Earlier in the week, I took a stab at what I thought was the ideal path for the Bears to get to Dallas.  Step 1 has been completed with the Seahawks’ upset win.  Now the hard part.  I mean the really, really hard part for Bears fans.  We should be rooting for the Packers to beat the Eagles on Sunday.

Those may have been the hardest words I’ve ever had to type, but it could all be worth it.  If the Packers can pull off the win in Philly, the Seahawks come to Soldier Field.   Even though the Bears lost to Seattle earlier this year, they scare me a hell of a lot less than the Eagles.

For one thing, he Seahawks don’t get to bring their 12th man on the road and they’re not the same away from Qwest.  Second, I like the Bears in a revenge game.  Lovie will have the troops revved up to avenge a tough early-season loss.  Third, the Wild Card win at home was the Seahawks’ Super Bowl.  They proved their point, overcoming a double digit point spread and the jeers of the football world as the “worst playoff team ever” to pull the upset.

Enjoy the matchup on Sunday.

Go Pack but most importantly…

BEAR DOWN!!!

Even though the Bears‘ season is over (sigh), it doesn’t mean football season is over.  Wild-Card Weekend featured plenty of teams the Bears faced this season (5), ex-Bears runners, a crumbling dynasty, an ex-Chicago team and a hated Bears rival in an instant classic.   Here’s my wrap-up:

Jets 24, Bengals 14

Ex-Bears ran wild in this game, especially Cedric Benson, who ripped off 169 yards and a long TD run in a losing effort.  Former teammate Thomas Jones added a TD of his own as the Jets cruised past the Bengals behind Rex Ryan (yes, Buddy’s son) who runs a lot of the old Bears 46 defense.

The loneliest guy in Cincinnati has to be Shayne Graham.  It seemed like every time the Bengals tried to close the gap, he was missing a short field goal.  It’s going to be a loooong offseason for that guy.

The Jets head to San Diego to take on Phillip Rivers and the red-hot Chargers.   (more…)

Since the Beloved Bears will be enjoying the playoffs from the same vantage point as your truly, I figured I’d write about teams with something to play for this weekend.  It’s rare to see Wild Card Weekend where all of the home teams are underdogs, but it says something about the quality of some of the division winners and the Wild Card teams.

Philadelphia at Minnesota

Donovan McNabb leads the Eagles into Minnesota to battle the Vikings after an unlikely series of events capped by the Bears loss to the Texans and Tampa Bay’s loss to Oakland.  Philly ranks among the top ten in the league in both offense and defense.  Their balance should be a huge asset along with McNabb’s playoff experience.  On the other sideline, Tarvaris Jackson’s lack of experience and Adrian Peterson’s recent bout of fumblitis seem to bring the Vikings into the game outmatched.  The good news for Viking fans is that unless they sell the remaining 3100 playoff tickets, they may not have to watch their team get beat on local TV.

Eagles 24 – 20

Atlanta at Arizona

The worst to first Falcons head into Arizona in the Bird Bowl.  Everyone is really down on the Cards as they limped to the finish line after clinching the NFC West, losing two out of the last three games.  Cardinal fans should be pumped up for the first home playoff game since they moved to Arizona, but instead, they barely sold out University of Phoenix Stadium earlier today.  When considering this game, I look at the quarterback position.  I like experienced Kurt Warner over Offensive Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan, so I’ll go against the grain and take the Cards to pull the home upset.

Cardinals 28-26

Indianapolis at San Diego

Newly crowned NFL MVP Peyton Manning leads the Colts to San Diego for another playoff matchup with the Chargers.  The Colts won in San Diego earlier this season, winning 23-20 back in November.  San Diego’s Ladanian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates are banged up and I don’t think Phillip Rivers has enough weapons without those two at full strength.  Look for Indy to avenge last year’s home playoff loss against San Diego with a win this weekend.

Colts 31-20

Baltimore at Miami

The most unlikely playoff matchup features another worst to first team in the Miami Dolphins, the AFC East Champs hosting the Baltimore Ravens.  It’s ironic that Miami’s lone victory in the 2007 season was against these same Baltimore Ravens, who finished 5-11 last season.  Both teams had a huge turnaround in ’08.  The Ravens did it with old faithful, the stellar defense and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.   Meanwhile, the Dolphins matched the greatest single season turnaround in history as the Wildcat offense took the league by storm.  The Ravens beat the Phins back in October, but I like the Dolphins for the same reason as I picked the Falcons – experienced quarterback over rookie.  Look for Miami to pull the upset.

Dolphins 23-22

Did I miss the boat?  Which team did I underestimate?  Post your picks in the Comments section.  We’ll re-visit this next week for the Divisional Round action.

This game was a microcosm of the entire season.  The Bears came out fired up and scored early, but were unable to protect the lead, letting up 21 unanswered points as they failed to protect their lead and failed to finish the ballgame.  Does that sound like a common theme?  See Caroline, Tampa and Atlanta games in case there is any confusion about not finishing.

The Bears felt the loss of Mike Brown, as the Texans exploited the Bears’ secondary throughout the game.   Andre

Andre Johnson dominated the Bears in Houston's 31-24 victory

Johnson went into the locker room with over 100 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.  At the half.   Any time the defense wants to stop him, please feel free.  He is wearing shirt #80.

Despite all the missteps, the Bears managed to hold the Texans to a short field goal early in the fourth quarter to keep it a 7 point game.  After a questionable no-call on what appeared to be pass interference on Brandon Lloyd, Brad Maynard boomed yet another punt inside the 20, down to the 11 yard line.  And here is where the season effectively ended, my friends.  When it mattered most, the once-vaunted Bears defense let Houston march 89 yards in over six minutes, capped off by a 2-yard Steve Slaton touchdown.  Bears down 2 scores and the season is on life support.

The Bears were able to run an effective 2-minute offense with a Kyle Orton QB-sneak bringing the Bears back to within one score.  Now it was up to Robbie Gould to kick an onside kick for the Bears to have a chance.  He hit the equivalent of a Derek Lee ground ball to the shortstop that Chicago native Kevin Walter easily covered.  And despite all of that, the Bears still had one last gasp.  Hold the Texans to a 3 and out and maybe, just maybe, you get a miraculous punt return or a Hail Mary.  Instead, Tommie Harris, who made over $10 million in bonuses this year, jumped offsides to give Houston a 1st and 5.  Five yards and a couple of kneel-downs later and the season went up in smoke.

I’ll have a lot more to discuss as I get a chance to digest the season.   Throughout the next week, I’ll take a closer look at the offense, defense, special teams and coaching as we head into the offseason.

BEAR DOWN!!!

Dear Santa,

I have been a really, really good Bears fan this year.  I never missed a game and even ignored some of the obvious faults of my favorite team.  Some people say you’re not real, but they’re from Green Bay, so they are stupid and don’t know what they’re talking about.  I hope you can bring me some great presents this year.  Here is the list of what I want:

A Bears win over the Texans.  Maybe Devin Hester could return at least one punt for a touchdown?  I’d hate to see the whole season go by without him bringing one to the house.

A Giants win over those annoying Vikings.  And 3 fumbles by Adrian Peterson would be great too!

An Eagles win over the Cowboys.  Just in case the Giants decide to take it easy.

A Raiders win over the Bucs.  Same reason as the Eagles game.  Even Al Davis deserves something.

A Lions win over the Packers.  Why not?  It’s always fun to see Green Bay lose.  Besides, the Lions don’t deserve to go 0-16, do they?

That’s all for now Santa.  I’m sure I’ll have another list during the offseason and draft, but I don’t want to get too greedy.   In case you can pull a few strings though, I hear Anquan Boldin has been a good boy in Arizona, but wants a new home.  We’ll take good care of him here.  See what you can do.

Thanks,

Boomer

BEAR DOWN!!!

PS – Enjoy the Christmas Yule Log Video.

Jerious Norwood scores as the Falcons defeat the Vikings 24-17

Rookie of the Year candidate Matt Ryan led the Atlanta Falcons to a 24-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikingsin the Metrodome to clinch a playoff spot for the Falcons and keep the Bears’ hopes for an NFC North title alive.  The Bears must hold up their end of the bargain and defeat the Green Bay Packers on Monday night to keep their improbable playoff push going.  Here’s my favorite part: Vikings fans will have to root for the hated Packers on Monday night.  Enjoy!

In other good news, San Diego defeated Tampa Bay and Washington outlasted Philadelphia on Sunday.  Coupled with the Dallas loss on Saturday night at the hands of rookie Joe Flacco and Baltimore, the final Wild Card slot is still up for grabs.    Thanks to all the teams looking out for the Beloved Bears.

BEAR DOWN!!!

• Arizona over Minnesota.  This one is a given.  The easiest path for the Bears is to have the Vikes lose at least 2 of their last 3 games.  This is the last road game for Minnesota and Tarvaris Jackson is starting for the Vikings in place of the injured Gus Frerotte.  Hopefully the Cards do not suffer from a hangover after clinching the NFC West last week and bring home a victory. 
• New York Giants over Dallas.  Even though the Bears’ chances are slim for the Wild Card, at 8-5 Dallas is in the thick of the Wild Card race and a threat to the Bears.  With a NYG win, it does two things: 1) keeps the Giants in the hunt for the #1 seed in the NFC and 2) brings Dallas down to 8-6 and knocks the Cowboys back down to the same record as the Beloved with two difficult games remaining.
• Cleveland over Philadelphia.  Even though the Bears beat the Eagles earlier this season, they sit with a 7-6-1 record, so unless the Bears somehow tie in one of their last 2 games, they’ll need Philly to have one more game in the loss column.  This is will be an uphill climb for Cleveland, which is down to their 3rd string QB and heads into an ever-hostile Philadelphia on Monday night, but “LET’S GO BROWNIES!” 
• Calolina over Denver.  This ones seems counter-intuitive, but I’ll try to explain.  We want the Panthers to be in the hunt for the #1 seed.  This keeps the Giants interested in playing right until the end of the season, where they play at Minnesota.  Like I said before, the easiest path for the Bears is with the NFC North crown, so we want to make the Vikings’ road as difficult as possible.  A Giants team that is fighting for the #1 seed in the last week of the season poses a bigger challenge for Minnesota.
• Tampa Bay over Atlanta.  With the Bucs at 9-4, I am rooting for them to take the first Wild Card slot.  They have relatively easy home games left against San Diego and Oakland, so I hope they win out.  Meanwhile, Atlanta plays at Minnesota next week, so having the Falcons with their backs against the wall makes them a bigger threat to the Vikes. 

I hope this helps shed some light on the Bears playoff roadmap.  With the Bears playing a week from Monday, I’ll put up a similar post next week to help you next Sunday too.  Meanwhile, I’ll be rooting for the Jags to beat the Packers, mostly because I enjoy watching Packers fan suffer and I’ll be rooting for Indy to beat up the Lions and put them one step closer to history.  Besides, I’ve got Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne going in my Fantasy League semi-finals.