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NFC North: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 9

We are already in Week 9 of the NFL season and the NFC North remains the only division in football with all four teams possessing a winning record. It's the top division in football.

If the NFL playoffs were to begin this week, Detroit would be the No. 1 seed, Green Bay would be No. 5, Minnesota would be No. 6 and Chicago is currently the first team out of the playoffs at No. 8.

Let's take a look at where Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago all stand heading into Week 9:

DETROIT

Record: 6-1

Last week: Detroit 52, Tennessee 14

Up next: at Green Bay (6-2)

Wins: Los Angeles Rams (26-20), Arizona (20-13), Seattle (42-29), Dallas (47-9), Minnesota (31-29), Tennessee (52-14)

Loss: Tampa Bay (20-16)

Twentyman: The Lions are playing some of the best complementary football in the NFL right now. The offense has scored 172 points over their last four games, the most in franchise history over a four-game stretch. The defense ranks second in takeaways (15) and third-down defense (30.7 percent). On special teams, Kalif Raymond is the league's top punt returner (16.6 avg.), punter Jack Fox leads in net punting (46.4) and kicker Jake Bates is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goals.

Can the Lions keep it rolling on the road at Lambeau Field and win a tough division matchup to push their win streak to six games while taking over early control of the NFC North?

GREEN BAY

Record: 6-2

Last week: Green Bay 30, Jacksonville 27

Up next: vs. Detroit (6-1)

Wins: Indianapolis (16-10), Tennessee (30-14), Los Angeles Rams (24-19), Arizona (34-13), Houston (24-22), Jacksonville (30-27)

Losses: Philadelphia (34-29), Minnesota (31-29)

Twentyman: The big storyline in Green Bay this week is the health of quarterback Jordan Love, who left Sunday's victory over Jacksonville in the third quarter with a groin injury. An MRI Monday showed he's dealing with a strained groin, which is the best-case scenario for the Packers, as he's likely day-to-day.

Malik Willis took over at quarterback down the stretch and went 4-of-5 for 56 yards helping to guide Green Bay into position to kick a walk-off field goal for the win.

The Packers have generated a league-high 19 takeaways and are getting pretty good play from their defense, but obviously Love's status for Sunday will be big news out of Green Bay all week with first place in the NFC North on the line vs. Detroit.

MINNESOTA

Record: 5-2

Last week: Los Angeles Rams 30, Minnesota 20

Up next: vs. Colts (4-4)

Wins: New York Giants (28-6), San Francisco (23-17), Houston (34-7), Green Bay (31-29), New York Jets (23-17)

Losses: Detroit (31-29), Los Angeles Rams (30-20)

Twentyman: Not only did the Vikings lose their second consecutive game last week after starting 5-0, but they lost standout left tackle Christian Darrisaw for the season with a torn ACL and MCL.

If the Vikings are going to snap their losing streak against Indianapolis this week, they have to get more consistent play out of their defense after giving up back-to-back 30-point outings in losses to the Lions and Rams.

"I think you've got to take a really high level look at it," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell told Vikings.com. "You really have to say, 'You know, of some of these explosive plays, were we in position defensively to make a play?'

"It would be naive just to say it's the four or five-day stretch. "I know Flo' (DC Brian Flores) and his staff will take a line-by-line look at it, and where we need to adjust, we will."

View photos of the starters for the Green Bay Packers.

CHICAGO

Record: 4-3

Last week: Washington 18, Chicago 15

Up next: at Arizona (4-4)

Wins: Tennessee (24-17), Los Angeles Rams (24-18), Carolina (36-10), Jacksonville (35-16)

Losses: Houston (19-13), Indianapolis (21-16), Washington (18-15)

Twentyman: Losing on a Hail Mary is a gut punch. Lions fans know the feeling. The loss dropped the Bears to 4-3 and snapped their three-game winning streak.

How quickly can Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus get his team to put it behind them and focus all their energy toward a tough matchup in Arizona Sunday?

"Our guys believe in each other, trust each other, have faith in each other," Eberflus told chicagobears.com. "They're a resilient bunch. They're going to come back more determined. The game didn't go the way we wanted it to. But we had a chance to win it. We did everything we could at the very end. We've just got to execute better."

Chicago's defense didn't allow a touchdown until the final play of the game, and running back D'Andre Swift had another good day on the ground, rushing for 129 yards on 18 carries. There was definitely some good to build on if they can get past the last play lapse.

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