Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Bear Week Edition

Hi everyone, it's Bear Week. And you know what that means, right?

Yep -- it means that Gino is going to write a morose post over at his place. But it's pure Gino. May I quote him?

Yes, you may.

All right, then:

Time for Lovie to hit the road.
He's had plenty of time to game for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers.
He's failed.
Again... the Bears will be Rodgers bitch this week.

You're right, Geritol Fan -- that's Pure Gino. And there's more where that came from! Well, we'll let him read our other pick first. Because, well, it's time to watch me work!

Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. St. Louis Not So Timid Sheep. The Rams seem to be waking up a bit these days. They've put the hurt on Jim Harbaugh pretty good and they find themselves only a half-game behind the Vikings in the wild-card standings. So both teams have plenty of incentive to play well this week. One problem with the Vikings is that they don't a dependable #2 receiver. That's especially a problem when the #1 receiver is on injured reserve. That would be Percy Harvin, last seen grumbling to himself someplace over at Winter Park. The Vikings have a shot at getting into the playoffs, but they likely have to win out to make it happen. Will the dream die in St. Louis? Greatest Show on Turf 30, Vikings 13.

Hmmm. It's not as though the Vikings are defenseless here. They do have Adrian Peterson going and while Christian Ponder isn't exactly impressing anyone other than Samantha Steele, they played fairly well last week against the Bears. St. Louis is a hard team to figure; they have talent and Jeff Fisher is a good coach, but they haven't been very consistent. I think they stumble and the Vikings get to dream another week. Vikings 24, Rams 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-3) vs. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz. Gino has weighed in on this one and he seems to be singing this song:

Now I don't want to disagree with Gino, so I won't. Yes, the Bears still suck. Jay Cutler has been getting his butt kicked again lately behind the always hapless Bears offensive line. I've been suggesting that da Bearz fix their offensive line for years, but for some reason it never seems to happen. I think I know the reason. Hmmm, maybe it will come to me. I see a vision:

6'8" of ineptitude

Vikings fans will remember that face. No word on whether Fred Smoot is somehow drawing a salary in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Packers are getting healthier. Charles Woodson will not be back this week, but Clay Matthews will play. That's not what Mike Tice wants to see. But I want to see it. Packers 35, da Bearz 9.

Uh, no. The Bears are a proud team and despite Gino's gloom and doom, I think they have one last gasp left in them. The problem I see is this -- the Packers are just better. The best thing that has happened to the Packers since Charles Woodson went out is that their young defensive backs have had a chance to grow and mature. They now have a pretty good and athletic defensive backfield, especially with the contributions of Casey Hayward and Jerron McMillian, who are now playing very well. Brandon Marshall is going to be busy and Jay Cutler will be throwing a lot of passes his way. That means it could get interesting. Packers 27, Bears 24.

I'd pick another game, but frankly none of them interest me very much. It's hard to break out the HYYYYPPPPE on such a sad day, too. So say a prayer for the families in Connecticut and remember that despite the horrible things that happen in the world, good things happen too. Ben out!