I don't know if Lovie Smith has done it yet, but his first order of business this morning should be to send a huge holiday fruit basket to Mike Smith, the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.  Yesterday, Smith's team went to the Rollerdome and held off the Vikings, paving the way for the Bears to possibly make the playoffs.

If the Bears beat the Packers tonight, the season comes down to the final weekend with the Bears traveling to Houston and Minnesota meeting the New York Giants.  A Bears win and a Vikings loss, gives the Bears the NFC North.  A Vikings win and a Bears win doesn't work, because Minnesota owns the tie breaker. 

If you think this is going to be easy, guess again. 

The Packers come in a wounded animal having underperformed the second half of the season.  They, and their cheese wearing nation would like nothing more than to invade Soldier Field and recreate the mid-November spanking they gave the Bears at Lambeau Field.  And if you know the Bears history on Monday Night Football, you'd know it wasn't very good and the Packers seem to have the advantage.

Provided they survive the Artic conditions tonight and bring home a win, the Bears then have to travel to Houston to take on a fairly competitive Texans team.  The Bears have proven that just when they start to look good, they can backslide in a hurry.  A big hurry.

Meanwhile, the Vikings meet the Giants, a team already guaranteed a first round bye and home field throughout the NFC playoffs.  While the league does have competitive balance rules, the Giants will be playing to get out unhurt.  If that means taking Eli Manning out early or not playing Brandon Jacobs, they can live with that.  Again, winning isn't as important as surviving to play a meaningful game.  It's more on the Vikings in this one than it is on the Giants.

You wonder if the Bears deserve to make the playoffs at all.  Some of the losses this season were ridiculous and the pounding they took from the Packers in November was disgraceful (especially if you work with an office full of Packer fans in the middle of central Wisconsin.)  If they do, then you have to give props to Lovie Smith who many Bear fans are ready to drive to O'Hare at the first opportunity. 

Even if the Bears make it, the chances of them making it out of the first round are slimmer than Calista Flockhart on Jenny Craig.  But, hey, making the playoffs is always a good thing.  It gives Tommie Harris something to run his mouth about.  And it does give the Bears bragging rights, as if winning the league's most putrid division this side of the AFC West is worth bragging about.  Still, it is better than what a Packer fan is getting this holiday season.

The proof is in the pudding.  Let's see if the Bears can bring the Packers a big lump of coal for Christmas.