Two Games For Bears’ Fans To Watch On Sunday

The Chicago Bears have yet another prime time game on Monday Night, meaning that Bears fans will once again have to go a full Sunday without any concern over the Bears. In all honestly, Sundays without Bears games can be often pleasant. Reason being that when the Bears are playing on Sunday, the attention is of course on the Bears’ game itself and then the post game coverage that immediately follows the game. With all that attention on the Bears, the average Bears’ fan may miss out when it comes to the rest of NFL Sunday schedule. This Sunday will not be one of those days. With the Bears playing tomorrow on Monday, today provides an opportunity for Bears to do some couch scouting on the rest of the NFL.

Nov 11, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew (87) celebrates his touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings with quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) and tight end Will Heller (89) in the third quarter at the Metrodome. The Vikings win 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Here are two games that Bears’ fans may want to pay close attention to on Sunday.

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions

• Any time there are two teams from the NFC North division, it bears watching for Bears’ fans. The game between the Packers and Lions has added importance. With a win against the Lions on Sunday, the Packers would improve their record to 7 and 3. The Bears are currently 7 and 2 on the season, and combine a Packers win with a potential Bears’ loss, and the two teams could be tied atop the NFC North division on Tuesday. The Packers, who beat the Bears in week 2 of the regular season, currently hold the tie-breaker over the Bears. A Packers’ win on Sunday would also push the Lions’ record to 4 and 6, and that likely would significantly decrease Detroit’s chances to remain relevant in the division. The Lions, however, are the upset special for week 11.  A win against the Packers on Sunday would not only improve the Lions record to .500, but it would also drop the Packers to 4 and 6. Going forward, the Packers are more of a threat to the Bears than the Lions are. For that reason, Bears’ fans should hope for a Lions’ victory on Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons

• The Falcons came back down to reality this week after losing their first game of the season against the New Orleans Saints last week. The Falcons now sit at 8 and 1 on the season, which has placed the team not only on top of the NFC South division but the NFC conference as well. The Falcons are in line for a bounce back game against the Arizona Cardinals, who are 4 and 5 on the season. The Cardinals’ started the season 4 and 0, and that streak included victories over the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals have since lost 5 straight games. But a Cardinals’ victory over the Falcons combined with a Bears’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday would put the Bears on the same level as the Falcons at the top of the NFC conference.