After one week the clear best quarterback in the NFC North was... Sam Darnold? Every year there are crazy results in week 1 and every year the cognoscenti freaks out. All of a sudden the Vikings are good, the Packers defense is bad and Caleb Williams is a bust. Obviously only one of those things is probably true. Let's get into everything else we can freak out about this week. 

Bears

The Bears squeezed by the Titoons, 24-17. 

Game Notes

• This was quite possibly the least deserved win in history. The Bears were down 17-0 and won thanks to a defensive touchdown, a special teams touchdown (courtesy of ex-Packer Jonathan Owens, ex-Packer being the most interesting thing about him) and a few field goals. The defensive touchdown came when Will Levis was getting sacked and flipped the ball to a bears defender for a pick six. It may have been the dumbest play I've ever seen. 
• Caleb Williams was 14/29 for 93 yards in his debut. The best 3-man wide receiver corps in the NFL managed a total of 10 catches for 76 yards. Yuck. The good news, for Bears fans, is that Caleb Williams excelled as a runner, at least as far as averaging the same number of yards per carry as the team's prized free agency acquisition D'Andre Swift: three.  
• Our favorite analytics superstar turned kick returner turned geriatric wide receiver turned running back, Velus Jones Jr., had two carries for 11 yards and a catch for eight yards. He did not have the big kick return that led to one of the field goals. 
• On the defensive side, Darrell Taylor immediately made a fool out of me with two sacks. Next week, I won't have to look up his name, probably. 
• Jaylon Johnson started out his first year post huge contract well, giving up just nine receiving yards and getting a pick.

Wisconsin Ties

• TJ Edwards had a monster game with 15 tackles, including two for a loss. His big money partner, Tremaine Edmunds, had four tackles. Jack Sanborn played just three snaps. Let's get him to Green Bay. 

Next Week

The Bears take on the Texans on Sunday night. 

Vikings

The Vikings throttled the Giants, 28-6. I can already see Brian Daboll wearing Cowboys gear as Bill Belichick's offensive coordinator next year. 

Game Notes

• Sam Darnold completed his first 12 passes and was 13/14 for 151 yards and a touchdown in the first half. In a sort of reverse-Kirk Cousins, he regressed a little in garbage time, finishing 19/24 for 208 yard with 2 TDs and a pick. Darnold seemed like a revelation to Vikings fans but keep in mind the other QB of the day was Derek Carr. It's week one. 
• Sadly, Aaron Jones also had a big day with 94 yards and a score on 14 carries. Back-up Ty Chandler had a horrendous 17 yards on eight carries. 
• The defense also looked great, though again it's hard to tell against the Giants whether this was real or preseason week 4. Former Badger Andrew Van Ginkel had a sack and a pick six and Pat Jones II had two sacks. Rookie Dallas Turner also turned in a one-sack performance. The Vikings didn't need lucky plays, like the Bears, to win this game they were just far better than the Giants. 
• If I had to reevaluate my training camp notions of the Vikings I probably wouldn't put them in the super bowl just yet but I'd lean toward moving them up a notch. Let's see how Brian Flores does against an NFL offense and how long it takes Sam Darnold to turn into a pumpkin. 

Wisconsin Ties

• We talked about Van Ginkel and Aaron Jones so the only other news is that Ty Summers had a special teams tackle. Exciting. 

Next Week

The Vikings will find out how legitimate this team is against the 49ers. 

Lions

The Lions pulled off a 26-20 OT victory over the Rams. 

Regulation Notes

• Jared Goff had a chance to get revenge, again, against the team that unceremoniously dumped him and he unceremoniously dumped in the bed for most of the second half. Goff was 17/27 for 207 yards, a TD and a pick (and another dropped pick with four minutes left in the fourth). This was sort of a classic Goff game. He did not look good fo rmost of the second half and then the Lions pulled away with some schemed up passes and runs on the last drive of regulation and overtime. 
• The big breakout player for the Lions was Jameson Williams, who everyone has been projecting to be a breakout player for eight months. The third-year receiver had five catches for 121 yards and a TD - he has the ability to take this offense to the next level. He made up for the Sun God and LaPorta no-showing. The Sun God had 13 yards on three catches and Sam LaPorta had 45 on four, including a big 33-yard play on the final drive of the fourth. 
• Just like last year, the Lions used David Montgomery as their bell cow back and Jahmyr Gibbs as the change-up/pass-catching back. Unlike last year, neither back could get it going in regulation and both averaged under four yards per carry.    
• The big question for prognosticators about this Lions team was whether year four with Aaron Glenn would be when the defense finally broke out. It looked the part early in the first quarter and then Pula Nacua went down and it seemed like they may pitch a shutout. Then Matt Stafford turned on and led the Rams to 17 second-half points on a 34/49 for 317 yard night.
• Interestingly, the Ram offense got going when they decided to ditch their original game plan and start running the ball right at Detroit. They still had horrific run numbers but tying that run game to that pass game is what makes the offense work. 

Overtime Notes

• Overtime was like a different game. The Lions showed why many have them as the SB favorite with runs of 12, 21, 9, 6 and 8 yards (along with a 10-yard pass) to score against the exhausted Rams defensive line and end the game. 

Wisconsin Ties

• Sadly, as far as I can tell the Lions have no former Packers or other Wisconsin ties again this year. 

Next Week

The Lions play Tampa Bay.