Flames24Rulz

Yes, he missed the Seattle game, which was when I believe Cutler still wasn't 100% post concussion. I was misled by sports talk radio! Also I forgot. Pisa has failed to accumulate stats in 4 games, and I believe he left another one after making one tackle. Also, the line was plagued by injuries early in the season. Garza and Williams missed time. Desmond Clark was slated to be a part of this offense but hasn't played much at all after some early injuries. Manumaleuna was injured in training camp and I think that made him limited early in the season. Also, Major Wright was expected to compete for a starting position but was too injured to get the job and too injured to play most of the first half of the season. Then there's Hillenmeyer. I'm not sure where you got your starter numbers of games missed, but it's not true. They have been relatively lucky with health, in comparison to GB and INDY, as well as last year's team. But they haven't completely avoided the injury bug either. It was Hub just throwing stuff out on the radio...I should've checked it out before stating it. And I knew about Williams and Garza...I clearly just wasn't thinking. For an NFL expert, Hub really doesn't know a whole lot of [expletive] about teams not named the Bears.

He has 92 yards in his last 61 carries. That makes Brandon Jackson look like Barry Sanders.

What the hell was Northwestern doing last night?

This. But I'm sure we'll blow one of the final two games and McCarthy will stay. It seems to me that McCarthy really has a built in excuse with all the injuries. I think I heard Hub Arkush say you guys had 6 starters on IR, and 3 of the backups that filled those spots are on IR? And that's not even including Aaron Rodgers missing the Pats game. Something like that....that's nuts. Meanwhile the Bears starters have missed a total of 3 games due to injury. Tinoisamoa has missed 2, and Cutler missed 1. Didn't Briggs miss a game too? Our IR players are as follows: Grant, Finley, Barnett, Burnett, Chillar, Poppinga, Tauscher, Brad Jones, Justin Harrell, Derrick Martin, Anthony Smith, Mike Neal, Anthony Smith, Josh Bell and Spencer Havner. That's seven starters on IR (Grant, Finley, Barnett, Burnett, Chillar, Tauscher, Jones) and four immediate backups (Poppinga, Harrell, Martin, Neal). Things were so bad in our secondary that we had to make a trade for Anthony Smith, and then he was put on IR a few weeks later. Of course, that's not counting key contributors who have missed time this year such as Rodgers, Matthews, Driver, Pickett, Bigby, Shields, Zombo and Starks. We had a guy starting against the Patriots that I literally never heard of before, until the day before the game, named Erik Walden. Some years, things go your way. We were pretty healthy, for the most part, last season. Not so much this year. I can't figure out why we've suffered so many injuries. There's no way to possibly indicate that. But as you can see, many of the injuries have occurred on the defensive side. Capers deserves all of the credit in the world for keeping us in position to make the playoffs. It's quite simple. Win the final two games and we're in the playoffs. McCarthy deserves some heat for our inability to win a close game and if we lose either of the remaining two games, we'd finish the season losing four or five of our final six. He's in charge of the offense and while we've suffered some injuries on that side of the ball, it's nowhere near what we've had to go through on defense. Yet the defense has probably carried us for the majority of the year while the offense has greatly unaderachieved. It's really not that difficult to see why so many Packers fans hold McCarthy in a low regard.

lol at the Scalabrine reaction.

This. But I'm sure we'll blow one of the final two games and McCarthy will stay.

The Packers need to win out to make the playoffs OR they can lose to the Bears if the Giants lose out and the Bucs lose 1 of their 2 games. So if the Packers beat the Giants next week, and the Bucs lose to the Seahawks, the Packers will need just a Giants loss to Washington OR a Packers win over the Bears to get in. If the Bucs beat the Seahawks this week, they will need a Giants loss to Washington AND a Bucs loss to the Saints OR just a win over the Bears. Hopefully the Giants-Redskins game is at noon next week while our game gets moved to 3:15 so I know whether or not to be stressed before kickoff. I just hope next week even matters for us.

raji has been a beast this year, and he's the kind of guy that allows matthews to be effective. i don't think any one-dimensional pass-rushing 3-4 linebacker should win dpoy, ever. the 3-4 may not be a gimmick but that position most certainly is. he's not really doing much more than what kgb did in his prime, he's a nice little pass-rusher and that's about his usefulness. he gets bulldozed against the run and isn't good in coverage. He's certainly not a great run defender but I think he's a pretty good coverage LB. His numbers have taken a hit recently because of the nagging injury to Jenkins. He's been facing double teams non-stop for probably the last month and a half or so. I do agree that Raji and Woodson are probably better overall players, though. Raji's really good.

We also had a ridiculous point differential in 2008, yet we went 6-10.

Yup. The next time we lose our season is over. If you beat the Giants next week but the Giants lose to the Redskins in Week 17, you get in even if you lose to the Bears. Slim chance Washington wins that game, but stranger things have already happened this year. This is all assuming Tampa loses at least once more as well, which they will. Correct. I'd rather not think about that though. I miss the days when there would be like 3 Saturday games during the final few weekends of the season.

I don't get it. You guys won the division. So what's the point of belittling the Packers? Be happy that you crushed Favre and embarrassed the Vikings while clinching a playoff spot. Don't let erik get in your head. Pretty White Sox'ish. Just sayin.

Basically a playoff game on Sunday. MM's on the hot seat if we lose and I'm not just saying that because I hope that's true. You can't lose four out of five late in the season with everything right in front of you.

What does NO need to do to clinch that 5 seed. 1 more win? Kinda crazy the Bears and Packers might very well play each other 2 weeks in a row, one at Lambeau and one at Soldier Field. Yep. It's a severe longshot for us to get the 5 seed. We'd obviously need to win out, we need the Saints to lose out and we need the Giants to lose to the Redskins.

I was obviously too kind when I said the Bears would win by 2 TD's. Hopefully we see each other in late January. I want that damn 5 seed.

And if true, that's the biggest joke of all. Everything is forgiven after a win that doesn't even guarantee the Packers the division? Give me a [expletive] break. HURRAH FAVRE! Thank you for keeping us alive for the division for 6 more days until we lose to the Giants! Wouldn't shock me. Not with that bumbling moron of a head coach we have. And ultimately, what did Favre end up doing with the Vikings? If they made it to the Super Bowl or won the damn thing a year ago, I'd probably dislike the guy forever. He choked in the NFC championship game, which was totally worth it. And then this year has been pretty awesome to watch too. If he ends up beating the Bears to ensure a chance at the division championship, I'd let "bygones be bygones" and probably forgive the guy with no real harm done to the Packers. I don't see the problem there.

Who freaking cares what Packers fans are thinking? It's a Vikings game in Minnesota, the storybook atmosphere just isn't there. It's already been pointed out in this thread at how ridiculous and/or amusing it is that the Packers have to cheer for their jilted lover tonight. I don't know how that's not worthy of some sort of storyline.

It's not like that crowd is insanely in love with Favre. they would be in this setting I still wouldn't call it anything like storybook. It's a sub .500 team going nowhere with a hired gun QB who hasn't played well all year and is banged up. Oh, you better believe it'd be storybook. A fan base that completely turned on a guy is now forced to root for him one last time. And if the Vikings win, almost every Packer fan will probably forgive Favre right then and there tonight. It wouldn't really be storybook as far as what the Vikings are going for, but it would be for Favre. And if people know anything about the guy, it's that everything is about him.

Well we wouldn't die tonight, but that's the most likely outcome.

Give me Favre, or give me death!

Well some of us weren't around back then, so that doesn't count. Just like the Cubs prior to 1988. That never existed.

When have the Packers been dirty and cheap-shotting over the last 20 years?

I don't think the Vikings are getting screwed at all. But how in the hell do the weather conditions favor the indoor team vs. an outdoor cold weather team? I'll take Adrian Peterson outdoors and in snowy conditions versus a Tampa 2 defense. The crappy team with a screwed up QB situation benefits from conditions that tend to even up talent and hinder passing anyway. That's where I was going with when I said that the bad field and conditions should level the playing field.

I don't think the Vikings are getting screwed at all. But how in the hell do the weather conditions favor the indoor team vs. an outdoor cold weather team? I'll take Adrian Peterson outdoors and in snowy conditions versus a Tampa 2 defense. The Vikings also have a pretty big advantage in the DL versus OL battle when the Bears have the football.

With that turf a concussion waiting to happen, I could easily see the Vikings pass rush concussing Cutler and making Todd Collins have to win the game. The O-line really needs to hold up. This is the most overblown whining bullet point from Bears fans from this game. If a guy's head bounces off the ground hard with force he's normally going to get a concussion. See Cutler in NY. Not overblown at all, and you are wrong. Guys can bounce their heads off the ground without getting a concussion quite easily. Not so on concrete. He's right. Look at most of the concussions suffered this season. Quite a few of them have come from a player's head hitting the ground with tremendous impact. Obviously those fields were much softer than what we'll see tonight. It doesn't help matters that they're going to be playing on a hard field, but concussions are obviously part of the game. Besides, the only guy that would end up getting a concussion tonight would be Peterson. Harvin possibly could too with all of the migraines he's had to deal with. Just the way it's been going.

I'd look to trade Seabrook, especially if you know you won't be able to re-sign him.