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The best thing we can say about Week 4 of the preseason is that it's over, at least here in the NFC North. The next time one of our teams is on the field, it will be for real. In between, roster cutdowns from 8o to 53 will take place. The deadline is Saturday evening.

A quick rundown of Thursday evening's activity, which featured four fun but meaningless victories:

Chicago Bears 24, Cleveland Browns 14
Final preseason record: 2-2
Of interest: Only a handful of Bears starters played. One of them, defensive tackle Henry Melton, registered an encouraging sack of Browns quarterback Seneca Wallace in the first quarter. ... It was interesting, but probably not newsworthy, that Chris Spencer started at center alongside the rest of the Bears' first-team offensive line. Just a night off for veteran Roberto Garza. ... Backup quarterback Caleb Hanie took a step in the right direction, completing 7 of 10 passes for 83 yards and dropping a perfect pass into the far corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown to receiver Johnny Knox. ... Tailback Chester Taylor started but managed 27 yards on 10 carries in what was presumably a showcase stint. But an injury to tailback Khahlil Bell might change the Bears' plans for Taylor, depending on its severity.

Detroit Lions 16, Buffalo Bills 6
Final preseason record: 4-0
Of interest: Most starters played one series. ... Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 39-yard pass to receiver Calvin Johnson on the game's first play, allowing Stafford to finish the preseason with this line: 25 completions, 33 attempts, 395 yards, five touchdowns and a 154.7 passer rating. ... Receiver Maurice Stovall produced a nice final argument for a roster spot, downing a punt at the Bills' 8-yard line and catching a 16-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill in the first quarter. ... Running back Jerome Harrison was untouched until the end of his 47-yard run in the first quarter. ... Rookie punter Ryan Donahue got the first punt of the night, for whatever that's worth, and averaged 44.0 yards on four punts. Veteran Nick Harris averaged 51.5 yards on two punts.

Green Bay Packers 20, Kansas City Chiefs 19
Final preseason record: 3-1
Of interest: Some starters, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, played one series. Rodgers' final pass of the preseason was an 8-yard touchdown to tight end Tom Crabtree. Rodgers finished the preseason with 37 completions in 47 attempts for 395 yards and four touchdowns for a 130.1 passer rating. ... Tailback Ryan Grant's 23-yard run to start the game came after strong blocks from tight end Andrew Quarless and right tackle Bryan Bulaga. ... Linebacker Vic So'Oto has put on a late charge for a roster spot. Thursday night, he had 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown. ... Not that it's a big concern, but quarterback Matt Flynn had one of the ugliest lines you'll see: two completions in 10 attempts for 12 yards and an interception, good for a 0.0 passer rating.

Minnesota Vikings 28, Houston Texans 0
Final preseason record: 2-2
Of interest: Nearly every starter sat out this game. Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder put on an unexpected display of his scrambling ability, running for 61 yards on eight carries, before leaving midway through the third quarter. Some were nice improvisational plays. A few were necessary when blitzers came free. And a few came after the point when he should have thrown the ball. All in all, however, Ponder left the Vikings with a positive impression after completing 10 of 16 passes for 83 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Kyle Rudolph. ... With their top three running backs sidelined, the Vikings gave a workout to rookie Caleb King, whom they signed last month after no one selected him in the supplemental draft. King finished with 62 yards on 19 carries, including two touchdown runs.

After Chicago's 36-30 victory over Minnesota, here are three (mostly) indisputable facts I feel relatively sure about:

1. Left tackle Chris Williams had some help at times, but for the most part he stuffed Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen all night. I watched their matchup on a number of occasions, and Williams displayed the strength and athletic ability to keep up with one of the NFL's best pass-rushers. Allen's unofficial stat line included two tackles, no sacks and one quarterback hit. There should no longer be any doubt about counting on Williams for next season and beyond.
2. I'm still a bit amazed the Bears survived a game in which they started Craig Steltz and Josh Bullocks at safety and then suffered the loss of cornerback Charles Tillman to a rib injury. I would have thought the Vikings would look to exploit that pass defense right away, but the Bears probably benefited from the decision to focus on running the ball. Steltz is a sure tackler who made some plays against the run, but he is slow in pass defense and should have been exploited more than he was.
3. Many people are focusing on Jay Cutler's four touchdown passes, which without a doubt illustrated his strong night. But for me, the number “25” was just as important. That's how many carries the Bears got for tailbacks Matt Forte and Kahlil Bell. They combined for a modest 95 yards on those carries, but I thought the commitment to running the ball, regardless of production, was an important part of keeping the Vikings' defense off-balance. As we've discussed before, quantity of running plays is just as important as quality.

And here is one question I'm still asking:

Will this victory save Lovie Smith's job? First of all, I'm not sure if it's in danger. That's still a closely-guarded secret at Bears headquarters. But I really hope it won't impact the Bears' decision one way or the other. If the McCaskey family was impressed with the Bears' performance Monday night, it should be equally disappointed that there weren't more of them during the season. The big picture has to be important. This season has had several bright spots, but ultimately it has been a failure. The Bears need to decide if they think Smith can lead them out of it and should not be influenced by the excitement of one night -- or the disappointment of another.

Catching up on the Friday injury report and other NFC North news:

Chicago Bears: It looks like the Bears will be without tight end Desmond Clark (neck) and safety Kevin Payne (back) on Sunday night against Philadelphia. Both players are listed as doubtful. … The Bears also placed running back Garrett Wolfe (kidney) on injured reserve and promoted running back Khalil Bell from the practice squad.

Detroit Lions: Right guard Stephen Peterman (ankle) is lost for the season. He was placed on injured reserve Friday and replaced on the roster by practice squad receiver Eric Fowler. … Linebacker Ernie Sims (hamstring) and safety Kalvin Pearson (hamstring) were ruled out for Sunday’s game against Cleveland. Other players who could be sidelined by injury include linebacker Zack Follett (neck), defensive end Dewayne White (toe) and receiver/kick returner Derrick Williams (hip).

Green Bay Packers: Center Scott Wells (concussion) returned to practice Friday and coach Mike McCarthy indicated he will start Sunday against San Francisco. That’s a good thing, because backup center Evan Dietrich-Smith (ankle) didn’t practice and is questionable for Sunday’s game. … Tailback Ahman Green strained his groin in practice Thursday and is questionable. … It looks like tight end Jermichael Finley (knee) will be available. … McCarthy said that Mark Tauscher will start at right tackle but didn’t rule out a rotation with rookie T.J. Lang.

Minnesota Vikings: It doesn’t look good for cornerback Antoine Winfield (foot) to return to the field Sunday against Seattle. He participated in three days of practice this week, but the Vikings listed him as doubtful for the game. A final determination won’t occur until Sunday, but it appears Winfield will miss his fourth consecutive game. He suffered the injury Oct. 18. … The Vikings also listed receiver Bernard Berrian (hamstring) as questionable, but he is expected to play.