So some thoughts in the final 3 games of the season and playoff hopes/division hopes/#1 seed hopes: Pretty simple. Bears win their next 2 games and they win the NFC North. Pretty cool, huh? Same things if they beat the Packers and Lions instead. The Bears can clinch a playoff spot this Sunday with a Bears win over Green Bay and Lions loss to the Steelers. Also pretty cool. In terms of things you'd be rooting for around the league, I think there are some interesting things to monitor: • The Vikings suddenly are heating up. They play 2 home games vs the Lions on Christmas Day and the Packers final week of the season. Playing spoilers. Doesn't look like they're worried about draft status after last night. • The Ravens also looked good yesterday. Winning 24-0 over Cincy. They play Green Bay at Lambeau in 2 weeks. Steelers and Ravens still fighting it out for the division. • Steeler beat the Ravens last week and it was the best Aaron Rodgers has looked in a while. They did however lose TJ Watt and I don't expect him to be back next Sunday when they take on the Lions. That being said, the Lions vs Aaron Rodgers who is playing for a division of his own and an opportunity to stick it to Detroit? Interesting. I LOVE how the schedule lays out from a viewing standpoint the next 2 weeks: • Starts with a NFC west heavyweight bout this Thursday. Rams vs Seahawks. If you're still looking at that #1 seed, you're rooting for the Seahawks based on the remaining schedules for both Seattle and LA. Seattle finishes with 2 road games vs current playoff teams. But Bears would need to win out to take that 1 see in that scenario. • Bears vs Packers on Saturday Primetime? Division on the line. Day off the next day. You can go all out for this one. Does it get any better than that? It quite literally does not. If Bears can win on Saturday the viewing gets very entertaining before the Bears play a game again. • Early noon slate features the battle for the NFC South • Lions play on Sunday vs the Steelers at 325pm in Detroit. • Then our attention turns to MNF. Colts vs 49ers. That matchup had no juice as of a couple weeks ago when Daniel Jones went down. Now? Philip Rivers nearly shook up the whole NFC with a win vs Seattle that just fell short. He certainly was shaking off the rust but I like that he got a game under his belt before a huge home game in Indy and a must win for the Colts as the take on San Fran. A loss for San Fran could open the door for other wild card scenarios. • Then the Lions play again on a short week in Minnesota on Christmas Day. The Vikings feeling like the kind of team you don't want to play right now. Playing with literally nothing to lose and everything to gain in terms of building confidence for JJ McCarthy going into next season. Could the Bears clinch a playoff spot on Christmas Day? That would be cool. • Then the Packers play the Ravens on Saturday night football. I just find it enjoyable that after the Bears play the Packers and hopefully beat them, we get to sit back for a week and watch games with huge implications all neatly separated and spread out without distractions. The 325pm slate yesterday was as crazy a viewing moment I can remember as a Bears fan watching the Lions and Packers playing simultaneous shootouts with everything on the line. And then we still have Seahawks at Panthers on noon that Sunday before the Bears finally play a game again. Finally, Bears vs 49ers on SNF in San Fran. Where the Super Bowl will be played this year. Will the Bears be playing to clinch a playoff spot? To win the division? To jump into the #1 seed. All a possibility. Bears need to take care of business vs the Packers this Saturday and we can watch the chips fall where they may. The Lions and Packers are not dead yet. I don't care what happened to them yesterday. I'm not underestimating either at all. Still might take 12 wins to get in. Maybe not. All I know is I've waited years for this feeling.