Micah's NFC North recap for Week 13 - Bears, Packers prepare for duel

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will be fighting for the NFC North throne these next few weeks, and both teams have their sights set on much more. Each week, the Detroit Lions have one setback that hits them, and with Amon-Ra St. Brown's injury, I am not sure if they can overcome adversity and make the playoffs. Things in Minnesota will get worse before they get better.

Here are my takeaways from NFL Week 13 in the NFC North for each team:

(9-3) Chicago Bears

What a week for the Chicago Bears. Not only does this team have sole control of the NFC North for yet another week, but this team is also sitting in first place in the NFC after a Rams upset. This team now controls its own destiny, and if it keeps winning, the NFC will run through Chicago. That is the complete opposite of where this team was just a year ago in the final year of the Matt Eberflus tenure. In their dominant win versus the Eagles, the Bears showed a run game that nobody wants to face, and you mix that with this defense and the Chicago weather, that is a combination that can take the Bears on a deep playoff run. Ben Johnson has turned this franchise around, and the best is yet to come with this team as they are getting healthier and better.

(8-3-1) Green Bay Packers

The Packers looked like the Super Bowl contenders they were to start the season in their game on Thanksgiving versus Detroit. They proved that Week one's win was not a fluke. Jordan Love threw 4 touchdowns and looked like the top-10 quarterback many expect him to be. The rest of the offensive stars showed up in Josh Jacobs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson. Micah Parsons displayed exactly why you trade for him, as he posted 2.5 sacks; both of his sacks came at crucial times to close out the game. The Packers look like a team that will give the Bears quite the challenge on Sunday. This team is missing its star Tucker Kraft, but reinforcements are coming with the return of Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden.

(7-5) Detroit Lions

Things are crumbling down for the Lions; they are getting a new injury every week. This time around, it is Amon-Ra St. Brown who could miss a couple of weeks with an ankle injury. The next two games without St. Brown are against the Rams and the Cowboys, two of the best teams in the NFC. A must-have game versus Dallas on Thursday, a team that is coming off wins versus the Eagles and Chiefs, looks really challenging. The Lions' offensive line has struggled this year, and they were so close to getting their saving grace back with Frank Ragnow returning from retirement. He ended up failing his physical and will not be coming back to this team. This is just the year of bad breaks for Detroit. I do not see how this team can win the next two games, and I think this season they will be watching the playoffs from home.

(4-8) Minnesota Vikings

If you thought J.J. McCarthy was bad, boy, Max Brosmer was atrocious in his first career start; he was sacked 4 times and threw 4 interceptions every against the Seahawks. The Vikings were shutout in their loss verus Seattle Sunday, and this offense hit a new low. The sad part is that the struggles will not go away when their former first-round quarterback returns. The frustration is getting to a high level within the best players on this team, and the Vikings just might be forced to make a change at quarterback next season.

Overview

The Bears and the Packers are the only teams that are duking it out for the NFC North crown, as the Vikings and Lions both are trending deeper in dangerous territory. The Vikings' season is just about wrapped up, but the near future does not look any better for this team, as they have many questions about the quarterback position. The Lions are playing themselves out of the playoffs, and this team just might have had their Super Bowl window close just as fast as it opened.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Winners and losers in the NFC North for NFL Week 13