Two Different Roads to 6-3.

The donnybrook that was liberally called a football game between the Bears and Lions last afternoon left both teams at 6-3. Both teams are tied in the NFC North and if the playoffs started today both teams would be in the wildcard spots. Then why is there such a bad taste in my mouth?

Some JT O' Sullivan Lives postgame analysis

The Bears are rolling, having won four in a row and preparing to host a reeling San Diego team. Like last year, this team looks like they have potential to make a solid post-season run. In fact, if the Bears weren't in the same division as the unstoppable killing machine that is the Green Bay Packers, there probably wouldn't be much discussion aside from if they are good enough to warrant a bye. Clearly that is not going to happen this year but it's hard as a fan not to feel good about the Bears for now.

Obviously the Lions have to be concerned. They played more like a drunken bar-rec league softball team than an actual NFL football team. Having two weeks to prepare against a team with a short week and basically not showing up speaks a lot of how this franchise mindset is concerning large games, and you have to wonder if this team (as it is right now) would be able to handle a post-season game (particularly as a wild-card spot means at least your first game is going to be on the road).

But Bears fans like myself should not delude ourselves into thinking that the Lions are done. The Bears last night unquestioningly dominated in the defensive and special teams categories but also received a lot of help from undisciplined Lions' mistakes. The six turnovers and multiple drive sustaining personal foul penalties on the Lions' side hid the fact that the Lions shut down both Matt Forte and Jay Cutler (whose statline at 9/19 at 123 yards are Tebow-esque numbers, which is not exactly HIGH PRAISE). The Bears only scored one touchdown on offense and even this was aided by great field position courtesy of Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher.

The NFC Championship is the most likely venue for the matchup if the Bears and Lions play face each other again this year. Problems like Stafford throwing to orange and navy jersey's and Suh treating Jay Cutler's head like a Pez dispenser can be coached out. That leaves the Lions still a very dangerous team to any squad looking for a wildcard spot (and means that writers calling for hitting the panic button are a perhaps little premature).

After Ndamukong Suh tore off Jay Cutler's helmet and tossed it aside, Cutler got back in Suh's face and said, "Scoreboard, bitch."

It was the middle of the second quarter. Yes, the Bears were up 20-6 at that point. However, like the rest of the regular season, there was still a lot of football to play. Let's hope this Bears victory, as entertaining and important as it was, isn't the Bears saying to the Lions, "Scoreboard, bitch."