 and Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) embrace following a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</p>
<p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27862916.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=795,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27862916.jpg”><figcaption><span>Dec 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) embrace following a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</span></figcaption></figure><div class='code-block code-block-3' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
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Remember when the final two episodes of Game of Thrones were coming up? Even if you weren’t watching, you still felt invested simply because of the pop culture references. Would everything be frozen forever, or would the entire world burn?
With injuries piling up and playoff math tightening, the NFC North has become a week-to-week survival test where one win or concussion could flip the standings overnight.
The show was known to be unpredictable, so anything was possible. The 2025 NFL Season has been similarly unpredictable, with moments of teams being burned down and others freezing to death.
The NFC North Sprint Nears the Finish Line
These last two weeks will have plenty of drama as many a mighty warrior has fallen. Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Christian Darrisaw, Johnathan Greenard, Rome Odunze, Braxton Jones, Brian Branch, and Sam LaPorta have all been removed from the battlefield, causing the fights to swing wildly from one moment to the next.
Now, Jordan Love and JJ McCarthy are hurt and might not be available for next week or maybe the rest of the season.
Packers at Bears
The battle for the top spot had a Saturday spotlight! Most of the year, I’ve had the Bears near or at the bottom of my personal standings based on who they beat or lost to. The Packers have dipped a few times, but I felt as of last week they were the top team regardless of teams’ records.
The game started just as I thought it would, with the teams bending but not really breaking. However, the Packers were the ones taking a slight advantage, chipping in field goals in the first half, going in at the half up 6-0. I felt that the Packers were in a perfect position to start getting into the end zone in the second half and sweep the Bears.
Caleb Williams wasn’t lighting up the Green Bay defense, but was still doing enough to keep them in the game. The Chicago defense was playing with plenty of intensity and somewhat recklessly, and that’s what turned the game in a way many didn’t anticipate.
 lies on the turf after making the game-winning touchdown catch during overtime against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images</p>
<p>” data-medium-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27862978.jpg” data-large-file=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1180,height=571,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27862978.jpg” src=”https://vikingsterritory.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=444,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/USATSI_27862978.jpg” alt=”NFC North playoff race”><figcaption>Dec 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (2) lies on the turf after making the game-winning touchdown catch during overtime against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images<span></span></figcaption></figure>
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<p>No, Chicago didn’t blow the game by playing bad defense. They won it because their defense did something wrong. In the second quarter, Love was exposed to a sack and got nailed by Bears defensive end Austin Booker. Booker lowered his helmet and hit Love in the head with it.</p>
<p>Granted, Love ducked into it a little, trying to protect himself, but Booker should have kept his head up. Straight to concussion protocol for Love, do not pass go. He may be out for the next game, or even both, since their next game against the Ravens is on Saturday and the Vikings game in Minnesota is on Sunday. But concussions can be tricky things, especially if they are going to be in the playoffs regardless of the final game.</p>
<p>Luckily, Malik Willis is a competent starter with more running ability to keep teams off balance, but he’s a step down from Love.</p>
<p>The Bears never led in this game, and with Love down, they were able to take advantage defensively and keep chipping away. They eventually got into the end zone to tie it up, force overtime, and have Williams do his best Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers imitation, throwing a ball that DJ Moore brought in for a touchdown, sending Green Bay packing. The win may be a little tainted, but it’s still a win that puts the Bears in the driver’s seat.</p>
<p><strong>Lions vs Steelers</strong></p>
<p>If there was a team looking to make a last-gasp comeback, it was the Lions. They needed a win over the Steelers Sunday night to stay in the playoff hunt and needed a little help around the league. One thing that helped was the Bears’ win over the Packers the day before.</p>
<p>Taking on a dangerous Pittsburgh team at home was at least a positive advantage. What is not is the string of injuries that have once again stripped the Lions of playmakers in too many key positions. Aaron Rodgers returned to take on another NFC North opponent as he continued his “Welcome Home-Esque” tour to see if he still “owns” most of them. From the get-go, the Lions looked lifeless.</p>
<p>Not defeated but just looked like they were tired of the grind that the NFL had doled out on them this year. They drove for a nice touchdown from Jared Goff to Isaac TeSlaa, who made a tough catch while getting hit by two defenders to give them a 10-3 lead. Immediately after that, they let Rodgers drive the field and throw an improbable touchdown to Kenneth Gainwell, where he fell and, while lying on the ground, tipped the ball to himself, got up, and ran into the endzone.</p>
<p>Tied at the half is not where you wanted to let the Steelers be, especially in that manner. Pittsburgh drove the field again to start the third quarter, but the Lions got a fumble in the same area that Gainwell made his miracle catch! They followed that up by getting Goff sacked in the endzone for a safety. After that, the Steelers matched almost everything the Lions threw at them.</p>
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Jordan Addison seemed to catch a perfectly placed pass in the endzone while falling on his back, only to have it somehow bounce out. Jalen Nailor tipped a ball that should have been a catch to the Giants’ defense.
It’s been a bit of a theme this year, with receivers dropping catchable balls, but it’s even more frustrating because it happens at the worst times, killing drives or causing turnovers. After McCarthy drove the field and ran in a touchdown, the Vikings got the ball back before the half, and he got blown up, losing the ball that became a Giants scoop-and-score. That was the last of McCarthy for the day, as it was revealed that he had an injury on his throwing hand, and later replays showed he lost the ball before he got hit.
Enter Max Brosmer. He played well and had a great throw to Justin Jefferson, but some of the shine came off the offense. Aaron Jones had a great day running. After a final Will Reichard field goal, the Vikings basically ran the clock out.
I’m a small-town boy with12 years in telecommunications and 13 years in radio but a lifetime as a Vikings … More about Tony Schultz