NFC North Recap: Packers, Bears survive to maintain tight race

Nov 17, 2025 - 17:30

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NFC North Recap: Packers, Bears survive to maintain tight race

The NFC North remained one of the tightest divisions in football after Week 11's action.

The Detroit Lions knew what they needed to do to stay at the top of the table ahead of their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Lions entered the night in second place with a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chicago Bears.

Let's look at how the rest of the division played out on Sunday:

Packers 27, Giants 20

The Green Bay Packers went on the road for what was expected to be a pretty routine win against a banged-up New York Giants team on Sunday. However, the Packers again played down to their competition, facing Jameis Winston at quarterback for the Giants.

Despite a tight game entering the fourth quarter, quarterback Jordan Love overcame an apparent shoulder injury to lead the Packers to a go-ahead score, and Winston responded with an endzone interception that kept the Giants from a potential tie in the closing seconds.

The Packers will be missing star running back Josh Jacobs for some time after he went down with a knee injury. Love's injury didn't appear to be as severe, and he said after the game that he should be able to continue to play through it.

Green Bay improves to 6-3-1 and will host the Minnesota Vikings next week.

The Giants will play the Lions in Detroit next week.

Notable performances:

Packers

Jordan Love: 13/24, 174 yards, 2 TD
Christian Watson: 4 rec, 46 yards, 2 TD
Micah Parsons: 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles

Giants

Jameis Winston: 19/29, 201 yards, INT, fumble, rush TD
Devin Singletary: 44 yards, 2 TD

Bears 19, Vikings 17

The Chicago Bears entered Sunday night in possession of first place in the NFC North after hanging on to beat the Minnesota Vikings in the early window of games.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy again proved to be hard to predict, struggling for much of the game but throwing a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minute of the game. However, the Bears bounced back despite blowing a 13-point fourth-quarter lead and kicked the game-winning field goal on the following drive.

The Bears forced the Vikings into two turnovers, extending their league-leading turnover margin and continuing to prove they're not the same outfit we've seen over the last few years.

Chicago improved to 7-3 and will host the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.

The Vikings fell to 4-6 with a trip to Green Bay on tap for next week.

Notable performances: