Around the NFC North: Week 9

Texans - 21 :: Vikings - 28

The Vikings tried to pull away from the Texans but were unable to do so until the fourth quarter.  Even then Houston still put up a fight and made it a touchdown game, but they simply ran out of time to do anything.  Every time Minnesota got ahead Houston did come back with a touchdown, but the key to this game was the second quarter.  The Vikings scored twice on a pair of Gus Frerotte passes and went up by two touchdowns.  Houston didn't score anything in that quarter, and as a result, they fell into a hole that ended up being too deep to escape from.

This was the Daily Norseman's reaction following the game:

The Vikings are back to .500, and back into a tie for second place in the NFC North.  The first half looked like the Beloved Purple might turn this game into a blowout, but the Texans, to their credit, gave them a run after subbing in a new quarterback and figuring out how to get the ball to guys not named Andre Johnson.

Packers - 16 :: Titans - 19

This game was dominated by kickers.  Rob Bironas and Mason Crosby each kicked three field goals during regulation.  In the second quarter, Donald Driver caught a 5-yard pass for a TD, and Chris Johnson ran for a 3-yard TD.  Those were the only touchdowns of the game, and ultimately this contest was decided in overtime by a field goal.  Big surprise, right?  Bironas kicked a 41-yard field goal to win the game and keep the Titans' undefeated season alive.

Acme Packing Company said this about the loss:

So how do I feel after this loss?  Not much, by comparison to the other three.  I fully expected a loss, but felt like a win was in the cards.  Am I disappointed?  Of course, I'm always disappointed when Green Bay loses.  They'd have to go 19-0 for me to avoid any disappointment.  But it's not like this game was easy by any stretch of the imagination.  Tennessee is an elite football team this year (like you needed me to tell you that), and they won't lose unless they have a lapse in execution against a team good enough to take advantage of the opportunity.

The Titans were the better team, even though they didn't consistently show it.  Ultimately, I feel much worse about the Packers being 4-4 and one game behind the Chicago Bears (who won yesterday after being down 23-13 to Detroit) than this individual loss to Tennessee.

In Week 10, the Packers and Vikings square off at the Metrodome in a game that has huge NFC North title implications.  The Bears get to host the undefeated Tennessee Titans, who will be looking to improve to 9-0.