As Faith Hill gets ready to sing, and Brian Urlacher gets ready to hate columns (those of you who've ever watched the SNF intro know what I'm talking about), we have to ask this question:
Can Matt Flynn lead the Green Bay Packers to defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots?
A Patriots win Packer loss tonight puts the Chicago Bears one half-step closer to clinching their first NFC North title since the 2006 season. The Packers have put the equivalent of nearly 1/3rd of an active roster on the injured reserve this year. Tom Brady has thrown for 29 TDs and 4 INTs.
However, the Packers playoff chances have brightened considerably, as outlined by Kevin Seifert this afternoon. So they've got that going for them. From that story:
Last-play losses by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants have left the Packers in this situation: No matter what happens in Sunday night's game against the New England Patriots, they can clinch at least a wild-card playoff berth by winning their final two games of the season. Both games -- against the Giants in Week 16 and the Chicago Bears in the regular-season finale -- will be played at Lambeau Field.
Why would that make them more worthy, though?
Because of Sunday's results, the Packers would hold tiebreakers over both the Bucs and Giants if all three teams finish the season 10-6. The Packers would also win a tiebreaker in a two-way battle with either team -- the Bucs based on strength of victory and the Giants based on head-to-head matchup.
That said, Go Patriots. I would like it if Week 17 didn't have to mean playoffs or couches for the Chicago Bears, and I'm sure you feel the same.