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Breakdown: The Packers' 2013 schedule has a familiar ring. They open with the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive season, a quirk that also affords a rematch with the team that knocked them from the 2012 playoffs. They'll play the Detroit ...

Yippee! Both of our NFC North contestants in the "Madden NFL 25" cover contest have advanced to the quarterfinals! As you can see, former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders is now pitted against former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Mon...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Good morning on a beautifully sunny day here. I'm rushing to the hotel lobby to meet our frantic NFC West blogger, Mike Sando, and dash over to Candlestick Park. You never know what pregame traffic is going to be like. Only seven hou...

Steve Young was the San Francisco 49ers' primary quarterback in 1995 when Jerry Rice set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season. As Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson approaches the record -- he is 182 yards away from breaking it -- Young ...

In Week 2, the Detroit Lions' running game wasn't good enough to exploit a San Francisco 49ers that was aligned dramatically to stop the pass. Things got only incrementally better upon Mikel Leshoure's debut in Week 3, and as a result, it's worth not...

Our friends at ESPNChicago.com report that Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler did not travel with the team to San Francisco for Monday night's game against the 49ers. Cutler will, however, resume his weekly radio show with ESPN 1000 on Tuesday, sch...

Until shortly before midnight Monday, I was struggling to decide which NFC North game to cover in Week 4. The Minnesota Vikings were fresh off a surprising victory over the San Francisco 49ers, a result that made Sunday's matchup with the Detroit ...

After the Minnesota Vikings' 24-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, here are three issues that merit further examination: Sitting in the Metrodome press box offers a live version of the "All 22" coaches' video that the NFL has now made avail...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Some thoughts on what was clearly the best half of football the Minnesota Vikings have played in two years: I really mean that. From an across-the-board perspective, the Vikings couldn't have possibly hoped to play better again...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Greetings from the Metrodome, where we are a little more than an hour away from the Minnesota Vikings' matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. While we have a moment, let's catch up on who is playing and who isn't in the three early NFC ...

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 3: Running aground: The Minnesota Vikings' punchless offense is going to have a tough time functioning against the San Francisco 49ers' physical, fast and sure-tackling defense. Receiver/running back Percy Harv...

My early-season goal is always to see each NFC North team at least once in the first few weeks, and we'll accomplish that goal by covering Sunday's Metrodome matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. Through three weeks, I wil...

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- I dropped by the Minnesota Vikings' practice facility Thursday and heard something I wasn't expecting: Tailback Adrian Peterson lobbying the Vikings to throw the ball downfield more often. Peterson has always been a single-m...

I've now seen the San Francisco 49ers dispatch two of the NFL's best offenses in successive weeks. In Week 1, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was reduced to dumping off passes toward receiver/running back Randall Cobb and tight end Jermic...

After the Detroit Lions' 27-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, here are three issues that merit further examination: Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw 16 interceptions in 663 pass attempts last season. Nine of those interceptions came during a ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Some thoughts on Sunday night's events at Candlestick Park: What it means: The Detroit Lions fell to 1-1, matching the record of every other NFC North team. It's hard to conjure much criticism toward the Lions on this night, howev...