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The slumping Chicago Bears head to Denver to take on the white-hot Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. As we all get mentally prepared for the possibility that Hanie has a breakout game, or for the possibility that we might legitimately seen Josh McCown throwing passes for the Chicago Bears today, come after the jump for a look at the Wild Card Standings, some rooting interests, a news roundup, and some generally exciting other items.
| Rank | Last Wk | Team | Ovr | Conf | Div | Streak |
| 1 | 1 | Green Bay Packers | (12-0) | (10-0) | (4-0) | 12W |
| 2 | 2 | San Francisco 49ers | (10-2) | (8-1) | (3-0) | 1W |
| 3 | 3 | New Orleans Saints | (9-3) | (6-3) | (3-1) | 4W |
| 4 | 4 | Dallas Cowboys | (7-5) | (5-3) | (2-1) | 1L |
| 5 | 6 | Chicago Bears | (7-5) | (6-3) | (2-2) | 2L |
| 6 | 5 | Atlanta Falcons | (7-5) | (5-4) | (1-2) | 1L |
| 7 | 5 | Detroit Lions | (7-5) | (5-5) | (2-2) | 2L |
| 8 | 8 | New York Giants | (6-6) | (3-6) | (1-2) | 4L |
| 9 | 9 | Seattle Seahawks | (5-7) | (4-4) | (2-1) | 1W |
| 10 | 10 | Arizona Cardinals | (5-7) | (5-5) | (2-2) | 2W |
The top ten didn't change. At all. Thankfully for the Bears, not a single team in the wild card race was able to put together a performance to increase their position in the standings, but taking a week off the calendar isn't enough. The Bears are still going to need crucial wins down the stretch to ensure that they don't get bumped out.
Rooting Interests
Bears at Broncos - A loss to the Broncos will be damning when it comes to the end of the season.
Raiders at Packers - Fantastic! The Packers have officially clinched the division--as such, I can feel free to root against them to my heart's content.
Cardinals at 49ers - The 49ers need to win, because there's not much cushion separating the Cardinals and Bears. It'd take some big wins for AZ and some ugly losses for Chi, but they're still battling.
Saints at Titans - The Saints could still drop into the wild card rac, though unlikely at this point. Please stay ahead of the Bears.
Cowboys at Giants - We've had a lot of discussion on this one, with people saying "well, we want them both to lose." At this point, we clearly need to hitch our wagon to a horse, and what better one than that led by the Cowboys.
Falcons at Panthers - Let's go Cam! Let's go Cam!
Vikings at Lions - I don't hold out a lot of hope for this. Let's see if Ponder can go to the Motor City and drive out a win.
Rams at Seakhawks: Hoo boy, the Seahawks could still pull something off. Best for them to be out of it, which 5-8 would likely do.
HERE'S SOME NEWS
Chicago Bears head to Rockies to take on Tim Tebow, Denver - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Preview: Bears at Broncos - KDVR
Re-Evaluating Tim Tebow as the Chicago Bears Gear Up - NYTimes.com
Bears Vs. Broncos: Time, TV Schedule, Radio Streaming And More - SB Nation Chicago
Roach could be busy vs. Broncos - Chicago Bears Blog - ESPN Chicago
Pre-snap read: Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos - NFL - Sporting News
HERE IS AN AMUSING IMAGE
HERE IS THE OBLIGATORY VIDEO THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE GAMES
HERE IS THE FIGHT SONG