Here's a look around the NFC North heading into week 13 of the regular season.

Chicago Bears

The Bears defeated the lowly New York Giants 19-14.

-The Bears were incapable of getting anything going on the ground. Combine that with an anemic passing offense, and they were lucky to be playing an opponent as inept as the Giants. The Bears averaged 2.5 yards per carry on 26 carries--straight up bad. The team couldn't even convert crucial short-yardage situations. It's quite stunning to see what's happened to the team's running game, given the expectations with David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen coming into this season.

-It was another pedestrian outing for Mitch Trubisky, who completed 61 percent of his passes for 278 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. A week after getting benched, he didn't exactly perform in a manner against a bad team that would suggest the Bears would do anything other than move on from him this offseason.

-You do have to wonder what sort of Band-aid solution the Bears will find at quarterback for next season. They don't have a first round pick because of the Khalil Mack trade. Trubisky will be under contract for at least one more year, but another year of Trubisky is essentially throwing in the towel before the season starts. Will they attempt to trade for a veteran, or for a young project languishing on somebody's bench? By mortgaging their future for Mack and the right to draft Trubisky, the Bears have put themselves in an awful position for at least the next couple years.

The Bears will play on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions. Get ready for Jeff Driskel vs. Trubisky, a matchup certain to give you indigestion if your Thanksgiving feast doesn't.

Detroit Lions

The Lions lost to the hapless Washington Redskins 19-16.

-Boy, that matchup with the Bears on Thanksgiving is looking like it's going to be a barn-burner. Driskel vs. Trubisky and a pair of impotent offenses. If you're worried about getting into arguments over the state of the world with your extended relatives, at least you'll all be able to agree that this game will be a garbage matchup.

-Driskel played poorly, but the Lions' offensive line gave himabsolutely no help. He was under siege all day long, which does not bode well for the matchup against the Bears and their tough front seven this week.Driskel showed some mobility, but he also made some questionable choices and took a few too many sacks that could have been avoided. Even if Stafford were playing quarterback, the Lions' line is so bad that it might not make much of a difference.

-At this point, the future isn't looking very bright for the Lions. They don't have much to build wtih at the second level of their defense. Outside of Darius Slay, who has been underperforming, the Lions have almost nothing to work wtih back there. Matthew Stafford is far more banged up than a quarterback who's only 31 years old has any right to be, and it doesn't appear as though Matt Patricia has successfully implemented a culture shift in Detroit. These are the kinds of losses that really take a toll on franchises.

But hey, at least they still get their Thanksgiving football!

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings were on bye this week.

-The Vikings desperately needed the 49ers to beat the Packers, as a Packer win combined with their favorable schedule over the rest of the season would have potentially put the division out of reach for the Vikings. But now, Minnesota controls its own destiny in the NFC North, just as the Packers do, and a first-round bye is still on the table.

-The Vikings get a little extra time coming out of their bye to prepare for the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night in what is a game with massive playoff implications. The game takes place in Seattle, which puts a lot of pressure on Minnesota. This is exactly the kind of game that Kirk Cousins has struggled in over his career. A win here would shut up a whole lot of naysayers. For the Seahawks, they need this victory to keep pace with the 49ers for the division title. A loss to the Vikings would complicate matters--they would no longer control their own destiny in the NFC West title race. Both of these teams are almost certain to be in the playoffs as either division winners or wild cards, so this could also be a good preview of what to expect from each of these teams come January.