, the the inconsistencies, especially at the quarterback position. Caleb Williams started the season hot in that first half against the Vikings and then it just kind of went downhill from there. So, that’s all right. We’ve got more games left to play, but the Bears are on a buy this week, which is kind of surprising. Very early buy, so makes that second half of the season, couldn’t even call it a half at this point, a little challenging. But we do have some games to look forward to this weekend in the NFC North. Packers also on a buy. We’ve got Vikings Browns in London on Sunday morning and Lions Bengals on Sunday afternoon.

Ran Carthon and Logan Ryan join CBS Sports HQ Spotlight to discuss the State of the division for the NFC North.

(0:00:00) NFC North Standings
(0:01:39) Green Bay Packers Grade
(0:03:59) Detroit Lions Grade
(0:06:26) Minnesota Vikings Grade
(0:08:30) Chicago Bears Grade

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