NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky had a nightmarish first three quarters against the Lions on Sunday, looking exactly like the guy everyone thought would lose his starting job this summer. But just like he did to win the job, Trubisky rallied and threw three touchdowns in the final 18 minutes or so to lead Chicago to an improbable comeback victory. He still has room to improve his play, but the resilience Trubisky continued to show on Sunday is a good sign. 

“You can’t go back to that dark place,” Trubisky said via NBC Sports’ Peter King. “You can’t go back to, ‘My stats aren’t any good. It’s happening again.’ At times like that, I find myself focusing on my teammates, the guys you grind with. Our relationships run deep. We lean on each other. And I think you’ve just got to believe in yourself, believe you can do it, there’s still time.”

Lions

• NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reports Lions LB Jamie Collins will not be suspended for his ejection after making incidental contact with an official. 

Packers

• The shoulder injury Packers G Lucas Patrick sustained isn’t thought to be serious and he’s probable for Week 2. (Tom Pelissero)
• Packers HC Matt LaFleur didn’t have much of an update on DT Kenny Clark‘s groin injury: “I think you’ll find out later in the week with Kenny. I really don’t know where we’re at right now.” (Matt Schneidman)

Vikings

The Vikings always knew 2020 was going to look different on defense, but the team took pains to try and ensure it was more of a reload instead of a rebuild. In Week 1, though, it looked more like the latter as the Packers roasted the new cornerbacks on the way to 43 points and the defensive line led by trade acquisition DE Yannick Ngakoue did little to slow them down even with the turmoil on Green Bay’s offensive line. 

“Luckily we had one goal-line stand,” Vikings HC Mike Zimmer said via Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Otherwise it would have been really ugly. . . .There’s a lot of football left to be played, but we got to get better quick.”

Despite the loss, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook had a big win a day earlier when he signed a five-year contract extension to stay in Minnesota. Cook said he learned a valuable lesson from negotiations that went right up until the last minute. 

“Never not get too impatient. That’s what I learned from it,” Cook said via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “Just always go work and let the business take care of the business. That’s what I did. I just went to work every day. Regardless of if I did have a contract, I was going to go out there and play regardless. That’s what I love to do.”

Cook said he was happy with the $63 million total and just over $12 million per year average on the deal as a fair reflection of his value to the team. 

“I think 1,000 percent, all around the situation reflects who Dalvin Cook is and what I bring to the table, and that’s why the deal got done,” he said via Cronin.