NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Packers

By
Nate Bouda
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Bears

  • The Chicago Bears announced Saturday that they’ve downgraded RB Benny Cunningham and DB Sherrick McManis to out after they did not travel with the team to New York for Sunday’s game against the Giants.

Lions

  • The Lions added LB Trevor Bates (Ankle) to the injury report on Saturday and he’s now listed as questionable for Week 13.

Packers

Packers president Mark Murphy addressed some questions from fans about why the team doesn’t tank for a better draft pick over the final five weeks of the season.

“I’ve heard from a lot of fans this week regarding the state of the team,” Murphy writes, via Packers.com. “Many have said that, since the chances of making the playoffs are so slim, we should sit some of our starters (including Aaron Rodgers), play more of our younger players and focus on the future. Others have said that we shouldn’t worry about winning and that a benefit would be that we would have a better draft position.”

“I’m not ready to give up on the season,” Murphy continued. “Now, I realize that we are 4-6-1 (and as Bill Parcells famously said, ‘You are what your record says you are’) and that we haven’t played well. However, we still have almost a third of the season left to play. I know that the odds of making the playoffs are slim (I’ve seen odds range from 3 to 15 percent), but we still have a lot to play for. If we can finish the season strong, even if we don’t make the playoffs (and crazier things have happened), it will give the team confidence that can carry over to next year. Also, from the individual player’s standpoint, the average career is so short (3.1 years) and every game means so much, they all have much to play for over the next five weeks.”

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