Half a game. Half a measly game. Half a Bears-and-Packers-haven’t-even-played-yet game.
That’s all that separates the 5-1 Packers from the 5-2 Bears in the NFC North as we barrel into Week 8 of the NFL season. And yet why does the race at the top of the division seem, well, kind of over before it has even really started?
You don’t need us to tell you why. The Bears, their offense close to an all-out wreck, their coach a target of constant criticism, hang on by threads to steal their victories. The Packers are — what’s that word again? — good. You’ve seen the differences between the teams. The whole world has.
But maybe, by some stroke of 2020-brand unpredictability, this week will bring change to the division picture? Whether or not the Bears can finagle their way to a win against the favored, 4-2 Saints at Soldier Field, might the Packers — who play twice, against the Vikings on Sunday and the 49ers on Thursday — suddenly falter? Reveal a soft underbelly? Get in touch with their inner pretenders?
We can only hope so. Because if it goes the other way — the Bears to 5-3 and the Packers to 7-1 — we might as well nip all notions of a North title in the bud. Yes, despite the fact the teams still are slated to go head-to-head Nov. 29 at Lambeau Field and here in the Jan. 3 regular-season finale. The Bears haven’t swept the season series since 2007. The Packers have swept it seven times since then, most recently in 2019.
Is everybody good and cheered up now?
Here’s what’s happening:
SUN 1
Vikings at Packers (noon, Fox-32)
Alas, there’s a slight hitch in our plan for Packers destruction: The Vikings are a wretched 1-5. But they’re 1-1-1 — yes, a tie — in the last three meetings at Lambeau and, in all fairness, their 2020 schedule has been brutal. Skol!
Colts at Lions (noon, Ch. 2)
The Lions are a sneaky-decent 3-3. Bears fans might consider this once the Packers have gone up 21-0.
Saints at Bears (3:25 p.m., Fox-32)
Look, what does Drew Brees have that Nick Foles doesn’t? Brees is old. He’s shrimpy. He has only one Super Bowl ring, no more than the Nickster. In a schoolyard full of strangers, anyone would pick Foles to pilot their offense first. So we’ve got all that going for us.
Cowboys at Eagles (7:20 p.m., Ch. 5)
The fat-cat Eagles luxuriate atop the NFC East at 2-4-1. The Cowboys are miles in the rearview mirror at 2-5. You do the math.
MON 2
Buccaneers at Giants (7:15 p.m., ESPN)
OK, so it’s conceivable that the 5-2 Bucs are better than the 1-6 Giants. But while quarterbacks Tom Brady and Daniel Jones are duking it out, Eli Manning surely will be up to something on the sideline — and we already know Eli is Brady’s daddy.
TUE 3
Champions League: Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan (2 p.m., UniMas 60)
Two of the top 10 sides in the world find themselves on the brink of disaster in group play, with each desperate for a result. By the way, “sides” means teams and “result” means scoring more goals than the other guys.
Rawlings Gold Glove Awards (6 p.m., ESPN)
Six Cubs and five White Sox are finalists — and that includes Sox utility man Danny Mendick. Did we mention this is an imperfect science?
WED 4
Buffalo at Northern Illinois (6 p.m., ESPN2)
At last, some “MACtion” as the Mid-American Conference gets its pandemic-delayed season underway. Nobody thinks the Huskies are going to be any good, with the possible exception of the Huskies.
Fire at Minnesota United (7 p.m., Ch. 9)
Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs? If the Fire come up empty yet again on the road, no, we’re probably not.
THU 5
Packers at 49ers (7:20 p.m., Fox-32, NFLN)
Last time out, the 49ers prevailed by a not-so-tiny score of 33-6 at New England. Where we come from, that equals hope.
FRI 6
“Off the Mound With Ryan Dempster” (9 p.m., MSN)
The guest on the season debut of Dempster’s half-hour talk show is none other than Cubs manager David Ross. If we were conducting the interview, it would be all about the Cubs’ half-professional offense.
SAT 7
Nebraska at Northwestern (11 a.m., BTN)
Since joining the Big Ten for the 2011 season, the Huskers are 40-37 in league play. The Wildcats? They’re 40-37. Show of hands for everyone who saw that coming.
Minnesota at Illinois (2:30 p.m., BTN)
The Gophers are 0-2, grasping at straws, drowning in sorrows, on the edge of utter despair. They’ll still be favored in this one.
Clemson at Notre Dame (6:30 p.m., Ch. 5)
Game of the year, anyone? A tough sell now that Tigers QB Trevor Lawrence — the star of stars in college football — will miss it after testing positive for COVID-19. At least the Irish have a shot at a “W.”
Stanford at Oregon (6:30 p.m., Ch. 7)
Last but not least, the Pac-12 — the final coronavirus holdout — gets underway, and that means everybody in the highest ranks of the college game is playing. What could go wrong?
