Chicago Bears: @ Denver, vs Seattle, @ Green Bay, @ Minnesota

Atlanta Falcons: @ Carolina, vs Jacksonville, @ New Orleans, vs Tampa Bay (Bears just need to tie the Falcons in record to beat them)

New York Giants: @ Dallas, vs Washington, @ Jets, vs Dallas (I think the Bears have the tie breaker against them. Bears have 3 NFC losses. Giants have all 6 of their losses against NFC teams. Pretty sure that gives the Bears the tie breaker)

Detroit Lions: vs Minnesota, @ Oakland, vs San Diego, @ Green Bay (We're both 2-2 in the division. Best division record is the first tie breaker against them. They need to lose to Minnesota. Hopefully AP is back)

4 teams for 2 spots. Bears only have to beat out 2 of their 3 contenders. It still can be done even with Forte and Culter out. Then they both come back for the playoffs.

You know what bothers me about the media. Everybody says the Bears are out without stopping to look at the scenerio. Nobody bothers to do that. How do you say they're in or out without looking at the other teams and their schedules? Or looking at the tie breakers.

Bears, Giants, Lions and Falcons are all struggling. All of their fans are pissed. I'm sure the local media for these other teams are burying them. Guess what? 2 of these 4 teams are gonna make the playoffs.

Minnesota holds the key to the playoffs for the Bears and Lions

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And men have lost their reason.

I like the Giants losing 2 or 3 more games. Detroit can certainly lose 2 more games. Falcons have a potential 2-2 finish in front of them. I think it might just take the Bears to go 2-2 the rest of the way. With their schedule, they can do it. They also can go 1-3.

But if I were to put odds on it, given the Bears tie breaker advantage over the Giants and Falcons, I would make them favorites to land one of these 2 spots.

What's wrong with that? With the way the Bears have played the last 2 weeks, doesn't matter what the scenario is. If they don't play light years better than yesterday, they will end up 8-8 at best.

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A lot is wrong with it. For you to declare the Bears dead without understanding where they are against their competitors is stupid. Giants have lost 4 in a row. Detroit has lost 5 out of 7. So what do you say about them? By your logic, you have to declare them dead too, right? Like I said, somebody has to make it of these three teams.

Frank: I don't want to think. It's so much easier to have a knee jerk reaction after a Bears loss and declare them dead.

Beardown: Frank, other contenders are struggling too. Bears have tie breaker advantages and winnable games in front of them despite them not playing well. Giants, Falcons and Lions have some tough games. Not to mention the fact that the Bears have the best defense vs these other 3 teams. Also, as we speak, the Bears are the 5th seed.

Frank: So what? I don't want to look at logic. Like I said, thinking is stupid. I'm not gonna take the time to look at this rationally. I'm just gonna scream that the Bears are bad and can't make the playoffs. It's so much easier to do that.

Beardown: Ok, Frank. (Borrows Goff's "dumb ass cracker" soundbite and plays it)

Frank:

Despite yesterday's clunker to the lowly Chiefs at Soldier Field, I think the Bears can still right the ship and punch one of the two NFC Wildcard spots. Wins over the Broncos, Seahawks and Vikings get it done, but it will be challenging as long as Matt Forte is out of action with that MCL to his right knee.

Giants: I have very little trust in "Big Blue" and Eli "Rex Grossman with a Ring" Manning winning either game with the Cowboys, starting with the NFC East grudge match Sunday night on NBC.

Falcons: Despite a clunker of their own to the Texans and third string QB T.J. Yates, I think Atlanta wins three of their last four to punch one of the Wildcard spots.

Lions: Detroit should win three of their last four, but they've been so undisciplined lately. They had a lot of penalties last night in their loss at New Orleans.

While I agree that The Bears are likely in, I would bet the Falcons move past them into the 5 slot. Another possibility is the Giants winning their division, thus throwing the Cowboys into the Wild Card mix. IMO, the most intriguing element could be how The Packers treat their last 2 games vs The Bears & Lions. Would they back off the throttle against the Lions to knock The Bears out if Cutler is waiting in the wings?

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Zippy, the Packers have clinched the NFC North with their win over the Giants and the Bears & Lions each losing. I'm not sure how many more wins the Packers need to clinch home field throughout the NFC, let alone if they plan to rest Aaron Rodgers and their other key players once they clinch the #1 overall seed.

As for the Cowboys, they're hard to figure as well, but I believe they're the team to beat in the NFC East, despite their loss at Arizona in OT. They have 2 head-to-head games with the Giants and I think they have 1 more with the Eagles at the "House That Jerry (Jones) Built" down in Arlington, TX.

Please show me where I declared them dead. You won't find that quote because I never said it. I said they will be dead if they play like they did yesterday.

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Here's the bottom line. In 3 of the final 4 games the Bears face the following quarterbacks: Tim Tebow, Tavaris Jackson and Christian Ponder. There is no way that you can say those games aren't winnable.

Don't give me Tebow's record. He's due for a really bad game. The Bears defense can handle him just fine. Hell, the Bears are due for one of their 4 take away games as well.

Fine. But the same could be said of the Lions and Giants if they play the way they've played over the last month.

Can the Bears win a Super Bowl this year? No. Of course not.

But given their current injury situation I would take great satisfaction in them just making the playoffs. This would be a huge notch on Lovie Smith's belt. December matters. We've seen enough seasons where it hasn't. That's at least fun. If they get in with a healthy Cutler and Forte for the playoffs and upset the Cowboys or 49ers in the first round that would make it a hell of a season.

Just making the playoffs would be a disappointment for this team after being 11-5 and advancing to the Title Game last year.

Up to yesterday I thought the Bears had a backup QB who could play. I thought he might even be able to manage a first round playoff win, which I think will be necessary as we are being optimistic about Cutler being back and effective by then. For Culter to be in the first playoff game he has to be practicing just one month from today.

Hanie can't play, at least not behind this offensive line and not with the oblivious Martz sending in the plays. Now Forte is gone for a month. The Bears probably are making the playoffs. Their position is still good, but it has the feel of a death march. A real contending playoff team would have a QB like old Steve Fuller to bridge this gap.

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The Cubs, I mean Sox, won, I mean lost--Tommy Williams.

Are you kidding me? Steve fuckin' Fuller is the name you come up with as a "good backup". Yeah, he won, BUT HE WAS ON THE '85 Bears!!!! I mean if you give me some other name as a good backup, fine, there have been many good backups in the history of the NFL, but Steve Fuller? By the way, who was out there that the Bears could have gotten as a good backup this year?

It would be a good season if they make the playoffs at this point. If Culter never got hurt I would only accept a loss to the Packers in the playoffs. They're just better. Any other loss, I'd say it was a disapointment.

If Cutler didn't get hurt the Bears would have 11 or 12 wins this year.

I just looked up Steve Fuller's stats in the 1985 season. Yeah, he was 4-1. But let's look deeper.

In those 5 games: 1 TD, 5 interceptions, 49% completions, and a passer rating of 57.

Yeah. You just gotta get those Steve Fuller's as backup QBs.



http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FullSt00.htm

Here is the tie breaker run down. 1st tie breaker is head to head and the 2nd tie breaker is conference record. So yes, we have it over the Giants with their 6 NFC losses to our 3. We have it over the Lions right now too. Obviously we have it over Atlanta cuz we beat them.

http://www.nfl.com/standings/tiebreakingprocedures

atlanta can most likely go 3-1, putting them at 10-6. bears are 7-5 and may have 1 or 2 wins left in them. the giants may even be able to squeak in. the bears are missing their two most important offensive players for probably the rest of the season.

beardown, you are probably the most blind meatball fan on the board and i've never quite figured out if it's a bit or not. but in any event, if you enjoy watching your team getting their ass handed to them should they make the playoffs, that's your thing.

Didn't Wanny's Bears win a PO game in Minnesota with a backup QB? Also in 1984,Fuller led the Bears to their first PO win under Ditka by upsetting the Skins.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Bears have a 1 game lead over the Giants and the tie breaker. Giants play Dallas twice and the Jets. You're a dumb ass if you think the Giants have a better shot than the Bears. Bears have a much easier schedule. I'm not blind. If Hanie is the QB the Bears lose the first round playoff game. If Cutler is back (I believe he will be) the Bears stand a good chance of beating the Cowboys or 49ers. They would get killed by the Saints with or without Cutler.

Atlanta might get in. It's not a lock, though. They have Carolina on the road. Not easy with the way Newton is playing. They have the Saints on the road. That's a loss. Even that Tampa game won't be easy. The Bears just have to beat 2 of these 3 teams to get a playoff spot. There are 2 spots available.

the giants could win their division still. it wouldn't have anything to do with the bears, who most likely won't have cutler or forte for the remainder of the regular season. that "easy schedule" is a lot more daunting now that they have zero offensive power. their defense can only do so much.

Yeah, like bat the ball into the opposing receiver's hands, get out hustled, get double teamed...

Yeah. But if the Giants win that division it would mean the Cowboys would have to go at least 2-2. So that would mean the Bears would have the tie breaker over the Cowboys if they just go 2-2. Cowboys have 4 conference losses to the Bears 3. Cowboys play nothing but conference games the rest of the way. If Bears go 2-2 it means they would have to get the tie breaker cuz they couldn't catch Dallas in conference losses if they go 2-2.

I'm not as dumb as you think. I actually try to look at this stuff and figure it out. Unlike a lot of people who just tell you who's in or out without even looking at records, schedules or tie breakers. It's kind of an important aspect that not a lot of people bother to look at.

you're missing the obvious point that the bears don't have much on offense. still have to score points. i don't see how anyone could realistically be optimistic about the team--and that's simply because of their injuries. if they had a healthy cutler and forte, they could be considered a contender.

Pointless. It's over.

If they weren't playing QBs Tebow, Ponder and Jackson I'd say you're right. They are playing them, however. That's the point you're missing.

You're also missing that the Bears have a pretty good defense. Better than the Giants, Falcons and Lions. Those teams give up points and all of them could go 2-2 or worse down the stretch. The Bears can go 2-2 as well. 2-2 will get the Bears in.

you seriously cannot discount about anybody's QB situation when you're throwing hanie out there. tyler palko only needed one offensive touchdown to beat the bears.

not to mention minnesota can run the ball, and so can seattle. seattle's defense is pretty good as well. denver's the same thing. in any event, these facts level the bears supposed advantage on defense.

and contrary to what i think you're thinking, you're forgetting rodgers on that list. and i do believe green bay will be playing to win.

I conceded the Packers game. Of course that's a loss. That's probably would have been a loss with Cutler and Forte playing. I said the Bears need to go 2-2 to get in. They will.

they could beat seattle, because it's a home game. i still think minnesota and denver could easily be losses. especially with their situation.