Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   CHICAGO QB MITCHELL TRUBISKY was critical of something after Sunday’s loss at Lambeau, but he says it wasn’t Coach Matt Nagy.   First, this from Eric Edholm of YahooSports.com in the aftermath:   After the game, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was asked about the Packers’ pass rush affecting him.…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   DETROIT The Lions “almost” had a chance to hire a respected Hall of Fame coach.  But then 30 seconds passed, and Tony Dungy was back to being retired.  Peter King:   On missing his old life, embracing his new one, and whether anything would make him go back to…

AROUND THE NFL Vic Fangio with a radical proposal.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:   Every few years when a division is won by a team with a less-than-sterling record, eating up a playoff spot while a better team sits at home during the postseason, reconstruction comes to the forefront of the NFL.   The year…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   GREEN BAY An offer from the Packers for Sunday’s game with the Bears:   You know it’s going to be cold when the locals in Green Bay are preparing for the chilly weather.   Ahead of Sunday’s Packers game against rival Chicago Bears, the forecast is currently calling for…

AROUND THE NFL Rules are made to be broken – and the NFL will delay their Week 16 Sunday night “flex” option, presumably at the behest of NBC.  John Sigler of USA Today:   The NFL’s schedule is largely written in stone, but the ability to flex certain games into more prominent time slots is…

AROUND THE NFL Even though they have clinched nothing, the 49ers leap from 5th to 1st this week in If The Season Ended Today in the NFC:                                                              Overall      Div Rk      Conf 1          San Francisco   West      11-2             1             8-1 2          Green Bay         North     10-3             1             7-2 3      pd -New Orleans   South     10-3             1             8-3…

AROUND THE NFL Suddenly in the AFC, it is almost assured that all roads to the Super Bowl will go through Baltimore.   And the Raiders and Colts are now two games below the playoff line with three to play.  Those two teams and Cleveland hope that Buffalo clinches a playoff berth this week by…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   CHICAGO QB MITCHELL TRUBISKY is actually playing pretty good, the Bears are now 7-6 after disposing of the Cowboys, but LB ROQUAN SMITH hurt his pectoral.  Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com:   The rest of Bears linebacker Roquan Smith’s season is in jeopardy.   Smith, Chicago’s leading tackler, suffered what…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   DETROIT RB KERRYON JOHNSON may be back for the final two games.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:   Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson will be back at practice today. Johnson has been on IR with a knee injury since Week 8. The Lions have 21 days to active the…

AROUND THE NFL Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com:   There might not be one single game that impacts more playoff spots than Sunday’s San Francisco 49ers-New Orleans Saints matchup. If the 10-2 Saints win, they would have a tight grip on the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They’d have the tiebreaker over the 49ers and…

AROUND THE NFL If The Season Ended Today in the NFC, the Saints now have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs as befitting the top season while the 49ers fell from 1st to 5th by virtue of a three-point road loss.   And with the loss, the Vikings are within the sights of the Rams although…

AROUND THE NFL The Ravens are now on top of the AFC If The Season Ended Today:   In the AFC –                                                Overall          Div Rk       Conf Rec   1          Baltimore         North        10-2             1             6-2 1          New England  East          10-2             1             6-2           3          Houston           South        8-4              1             7-2         4          Kansas City     West          8-4             1              6-3        …