ESPN NFL

1. There has been some debate about assigning blame for quarterback Jay Cutler's two interceptions. Did Cutler make poor throws or did young receivers Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu run poor routes? We may never know the complete answers to those questions, but I’ll say this: Cutler’s mechanics were sub-par in both cases. Feel free to let me know if I’m wrong, but it sure looked like he threw both passes flat-footed. As we’ve discussed many times, footwork is usually the leading indicator of accuracy. In these cases, Cutler didn’t do everything he could have to avoid the interceptions.
2. Safety Kevin Payne, who was reinserted into the starting lineup because he is supposed to be a stronger run defender than Danieal Manning, took a bad angle on Ryan Grant's first-quarter touchdown run. Honestly, I feel bad for Payne and everyone else who plays safety in Chicago. The Bears swap out safeties so routinely, as documented by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, that they must look over their shoulders constantly. All defensive backs get beat on occasion must have short memories. In Chicago, the leash is too short.
3. I think it’s pretty clear the Bears could have dusted off Aromashodu a little earlier than Week 14. His eight-catch performance came against the NFL’s second-ranked defense, and it was similar to what many observers saw him do during training camp and the preseason. There are ways to employ four receivers even if you don’t use four-receiver sets during games: Creating roles for four players instead of three. Why the Bears felt compelled to limit themselves to Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox for the first 13 weeks of the season is beyond me. It took Hester’s calf injury to get Aromashodu on the field.

There’s no need to pile on coach Lovie Smith for losing two timeouts on a questionable incompletion in the fourth quarter. We all know he made a big mistake, in part because of disorganization on the sideline. It didn’t impact the outcome of the game and it won’t cost him his job on its own. But I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall in the Bears’ executive suite. What was the reaction of the McCaskey family, of president Ted Phillips and of general manager Jerry Angelo? The franchise shouldn’t be willing to accept that a head coach in his sixth season would have an in-game structure so disorganized that it would lead to that chain of events.

1. I’m quite interested to see what comes of coach Jim Schwartz’s threat to make changes after this debacle. Schwartz told reporters it was time to “make a stand” and the team’s performance was “unacceptable.” But what options does he have? The Lions already were starting their backup quarterback because of Matthew Stafford's shoulder injury. Schwartz has routinely shaken up the starting lineup this season, and his options are limited with 15 players on injured reserve. The next level is pretty dramatic: Releasing underperformers and/or firing coaches. Could one of both of those happen this week? That would certainly be a step toward the accountability Schwartz is looking for.
2. Tailback Kevin Smith has a “significant” knee injury and will miss the rest of the season. But 2009 should be the least of the Lions’ concerns. If it’s a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Smith will join tight end Brandon Pettigrew as a key Lions player who will have to exceed normal rehabilitation timetables to be ready for training camp next summer. Smith finished the season with 747 yards on 217 carries, a 3.4-yard average per carry. That middling performance, combined with the injury, probably means the Lions should add “starting tailback” to their offseason list of needs.
3. Sunday’s game could have been worse. Don’t forget that Ravens running back Ray Rice fumbled the ball out of the end zone in the first quarter. Had Baltimore scored and the rest of the game continued in the same fashion, it would have been the largest margin of defeat in Lions history. As it was, the 45-point loss ranked third in Detroit’s inglorious record book.

Have the Lions improved one iota from last season’s 0-16 team? The records show they have. The Lions are 2-11 at this point as opposed to the 0-13 mark they had last year at this time. But we all know it took some bizarre plays for the Lions to go winless in 2008; Dan Orlovsky's safety in the Metrodome comes to mind. Last year’s team had injury problems as well. Stafford’s competitiveness gives the Lions something to look forward to, and hope is always good. Otherwise, however, I think you’d be hard-pressed to argue this team has made many tangible strides.

1. There were plenty of defensive highlights, from the interceptions by Charles Woodson and Nick Collins to the seamless transition from Ryan Pickett to B.J. Raji at nose tackle. But let’s take this opportunity to note that linebacker Clay Matthews’ second-quarter sack gave him eight for the season. As of Monday morning, that was the 13th-highest total in the NFL and the second-most among rookies. (Washington defensive end Brian Orakpo has 11 sacks.) Matthews made this run after serving as a backup in September. As we approach the playoffs, Matthews is giving the Packers exactly what they need from a 3-4 outside linebacker. Along with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Greg Jennings, Matthews is among general manger Ted Thompson’s best draft picks.
2. I suppose there will be some people who look at tailback Ryan Grant’s 137-yard performance and have a “yeah, but.” As in, 62 of those yards came on the first play, which means Grant totaled a pedestrian 75 yards on his other 19 carries. I don’t see it that way, at least not this time. When Grant was at his best in 2007, he was routinely breaking big gainers. Although not a speedster, Grant was a playmaker that season. What a boon it would be for the Packers if he can, with some routine, start breaking off long runs as the playoffs approach.
3. The Packers are in a spot every playoff-caliber team dreads: Dealing with an inconsistent field goal kicker. The fourth quarter would have been much more comfortable Sunday had placekicker Mason Crosby converted a 42-yard field goal with 6:05 to play. Crosby has now missed eight field goals this season, giving him a 75-percent conversion rate. That ranks No. 29 among NFL kickers. It’s one thing to miss from beyond 50, but failing from 42 yards doesn’t inspire much confidence in the likelihood he would convert a playoff-pressure kick. But swapping out kickers at this late date, especially with someone who hasn’t been kicking in cold weather, is probably more risky than maintaining the status quo.

In all likelihood, the Packers need one victory in their final three games to clinch a playoff spot. But here’s my question: Shouldn’t they win more than one? Based on recent events, their Dec. 27 matchup against Seattle at Lambeau Field should be a blowout. Considering they’ll be on the road in the playoffs, I’m interested to see how the Packers fare in Pittsburgh this weekend and in the season finale at Arizona. Those venues will give us a good sense of the Packers’ aptitude for playoff football.

1. Vikings coach Brad Childress is rapidly becoming known for his, uh, interesting choice of pregame messages. Saturday night, he showed the team video of a NASCAR team working together in pit row. I’m guessing it took a few minutes for the connection to be made. “I don’t want to say it was strange,” quarterback Brett Favre said. “But guys are like, when it’s starting off NASCAR, ‘What does this have to do with this game tomorrow?’ But it was about teamwork and talking about pit row and that’s true. … You never know with Brad. You never know.”
2. There were some early occasions when I thought Favre missed receiver Percy Harvin, who has been his top third-down target this season. And perhaps Harvin’s migraine-related absence had something to do with Favre’s 173-yard day, his lowest yardage output since Week 2. But at the end of the day, the Vikings converted 57 percent of their third-down attempts against the NFL’s seventh-best third-down defense based on percentage. Meanwhile, Darius Reynaud proved a pretty decent fill-in on kickoff returns. The scariest part of the Harvin situation is that migraines are unpredictable. There is no way of knowing when they will come or how long they will last.
3. The Vikings navigated the loss of middle linebacker E.J. Henderson in a couple of interesting ways. First, they split Henderson’s duties among two players. Rookie Jasper Brinkley played the position in base sets, but outside linebacker Ben Leber took over in the nickel. Leber also called the defensive signals throughout the game, but you could see Brinkley playing a role in pre-snap shifts on the defensive line. While Brinkley has plenty of experience calling signals, the Vikings were smart to put the bulk of that responsibility on Leber’s veteran shoulders. Finally, the return of cornerback Antoine Winfield gave the Vikings another sure tackler on the field. The bottom line? Cincinnati managed 210 yards, 13 first downs and 10 points.

One of Sunday’s storylines was that tailback Adrian Peterson “bounced back” from his 19-yard performance last week against Arizona. I’ll just leave this question open-ended: Did you consider it a “bounce-back?” Peterson finished with 97 yards on 26 carries, including runs of 15 and 11 yards, for a 3.7-yard per carry average. He scored two goal-to-go touchdowns, but might have made his biggest impact in the passing game (three receptions, 40 yards). I realize he was only 3 yards away from the 100-yard barrier, but the bottom line is that Peterson has crossed the century mark once in the Vikings’ past seven games. He’s one game short of going a career-high five games without a 100-yard effort.