The Chicago Bears learned the hard way last week that not all wins are pretty.

The Monsters of the Midway trailed 17-3 heading into the half and needed a special teams touchdown and pick-six to secure a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The offense struggled, only accumulating 148 yards on the day, picking up just 11 first downs. Many analysts expected a better performance, given that the 2024 #1 overall pick Caleb Williams made his first career start. The former USC quarterback finished the day with a dismal 93 passing yards on 14/29 attempts. While he never made the mistake and did not turn the ball over, Williams left much to be desired. After the game, he did not overreact to his rough start in the NFL.

“Obviously, we didn’t perform how we wanted to (offensively). We want to be the most efficient team out there, myself included. Didn’t perform the way I wanted to. I missed a few passes that I normally don’t miss. All these other things.”

“Yeah, I don’t care about stats. I feel great. To be honest with you, I feel great.”

The Bears revamped their offensive roster, bringing in WR Keenan Allen in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers and signing veteran RB D’Andre Swift to a three-year contract in free agency. Chicago also drafted WR Rome Odunze with the ninth pick in the draft from Washington, hoping to provide their rookie QB with star talent around him.

In fairness to Williams, he was the only rookie quarterback that earned a win as a starter on Sunday. Jayden Daniels fell to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers 37-20 and did not record a passing touchdown, while Bo Nix lost on the road to the Seattle Seahawks 26-20 and threw two interceptions.

Chicago hits the road for the first time this week in a Sunday night game against the Houston Texans. ESPN Bet set the Bears’ chances to win at +220.

The Detroit Lions continue their busy off-season.

On Monday, general manager Brad Holmes signed offensive tackle Taylor Decker to a three-year extension worth up to $60 million. Roughly half of the contract, $31.83 million, is guaranteed. The Lions selected him with the 16th pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State. He has spent his entire career in the Motor City and is the longest-tenured player on the team.

The 30-year-old Decker verbalized what the extension meant in a press conference after practice.

“I’m very fortunate, and I’ve gotten to have some good luck along the way, but there was also a lot that went into it,” he said. “Sacrifices from myself and from those around me, so it feels good. It just feels special to be able to stay here and be with my friends and get to work with people that I care about and that I love.”

After Detroit reached the NFC championship game last year, Holmes made it his mission to lock down the core that got the team there. Quarterback Jared Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension in early May, and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown received a four-year, $120 million deal two weeks before. Decker’s fellow tackle, Penei Sewell, also earned $112 million in April, and the two will be bookends on the offensive line for years to come.

Decker has been a part of countless losses during his 112 starts, but the Lions are on the upswing. After reaching their first NFC title game since 1992, Hard Rock Bet gives Detroit the second-best odds to win the conference at +550, trailing only the 49ers. Holmes added to his roster in free agency and the draft, selecting two corners from the SEC with their first two picks and signing defensive tackle DJ Reader to a two-year $27.5 million deal. The new pieces should sure up a defense that allowed 19th in total defense.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love will skip training camp until he receives a new contract from the team. Love is going into the last year of his rookie deal, and after starting for only one season, he and the team believe that he warrants a hefty raise.

Green Bay’s general manager, Brian Gutekunst, met with the local media on Monday and told them he knew in advance of Love’s absence but thought the deal was imminent.

“Yeah, I think so,” Gutekunst responded when asked if he felt the sides were close. But again, you never know. We’re working really hard to get (the extension) done. At the same time, the thing I have confidence in is that we both want the same thing.”

Love looks to cash in after a breakout season as a starting QB for the first last season. The Packers struggled out of the gate but turned around a 2-5 season into a Wild Card berth, where they dispatched the Cowboys on the road. That playoff win cemented Love’s status as a top quarterback in the league, even after needing to sit behind Aaron Rodgers for the first three years of his career. The Utah State and former first-round pick threw for 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in 2023.

The quarterback market exploded this off-season after Trevor Lawrance’s five-year $275 million deal that ties him with Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow for the highest yearly salary in the NFL at $55 million. Experts around the league Love can break the $50 million threshold with the rising salary cap and money handed out to quarterbacks, even with his limited profile.

The Packers further cemented their investment in Love with their off-season transactions. The team used their 1st round pick on offensive tackle Jordan Morgan out of Arizona to protect Love’s blindside. They also signed former Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs in free agency to give him an upgrade over former RB Aaron Jones.

Reminding us all that despite their great stature and physical excellence, NFL quarterbacks also relish life’s guilty pleasures, such as gulping down a cold beer like a juiced up college frat–boy. NFC North quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and now Mitchell Trubisky appear on a mission to out–do each other despite football season distanced far off in the rear view mirror. Each player gleefully holding a beer, now continues to put on a fun, yet unusual show during league’s intermission between season.

Trading in pigskins for a kegs, Rodgers and Stafford initially opened the door for the trio’s next opportunity to compete against each other, as after a video showed Rodgers chugging a beer while aiming to best teammate David Bakhtiari at a Milwaukee Bucks game prompted Stafford’s wife to share a video illustrating her husband’s beer consuming skills, mocking Rodgers after his lackluster performance against Bakhtiari. Not to be left out, Trubisky displayed his talents as well while at Chicago White Sox game, hoping to end the argument asking which gunslinger reigns supreme when emptying a mug stands as the challenge after guzzling his drink alongside some teammates.

Although a formal competition remains unscheduled, this comical “drink off” between Rodgers, Stafford and Trubisky continues to draw interest, and now lure in other competitors to the game. Reigning league MVPs Christian Yelich and Patrick Mahomes also joined the fiasco, as each star downed their drink while flashing across the big screen at sporting events. However, Tom Brady‘s performance months before the trend’s expansion deserves recognition, as the six–time champion emptied his glass remarkably quick while on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

While beer chugging doesn’t put money in the bank for each athlete as their more notable skills already do, this recent spectacle gives both needed entertainment for NFL fans while also generating opportunities to compete for players amid the year’s driest point.

The tie broke in the favor of Minnesota. The Vikings (6-4-1) beat the division rival Green Bay Packers (4-6-1) on Sunday night, and thus won the season series over the struggling Pack.

Packers’ Playoff Chances In Jeopardy

Green Bay has perennially found ways to lose games in a myriad of ways, on every stage and on every field. This time, it came against the Vikings, who have similarly struggled as of recent, especially on the national stage. It was the last hope for survival on the crumbling Packers reign over the NFC North, as they now hold a 3 percent chance to make the playoffs and sit half a game ahead of last place. Detroit (4-7) is fourth in the division.

Just a few weeks ago, the Packers were in the mix along with the rest of the division, and several other NFC contenders. Now, the team’s play raises questions about roster construction, management, and the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

“We’re gonna need some help,” said Rodgers about the bleak road to the playoffs. They’ll have to win each of their remaining five games with the miraculous aid of several other teams to have a chance of sniffing the final wild-card spot.

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The Packers didn’t give much support to Rodgers, as the offensive line was punctured several times, with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson sacking Rodgers twice. Down the stretch, the Packers struggled offensively the entire game and couldn’t tie the game down a score. Green Bay’s offense was 2-for-10 on third downs with only 14 first downs all game.

The win now gives the Vikings the keys to their own destiny for the remainder of the season. Just when Minnesota fans needed a spark of hope, the Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins delivered big time after another disappointing loss Sunday night against the Bear, who lead the NFC North at 8-3. Cousins, coming off of his worst game as a Viking with two picks and two touchdowns, stepped up for 342 yards off of 29 of 38 passes with three touchdowns. The Vikings offensive line remained rigid and protected Cousins, who returned the favor with crucial scores in the third quarter.

The Vikings’ next game is one of the premier contests of the late season against the Patriots, while the Packers will have a rebound opportunity against the Cardinals.

In teasing to an offseason report card story from ESPN.com sportswriter Bill Barnwell, ESPN asserted that “The Green Bay Packers are defending NFC North champs. The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason could change that.” Up until early Tuesday afternoon, that statement, which was posted on the network’s Facebook page, was still up.

Vikings Give Response To ESPN’s Claim That Packers Won NFC North

The Vikings actually won the NFC North division last season after defeating the Packers in the final regular-season game at Lambeau Field. Vikings fans immediately took to ESPN’s Facebook page, posting words like “idiots” and “disrespectful.”

The Minnesota team’s Twitter feed also soon afterwards posted a perfectly witty response: a photo of the purple 2015 NFC North banner proving the Vikings were champions with the words, “Guess we should probably return this then, right @ESPN?”

The error was highlighted on Twitter by Vikings fan Adam Carlson, co-editor of the Viking Age and co-host of the Purple People Podcast.

ESPN’s Facebook page has over 14.6 million followers. The post was up for about two hours and was then taken down.

The Vikings are set to host the Packers in Week 2 next season.

PHOTO: MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 10: Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at TCFBank Stadium on January 10, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)