Lovie Smith had an interesting explanation for why he's opposed to the adage that you never take points off the board.
"Normally, when you get field goals instead of touchdowns, they come back to haunt you," he said.
Smith took Robbie Gould's 36-yard field goal off the board Sunday night at Lambeau Field and the Bears wound up punching the ball in the end zone two plays later.
One more reason why he made the move? Gould hit from 36 and he would have made a shorter kick, if necessary, following the penalty against Corey Williams for lining up over long snapper Pat Mannelly. Gould is 8-for-9 this season with the only miss coming on a block. Now for the penalty itself ... it looked questionable. Williams was at an angle. The Packers have said they intend to bring it to the attention of the league.
-- Look for Tarvaris Jackson to get the start at quarterback for Minnesota on Sunday. He missed the last two games with a groin injury, but had those weeks along with the bye to heal up. Kelly Holcomb's struggles didn't exactly make it a difficult decision for the Vikes.
"I probably don't have all my speed back," Jackson told Minnesota media. "I'm a little sore. But, pretty much when the game comes, the adrenaline is flowing more, so I probably won't even be thinking about it. ... It's not 100 percent, but it should be good enough for me to go out and play and do what I need to do."
-- Adrian Peterson was credited with four special teams tackles in the win. Brendon Ayanbadejo and Israel Idonije had three each.
-- The NFL trade deadline is Monday. At this point, it's unlikely the Bears get involved in any action. Deadline deals are a rare breed in the sport.
-- Packers center Scott Wells will likely miss at least one game with a broken eye socket, the result of being accidentally poked in the eye. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Wells said Anthony Adams was the player who got him, but no malice was involved.
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