Windy City Gridiron
1. Maybe it’s just the holiday falling midweek this year, but this extra week of the NFL season feels especially annoying right now. True, there are three winner-take-all division matchups to account for, but most of the slate, including Bears-Lions, doesn’t mean anything anymore. In fact, the Eagles care so little about increasing their seeding that they’re starting Tanner McKee against the Commanders. Just skip to the playoffs already!
2. The Eagles are trying to make sure the people get what they want, by the way. If they lose to the Commanders, it doesn’t matter what happens in the Bears-Lions game: Chicago would be the No. 2 seed regardless. And you know what that means: Bears-Packers Round 3 at Soldier Field for Wildcard Weekend. Yessir.
3. Mike Tomlin might be the ultimate example of Monkey’s Paw. His deal with the Fates that his teams will never have losing seasons also apparently includes never having a serious contender anymore. As much as I’m sure Aaron Rodgers didn’t want to let Myles Garrett get the sack record on him last week, his obsession with throwing low-percentage jump balls to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen killed the Steelers offense, allowing Shedeur Sanders to just enough last week to beat the Steelers and set up an AFC North win-or-go-home grudge match between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. For the last 14 years, Tomlin’s teams have ridden the line between being good enough to compete but never good enough to win. One wonders if the Steelers might finally be tired of it.
4. Rodgers should take cues from fellow AARP quarterback Phillip Rivers, who announced this week there’s no shot he’ll return in 2026 for an age-45 season. Respect to him for coming back and playing halfway-decent ball after being on his couch for four years, and more respect for realizing it’s time to hang it up for real this time. Rodgers has become somewhat like the Bill Belichick of quarterbacks: so entrenched in his ways and convinced of his superiority that he missed the part where he lost his fastball. If he’s smart, he’ll take his own advice and retire after this season. Then again, Aaron Rodgers and “smart” haven’t been in the same vicinity for a while.
5. Memo to NFL players, especially the New England Patriots: it is very easy to NOT put hands on people—women, in particular. Or, if we’re going to be charitable and treat people as “innocent until proven guilty,” it’s pretty easy to not even put yourself in a position where someone is accusing you of violence. Be smarter. Stop being a******s.
6. If I’m a Chicago Bears fan, I’m thrilled the Green Bay Packers claimed Trevon Diggs off waivers following his release from the Cowboys. Because that brother is literally giving up a perfect passer rating on 20 targets this year, including three touchdowns. One of those went to Rome Odunze when the Bears faced the Cowboys back in Week 3. He’s also been penalized three times this season....
