2010-2011 NFC North Division

[MerrittsMustache]

Fox has a video of the collapse.

It was awesome.

Awesome indeed! Looks like it's straight out of an end-of-days movie.

[Dish]

Pats are nearly unstoppable right now. Bears had no chance of stopping Brady & Co, and my guess is the Pack get roughed up by the Pats next Sunday night as well. Best news was that the Bears lost to an AFC opponent and the Packers lost to a divisional opponent. A Bears win next week and Pack loss would just about still seal the North.

[Moonboots]

Pats are nearly unstoppable right now. Bears had no chance of stopping Brady & Co, and my guess is the Pack get roughed up by the Pats next Sunday night as well. Best news was that the Bears lost to an AFC opponent and the Packers lost to a divisional opponent. A Bears win next week and Pack loss would just about still seal the North.

Actually, a Bears win and Packers loss next week would lock up the North 100%. The Bears are now firmly in the driver's seat, something that would have been reversed if the Packers didn't take a collective dump today.  Only one guy on the offense came to play, and he left the game with a concussion. Not much you can do when you hit TEs for big gains that turn into fumbles, and WRs on would-be TDs that turn into INTs. Still trying to figure out what Greg Jennings did there.

As it stands, even with a loss next week, the Packers could right back in the hunt if MN can knock of CHI.  If that happens, the Packers winning their final 2 results in a division championship, regardless of what happens in NE-GB or CHI-NYJ.  Next Monday night is huge.

[NavinRJohnson]

Really crazy how huge that Bears at Vikings game is likely to be. From the looks of things, it will be played outdoors on Monday night in Minneapolis. That sounds pretty awful. A strange set of circumstances for what is a huge game for the Bears. They are firmly in the drivers seat, but if they lose that one, the Packers seemingly take over that seat, although both teams would still control their destiny.

Bill Cowher on Sunday said he thought the Bears would lose the rest of their games. I'm not sure about that, but it is a bit hard to believe that the Bears could lock up a spot/division title with a win Monday, but miss the playoffs all together if they lose to the Vikings and the Packers (assumes that the Packers beat the Giants. Not necessarily a safe assumption). As far as I can tell, GB is in if they beat the Giants and Bears. At this point, assuming ARod is able to come back and play, I'm thinking both teams make it, and may end up playing one another two weeks in a row.

[Dish]

Pretty much dead on the money, it is funny that the Bears could essentially go from winning the division, being a #3 seed, to being out of the playoffs altogether if things shake out that way.

Monday night's upcoming game has just a weird vibe to it already. College campus, outdoors, night game, first Viking home outdoor game in like 30 years (I think), Vikes have zero healthy QB's, you could have Favre, Jackson, Webb, or Patrick Ramsey (or someone else off the street) playing QB, both teams coming off bad "home" losses. If the Bears lose that game, they'll have serious problems, even if GB losses to NE Sunday night.

[GGGG]

The Vikings last outdoor game will be 29 years ago to the day when they take the field Monday night.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I expect to see JayBee on the local news through the weekend doing his fair share of shoveling.

"Vikings fans are being asked to help dig out the University of Minnesota campus stadium in time for Monday night's Vikings game with the Bears.

Workers are scrambling to remove snow from bleachers, concourses and the field at TCF Bank Stadium. The university will host the NFL game because the snow-damaged Metrodome roof won't be fixed in time.

The problem is that snow is piled up at the stadium in five-foot drifts in some areas.

The university says it will take shoveling volunteers every day from Thursday through Sunday. The school will even provide the shovels if necessary."

[mu_hilltopper]

Funny, my sister is flying in to MN from Arizona for the Vikings' game (was planned months ago.) 

Any news on how they will re-ticket the season ticket holders?

[MerrittsMustache]

Funny, my sister is flying in to MN from Arizona for the Vikings' game (was planned months ago.) 

Any news on how they will re-ticket the season ticket holders?

Around noon today, I heard on ESPN 1000 that they aren't telling people how the re-ticketing will work just yet because they have 63,000 tickets and a 50,000-seat stadium. They are also not announcing where the game will be played if it turns out that the field cannot be ready in time.

I don't know if that actually qualifies as "news" since the report I heard was a lot of nothing, but I guess that's the latest.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

No news yet...they are talking about setting up temporary seats for some of the overflow...I was looking to buy tickets today but have no idea where seats will be on Monday night....probably just wait till Monday and see how it shakes out and find a scalper....it is supposed to be -15 to -25 degree wind chills on Monday night.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I knew last season was a total fluke by Judas Favre and the Vikings but I never expected them to go down in flames as much as they have this year. Even if GB doesn't make the playoffs, and I'm not convinced they deserve to, this season was still fantastic because of the soap opera MN has been!

[Moonboots]

I knew last season was a total fluke by Judas Favre and the Vikings but I never expected them to go down in flames as much as they have this year. Even if GB doesn't make the playoffs, and I'm not convinced they deserve to, this season was still fantastic because of the soap opera MN has been!

I keep telling myself we don't deserve to, but given the combined record of the teams that Tampa Bay and New York (Giants) have beaten, they're a lot worse off than we are. We have some quality wins under our belt with a bunch of starters (and three key ones, at that) gone from early in the season.

[NavinRJohnson]

I keep telling myself we don't deserve to, but given the combined record of the teams that Tampa Bay and New York (Giants) have beaten, they're a lot worse off than we are. We have some quality wins under our belt with a bunch of starters (and three key ones, at that) gone from early in the season.

With the remaining schedule being what it is with games remaining against their two closest competitors for the remaining spots, whether the Packers get to the playoffs or not, they most assuredly will get what they deserve. Same can really be said of the Bears. With teh schedule they have remaining, if they don't make it, they have no business being there. If they do, that will mean they took care if business and earned their spot. The Packers certainly are not going to back into the playoffs, although I suppose the Bears could.

[Dish]

I'm going to go ahead and predict right now that in the NFC at least, both wild card teams will win on the road on wild card weekend. Guessing wildcards are Saints and Giants/Eagles divisional loser. Saints would go to NFC West winner and Giants/Eagles to NFC North winner (assuming here).

[NavinRJohnson]

Question for Bears fans...are you at all concerned about their state of mind going into this game? Seems to me they have spent most of the week bitching and moaning about the playing conditions. Not saying it is not justified, but at some point don't you need to just shut up and play? I'm assuming the Vikings feel the same way, and granted I listen primarily to Chicago radio, but I would be rather worried (and as a Packer fan, encouraged) about whether or not they are gonna show up. Not to mention, that defense has demonstrated on more than one occasion that they are not particularly effective in the conditions they are expecting. Obviously Tom brady will not be lining up against them, but who the heck knows? This game is about as big as it gets, because if they lose, there is a very real possibility they completely miss the playoffs.

[MerrittsMustache]

Question for Bears fans...are you at all concerned about their state of mind going into this game? Seems to me they have spent most of the week bitching and moaning about the playing conditions. Not saying it is not justified, but at some point don't you need to just shut up and play? I'm assuming the Vikings feel the same way, and granted I listen primarily to Chicago radio, but I would be rather worried (and as a Packer fan, encouraged) about whether or not they are gonna show up. Not to mention, that defense has demonstrated on more than one occasion that they are not particularly effective in the conditions they are expecting. Obviously Tom brady will not be lining up against them, but who the heck knows? This game is about as big as it gets, because if they lose, there is a very real possibility they completely miss the playoffs.

It concerns me somewhat that the field condition have been a distraction. However, I'm more concerned with the fact that the Bears, particularly the D, have been no-shows in the first half of their last 2 games. A slow start plus overthinking the field conditions could be trouble.

Having said that, if the Bears lose a game with a playoff spot on the line against a team who mailed it in last week and is playing a QB who was so bad that they considered moving to WR, they don't deserve to make the Playoffs.

Bears 20-16

[MU B2002]

Question for Bears fans...are you at all concerned about their state of mind going into this game?

I don't think the Bears players are the only ones thinking about the field, if Chris Kluwe's twitter posts are any indication. 

That being said, as a Bears fan I am always concerned with the state of mind.  But even if they lose, I think they are not completely screwed with the NYG loss yesterday and the fact that GB and NYG play next week (meaning one team will lose). 

[NavinRJohnson]

But even if they lose, I think they are not completely screwed with the NYG loss yesterday and the fact that GB and NYG play next week (meaning one team will lose). 

That's true, but if that one team is the Giants, the Bears would appear to be in deep, deep trouble.

[MU B2002]

Why deep deep trouble?  Nevermind..  H2H would be first tie breaker for CHI and NYG.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

It was not supposed to start snowing here until about 1pm.....well as usual the weather talking heads are wrong again and it started snowing at 9am and is going to continue through the day/night until tomorrow.  Should be interesting to see what this so called tarp with the heaters on the field will do with it snowing all day.  Melt the snow all day and when they pull the tarp off there is a layer of water that turns to ice and then is covered by snow as the game goes on?

[NavinRJohnson]

Melt the snow all day and when they pull the tarp off there is a layer of water that turns to ice and then is covered by snow as the game goes on?

Couldn't happen to two nicer teams.    Is there any chance this game still ends up getting canceled? I can't imagine what a mess that would create trying to get it re-scheduled, playoff implications, etc.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

The Vikings wanted this game at home because they are honoring the organizations 50 greatest players of the last 50 years.  What is kind of funny is that a guy, Jared Allen, who had only two full years as a Viking when the team was announced is considered one of the 50 best Vikings ever.

[Jay Bee]

Oh boy... Favre has been upgraded from out to questionable.  If he plays, we are guaranteed victory.

The snow is falling like no other right now.  Actually not that bad, but it's coming down pretty good.  I hope there are more than 30k people that show up tonight.  Although I won't be one of them - this weather calls for the couch and a couple of brews. 

[willie warrior]

The Vikings wanted this game at home because they are honoring the organizations 50 greatest players of the last 50 years.  What is kind of funny is that a guy, Jared Allen, who had only two full years as a Viking when the team was announced is considered one of the 50 best Vikings ever.

And Allen this year is stinking it up!!!!

[MU B2002]

I just think someone is going to get hurt really badly tonight.