That’s the main culprit behind the Chiefs’ worst-to-first ascension, no? They’re healthy this year.
In part, but I think most of the Chiefs’ problems last year was getting crushed in the turnover differential, poor coaching, and poor QB play. They were only the 11th worst in adjusted games lost in the NFL, which is bad, but not horrible. But I think it’s Alex Smith, Andy Reid, and going from -24 last year to +15 so far this year in turnover ratio that are the biggest things in the Chiefs’ resurgence.
Peanut Tillman is on IR with a designation to return but the soonest he would come back is 8 weeks, so he is effectively done for the season. Not good.
Cutler is also out for the next game.
Looking forward to seeing McCown back in there next week. The Tillman news is crushing, but then again he’s been at about 50% for 3-4 weeks now with leg issues. Still think the Bears can limp into the Wild Card if they get healthy on offense and start letting it rip a little bit more, but that said I’m starting to project a few draft picks for next year.
- Replace Garza at Center, he was dominated all day and has been killing us in the run game all season.
- Improve at DE and DT. McClellin is a specialist, Peppers will be released, Melton may or may not be back after getting hurt with the tag on him. Wootten is good, they have some decent rotational guys in the middle and it would be nice if Washington panned out, but this feels like it’s a project on the level of the OL last off season.
- DBs everywhere, other than Jennings we probably need to replace all of these guys. Tillman can stick around another couple years, especially if he can play multiple positions, but age is catching up to him quickly. The Safeties are a utter disaster.
- QB…even if Jay is back, we need to draft one before the 4th round.
Taking Peppers off the payroll and maybe freeing up money committed to Melton and Tillman should give the Bears flexibility to address some of the needs in FA, but if they retain Jay his contract will gobble up a pretty big chunk of that. The offense looks like it has the potential to be great, let hope we can avoid becoming the Redskins over the next couple years.
This, from the fine minds at the Onion made me laugh.
Week 11:
NFC North Team W L T
Detroit Lions 6 3 0
Chicago Bears 5 4 0
Green Bay Packers 5 4 0
Minnesota Vikings 2 7 0
Week 11: (Sun., Nov. 17) Ravens at Bears, 1 p.m.
Week 11: (Sun., Nov. 17) Lions at Steelers, 1 p.m.
Week 11: (Sun., Nov. 17) Vikings at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m.
Week 11: (Sun., Nov. 17) Packers at Giants, 8:30 p.m.
Ye gods! It’s chaos out there! Dogs and cats living together, Chitauri are breakdancing in downtown New York, and the Lions are strutting around on the top of the division. Everyone else is waiting for the Lions midseason breakdown but it hasn’t happened so far. Their offense has been good and their defense has been dangerous with that D line and maybe, just maybe, some of the discipline issues are going away. They still have Suh, so you know they won’t go completely away. Still, the Steelers aren’t very good right now and the Lions should be able to win this one.
The Beloved are hurting. They lost a close game to Detroit last week where Cutler was kept in a little too long and Charles Tillman just couldn’t stop that last TD. Tillman’s on the 8 week IR and will be replaced by Zack Bowman. Bowman is an OK corner, but if he were starting quality, he’d be starting somewhere. Ravens aren’t the same as they were last year, aren’t running the ball too well and are beat up on defense. This game can go either way.
Packers and Giants. Do the Packers have a chance? Are the Giants turning it around? I dunno.
And the Vikings are going against the Seahawks. I see the Seahawks shutting down the passing game easily and winning this one.
I find myself in the odd position of actually liking the coach of the Bears. He seems to be one of those highly intelligent gameplanners who has a very good understanding of offensive concepts. Much more emphasis on being smart and prepared than a douche like Schwartz or a control freak like Schiano. He also seems to embrace some of the analytics of football and is more willing to buck traditional thinking than other coaches. He’ll be interesting to watch, and see how teams perform against him with a bit of game tape.
I also kinda like the “out of football, but gets one last shot” story of Josh McCown, I love me some Martellus Bennett, and I respect the hell out of Peanut. Luckily they still have the perennially overrated Jay Cutler, the woman beating, but all better now diva Brandon Marshall, and there’s always Ditka around to make himself look like the idiot he is, so it’s not too horrible. But I’m finding myself liking the Bears’ team more and more. Yuck.
Still hate the Lions though, and pity the Vikings. Nice to have those.
Big game for the Packers this weekend, hosting the Vikings at Lambeau. I get the feeling if it wasn’t the Vikings, Rodgers might be suiting up and playing, but I think the coaches and GM feel like they don’t need him to beat the Vikings, so they’ll wait until Thanksgiving to take the risk with him.
The Packers are falling behind and need this win to keep hope alive. I’ve changed my mind a bit on Tolzein, I think he’s got the potential to be a starter in the NFL. He’s just currently too bad at QBing to be put in charge. He’d be a fine developmental project, but I’d much prefer Flynn as a starter. The defense, however, has been a huge disappointment in Rodger’s absence. This team needed them to step up, and they’ve simply haven’t. Sure there are injuries, especially with their pass rushers which is kinda important, but the secondary and those bodies up front haven’t been any great shakes either. With Rodgers, the defense doesn’t need to be very good, without him, they do. And they haven’t been.
The Vikings are going back to Christian Ponder, which I think is the smart thing to do. Seattle can make many young QB’s look bad, and this may well be his last shot. Plus, it’s not like Cassel and Freeman are any good behind him. I do think this team is better than their record, but Frazier and Ponder are on the brink of losing them, and a trip to Lambeau isn’t fun. This game might be a ton closer than I like, but I think the Packers get the win. And they better.
The Bears go to STL to face another backup QB led team in the Rams. I despise the Rams, but the Packers’ playoff chances are more important, so I actually have to root for them. Personally, I think the Bears are the better team and should get a relatively easy win, but a guy can hope can’t he. The Rams can hope to get Zac Stacy going against the Bears defense and win the time of possession/red zone efficiency game. But their passing offense is pretty bad, and their defense isn’t a whole lot better. Maybe they pull another special teams victory out of their asses, but I think it’s much more likely that McCown doesn’t make mistakes, those huge receivers make plays, and the Bears get an easy win.
Finally, there is the Douche Bowl, where King Douche Jim Schwartz goes head to douche against Emperor Douche Greg Schiano to the title of Douchiest Douche to Ever Douche. The undercard of this battle includes the Dirty Asshole Battle between Ndamukong Suh and Dashon Golden. This battle has been scratched, though, thanks to Golden being suspended for one game for yet another illegal hit.
What are the odds of a meteor strike during an NFL game that levels two teams, but leaves the spectators all perfectly healthy? That’s what I’m rooting for.
I think the Lions match up very well. The bad (outside of Darelle Revis) Bucs secondary should be an easy match for the Lions passing game (although Stafford’s questionable accuracy can make games closer than they should be). With the return of Nate Burleson, and the minor advancement of Kris Durham, and the ever threatening Reggie Bush, the Lions have many more options than the Bucs, who are wholly Glennon to Jackson dependant. I think the Lions get an easy win here.
The pressure is starting to build as the playoffs get closer (or farther away in the case of the Packers). Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Week 12 already. This season seems to be flying past.
Week 12: (Sun., Nov. 24) Bears at Rams, 1 p.m.
Week 12: (Sun., Nov. 24) Buccaneers at Lions, 1 p.m.
Week 12: (Sun., Nov. 24) Vikings at Packers, 1 p.m.
Hamlet, I love your description of Bucs vs. Lions. It’s hard to root for the Buccaneers here and yet I am compelled to if I want to see the Bears advance in the standings past the Lions. Tampa Bay won last week, can they win again? The Lions’ long awaited mid-season breakdown may have begun last week, will it continue? I hope so.
Both the Packers and the Vikings lost last week and the Bears fan in me wants to see the Packers lose again this week. Green Bay seems to have lost its defense and they need to step up and make a statement if they want to survive until Rodgers can come back. I’m not sure who the QB for Minnesota is this week, but if they want to win they need to run over Green Bay’s defense with AP (and that is your Locked-In Obvious Sports Statement of the Week).
And it’s the Long Bowl in St Louis this weekend. Howie Long gets the day off to watch his two sons play and the TV audience will no doubt be treated to many, many camera shots of him watching intently while the announcers talk endlessly about all three Longs. Meanwhile, the Rams have a dangerous receiver and a pretty good defensive line and not much else. The Bears are still banged up and need to find their run defense but their receivers should outmatch the Rams secondary as long as they can get the ball. Oh yeah, and in your runner up for Locked-In Obvious Sports Statement of the Week, Cortland Finnegan is a mouthy d-bag.
He definitely seems to be the type of “play the odds” coach the pundits are always clamoring for (see his explanation on why he didn’t call timeout at the end of the Ravens game). The Bears are in 5th place on number of 4th down conversions this year, and they up there with a lot of crappy teams like the Jags and Vikings. I wish there were stats out there for 4th down conversion outside of the 4th quarter.
Who? Tavon Austin is certainly a dangerous return man, but as a receiver? He’s the 92nd ranked WR by yardage and hasn’t had much success despite being fed the ball. His numbers this year are about the same as guys like Greg Little, Jeremy Kerley, and Robert Woods.
I have been greatly enjoying Finnegan’s dismal season this year, and enjoying it extra more because he’s counting something like $15 million against the salary cap for the Rams. Great call bringing him from Tennessee and making him the third highest paid CB in the league, Jeff Fisher! I would love to see Marshall just crush him this weekend for 180 yards and 3 TD’s (but with the Bears losing 24-21 or course).
well, you know we differ on the Tolzien versus Flynn issue, but you are spot on with calling the defense out. Against the Bears, down by just 4, the bears took over with 9:48 left in the game and the defense allowed them to go on an 8:58 minute drive for a field goal. Then against the Eagles down 27-13 the Eagles got the ball with 9;32 left and were able to run the clock out…with 9:32 left in the game. That is just ridiculous.
Yeah that guy. Receiver/returner = toe-may-toh/poh-tah-toe.
You’d think a team that has lost as much as the Lions have over the years would have run out of really stupid ways to lose, but no, their creativity in the field has no limits.
Packers had a few stops, but the defense has been generally horrible.
Brian
After that game, can I declare myself the winner?
The Packers kiss their sisters with a tie to the Vikings, but since both the Bears and the Lions lost today, they gain half a game. Eddie Lacy is fun to watch, as is Adrian Peterson, but Tolzein was just awful, and Ponder was efficient. The Packers run defense, after being solid early in the year, was pretty awful this game. Wish McCarthy would have made the change earlier.
The Lions do what the Lions do and lose a winnable game against a bad team. Stafford throws 4 picks, Calvin Johnson dropped a couple passes, and the Lions secondary gave up big plays. While it pains me to see Schiano win, I was heartened that the Bucs sucked enough to make it a game to the very end, despite getting 5 turnovers.
The Bears lay an egg in St. Louis. Their defense, especially against the run, was horrid, the offensive line was not good, and McCown shows, to me at least, that he’s a fine QB in the right system, but he’s not going to win you games by himself.
The NFC North looked bad today. And suddenly the Thanksgiving Lions/Packers game looks huge. I think these teams have played themselves out of a wildcard spot, so winning the division will be huge. Go Pack.
Well It’s a huge game for the Lions today. Playing at home against a backup QB** in the division is simply must win. If the do lose, I think it’s pretty much guaranteed they sputter out the rest of the year in ignominity once again. Which would possibly* lead to a coaching change, so I am torn between wanting to see them win this and go on to the playoffs, and wanting to see them fall in the tank to dump the jackass.
*But it is the Lions after all, who have the most absurd sense of loyalty to the undeserving, so I pretty much expect them to piss away the season and then give him a lifetime extension.
**Yeah I know, but the man couldn’t make it on the Raiders with the superhero like tandem of Pryor and McGloin.
It’s getting ugly in the NFC North. The division is likely only to have one playoff spot for the division winner, and right now that’s the Detroit Lions. Ugh.
The Lions get to go to Philly (not much fun) to face the resurgent Eagles. They are two very similar teams, with high powered offenses trying to carry horrible defensive backfields. The Lions, at least, are pretty good against the run, and if the weather can limit the Eagles passing offense, they may have a shot. I think the Eagles will win a close one at home in this game.
The Vikings tail off with another disappointing season. While they can hope to spoil some of the Ravens’ momentum from beating powerhouses Jets and Steelers, they’re once again fucking around with the QB position and have the look of a team that has little or nothing to prove. I think I’ll just pretend this game doesn’t happen, so I can still believe in quality of football in the NFC North.
The Packers get the surprisingly horrible Falcons. While the Packers’ playoff hopes hang by a thread, they need a win against a bad team. But without Aaron Rodgers, they have played incredibly poorly, like mid 80’s poorly, on both sides of the ball. I thought the team was better than they’ve played, and likely they are, but either the D Line, the secondary, the O line, or the QB seem to fall apart each game. There is still hope they can pull it all together, but if they don’t start this week, it will be a wasted year.
And the Bears get a Monday night game against Dallas. The shine is off Trestman somewhat, with some questionable coaching decisions and the complete collapse of the defense. There is some hope to be had, especially with the emergence of Alshon Jeffrey and the statistically good performance of the offense in general, but that run defense is just horrible. The Monday night game will be interesting and could be a real shootout. Could be fun to watch. I do think the Bears have missed their window to a championship, mostly because of wasting some simply amazing yearly performances by their defense. But they’re recreating themselves as an offense-first passing game team, which is supposedly what the NFL has become. Too bad for all those Chicago fans that they couldn’t combine the two at one time.
Finally, some gossip around the NFC North. Word has it the Titans are sniffing around Jay Cutler. Seeing as how they drafted Jake Locker, I would think they’d had enough of inaccurate, overrated QB’s who can’t stay healthy. But they’re the Titans who gave CJ2K a ton of money, who held onto Jeff Fisher for too long, and who drafted Locker in the first round, so I’m not sold on their football smarts.
Also, ex-Bear HC Lovie Smith is garnering some attention from the Texans to take over from the recently fired Gary Kubiak. I think Lovie is a fine defensive coach, but is out of his depths as a HC, but, again it’s the Texans, so anything may be an improvement.
There are still reasons to stay tuned to the NFC North.
It’s nice to see the old Lions back at it. For the 3rd straight game, the Lions had a lead in the fourth quarter, only to blow it and lose. This time they did it in amazing fashion, giving up massive amounts of yards to LeSean McCoy and turning the ball over. They remain atop the division though. They get the Ravens at home next week, and the Giants at home the following, and end their season against the Vikings in Minnesota. Not too tough of a schedule, but unless they improve, it could be a very short season.
The Packers eke out a victory in a game that was tougher than it should have been. They gained a game on the Lions, but still need help to win the division. Matt Flynn was efficient (the interception was one of those goofy plays that happen sometimes in the NFL) although he is still holding the ball too long and taking too many sacks. The defense did well against the run, and did just enough to not cost them the game. There is hope still in Green Bay, but it won’t matter unless Rodgers comes back.
The Vikings get jobbed in a game they should have won. An injury to Peterson and some bad officiating gave the game to the Ravens, but while it was a fun game to watch, it was not very well played. Not much to say, other than Matt Cassell may have surpassed Christian Ponder, but it appears neither is a long term solution. Cordarelle Patterson had a nice game too, so there may be something to watch for in the future.
The Bears play tonight. A loss would be good, but it’s the Cowboys, so who knows. Stay tuned.
Ugh, I was ready to write this season off and now the Lions do just bad enough to give me hope. It’s looking more and more like it’s going to come down to Week 17, and with the Packers back in it means that Rodgers will most likely be returning.
I’m not sure my heart can handle this stress anymore. All but two of the games have been decided by 7 points or less. I was ready to just sit back and relax, knowing that there was almost no chance of the Bears making the playoffs.
I would just like to thank the Lions for possibly pissing away their best chance to win the division in over a decade.