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First off, if you celebrate Christmas, then have a Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, then have a great remainder of your Tuesday and a happy Hump Day to you.
Now on to my Thoughts!
1) With Tony Romo out for what's left of the season for the Dallas Cowboys, it'll be up to Kyle Orton to get Dallas to the playoffs. All he has to do is knock off the Philadelphia Eagles in the Sunday Nighter. I have a feeling a few Bears fans will be rooting on old Captain Neckbeard.
Dallas will also be without Sean Lee, who is one of the top middle linebackers in the game.
2) The Denver Broncos will be without their best defensive player, Von Miller, who is gone with an ACL tear. The Green Bay Packers may have lost their best defender, Clay Matthews to another broken thumb.
There seems to be an awfully lot of big named players going down to injury in the 2013 season.
3) With only one week to go in the 2013 NFL season, neither conference has a team with the top seed clinched, and there are four teams fighting for one remaining AFC spot, and six teams fighting for three NFC playoff spots. This makes for an exciting week 17.
4) Did anyone predict the Carolina Panthers would be this good? They were 7-9 last season, and they started 1-3 this season. Thy now have a shot at home field throughout the NFC with a win on Sunday, and a win by Seattle coupled with a loss by San Francisco. Crazier things have happened this year.
5) In another odd NFC playoff scenario, the Arizona Cardinals could win their 11th game this Sunday, but end up out of the playoffs.
6) I think everyone is getting a little too excited about that NaVorro Bowman interception return for a touchdown. I get that it was the close out game for Candlestick Park, but to compare that play to "The Catch" is ludicrous. "The Catch" is one of the most iconic plays in the history of the NFL that catapulted the 49ers to a Super Bowl, and that play last night was a pick-6 against crappy 4 win Falcons team.
7) Since squeaking by the Chicago Bears in week 10, the Detroit Lions are 1-5. Someone is gonna get fired.
8) There were some really weird pro-Packer calls in that Pittsburgh at Green Bay game.
9) Lovie Smith will be a head coach somewhere in 2014.
10) The Bears were crushed on Sunday Night. It happens. I have no issue with the team quickly moving on from the loss. If you've played sports at any level, then no doubt you've been on the bad end of a lopsided score. At some point during the ass-kicking, it becomes comically bad.
The Bears have two options, sulk in their sorrows or realize they still control their fate.
One more thought on this week's game, Jay Cutler has a chance to quiet every one of his doubters/haters with a good game and a victory over the rival Packers.
