Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher recognizes that his team has a unique opportunity Sunday at Soldier Field.
The rival Minnesota Vikings are coming to town, and the 3-5 team is desperate for a win.
Does he want to bury the Vikings?
"I hope so," Urlacher said. "I think 3-6 would be tough to come back from. The NFC's wide open but it'd be tough to come back from that.
"That said, it's going to be tough to get them to 3-6. They're playing better, they came back and won in the fourth quarter, but we feel like we can do it."
Besides, the Bears aren't doing all that great, either. They are 5-3, but they've got a tough run of games coming up.
"We've got to get on the right track and piling up some wins if we want to make the playoffs and win our division," Urlacher said. "Especially home games. We're 2-2 at home. We've got to be better at home."
Urlacher said he's got a lot of respect for Brett Favre.
"He knows what we're doing every play. We're not going to fool him very much. He knows where to go with the football, he's got a good running game behind him now. He'll still give us opportunities," Urlacher said. He takes chances that you like as a defensive player but sometimes he makes those chances pay off. So we've got to be ready to go."
Other thoughts from Urlacher:
* On Adrian Peterson: "He's like anybody else. He's a running back and when he gets the ball, we have to tackle him. He's done well against us in the past. We've played pretty well against the run this year overall."
* On being physical with Favre, but legally: " 'Legally,' of course. We try to get there every play. We had a lot of hits last week on Fitzpatrick and the ball was gone. We hit him a lot and hopefully we'll do the same thing this week, legally, and make him realize we're going to be around him all day."
* On Favre, in general: "He's the guy I've played against the most in my career. He was in Green Bay however long. I didn't play him last year but this'll be my 20th game against him so he's the opponent I've played against the most. It's a big challenge every time you play him because he doesn't quit. It doesn't matter what the score is or the situation in the game, what the records are. He never quits. He's always going to try to win the game no matter what, no matter how much they're up or how much they're down."
Bearish Outlook
A look at how the Bears' pass defense has fared when sending four or fewer rushers.
Attempts 216
Comp 132
Yards 1,262
TD 3
INT 8
Sacks 5
Rating 66.6*
* Best in NFL
Source: ESPN Stats & Information
That is something I did not know. What I do know is that this defense is a playoff defense. The offense on the other hand is some what a falsh back from 2006. Good one game bad the next two. Special teams, they are a playoff unit.
If this offense can get it together this season might not be a wash.
I think Favre's Jenn S looks like the Tot Mom
Would'nt we all like to see the Bears deliver a Knock-out puncH !! I actually think they might do it. If the Bears win, I think the Vikings may seriously consider the season a bust and have a hard time doing well the rest of the season, maybe regrouping a bit for the Green Bay game. By the same token, the Bears would likely be riding high, which might carry them through a couple of more games. I hope that scenario materializes.