Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis knows how to kick a team when it’s down. Davis spoke truthfully but no doubt incited at least some Chicago players with this quote Tuesday in preparation for Thursday night’s game:

"I think we can destroy their guys up front. I don't see anything spectacular about their front line. Their LBs, I think we can handle them pretty well. I like [defensive end] Adewale Ogunleye. I think he's performing well for them, but he's the only guy I like in their line.''

Ogunleye has been the Bears' most productive pass-rusher, but Davis might be overlooking the steadiness of Alex Brown. Regardless, the Bears’ defensive performance of late has left his opponents feeling -- to paraphrase Larry David -- pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Continuing around the NFC North:

• Bears linebacker Lance Briggs thought he was headed to San Francisco in 2007 before a tampering charge scuttled the deal, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago wonders if the Bears will exploit a matchup against 49ers defensive back Tarell Brown, who will start for injured cornerback Nate Clements.
• Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette wonders how Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will respond to the first crisis of his career.
• Quarterbacks who get sacked too much don’t usually win, writes Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Packers quarterback Matt Flynn is a big “Texas Country” fan, he tells Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee.
• Detroit fans should hope that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is still recovering from a knee injury, writes Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com. Otherwise, his performance of late is concerning.
• John Niyo of the Detroit News offers a midseason report of the Lions. The headline: “Lions are a little better, with a long way to go.”
• Minnesota linebacker Kenny Onatolu has made a big impact on the Vikings’ special teams, writes Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune.
• The Vikings still have some tickets available to their next three home games, but there is no threat of a local television blackout, according to the Star Tribune.