The Bears visit the Redskins on Thursday night in what amounts to an elimination game for both 5-7 teams; Washington is -3 (37 over/under) on WagerWeb.com.
Both teams are coming off devastating losses and are tied with three other NFC teams at 5-7, one back of the final wild-card spot, currently led by 6-6 squads Minnesota, Detroit and Arizona. Only three teams since 1990 have recovered from a 5-7 mark to make the postseason.
Chicago lost 21-16 to the Giants on Sunday despite controlling the majority of the game - Eli Manning led two fourth-quarter TD drives, including one with under two minutes remaining.
"When you have a disappointing loss like that, you want to get back out on the football field as soon as you possibly can to play," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "That's what we'll be able to do.
"However, as deflating as that loss was, it pales in comparison to what the Redskins have gone through.
Washington put up a inspired effort Sunday against Buffalo and led 16-14 in the final seconds. Bills kicker Rian Lindell attempted and made a game-winning 51-yard kick, but the Redskins had called time out just prior to the kick, so it didn't count.
Then Joe Gibbs made one of the biggest coaching mistakes of his life - he called a second timeout to ice Buffalo's kicker.
However, that's an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (two timeouts in a row), which moved Lindell up 15 yards and to a much easier kick, which he made. The loss was doubly painful because the Redskins were still grieving the loss of safety Sean Taylor, who was shot and killed last week.
Then, the entire organization had to get on a plane to attend Taylor's funeral in Miami on Monday morning.
"I think the guys feel better after going to the funeral," linebacker London Fletcher said. "It was a little bit of closure in a sense. It was something that we needed as a team. We're going to still carry his memory with us, so it's still a healing process we're going to go through, but this part was a necessary part of it."
"I kind of sensed a deep breath was taken, a sigh was taken," assistant coach Gregg Williams said. "And now: Let's move on.
"So, both teams could be relatively drained on a short week of rest - but especially Washington.
Expect the ground games to determine this matchup, especially as both starting QBs, Jason Campbell and Rex Grossman, can be inconsistent.
The Redskins rank sixth in the league in rushing yards, but Clinton Portis rushed for just 50 yards on 25 carries against the Bills and has managed only 154 yards and a touchdown on 57 attempts for a 2.7-yard average in his last three games.
However, Portis has been great against the Bears in his career, though, racking up 457 yards on 71 carries for a 6.4-yard average in three career games against them.
Chicago's rush defense ranks 27th (130.8 yards per game) and allowed 175 rushing yards on 37 attempts against the Giants. In fact, the Bears have allowed more than 100 rushing yards in each of their last eight games. A year ago, they finished sixth in the league at 99.4 yards rushing per game en route to the Super Bowl.
Chicago's primary back is now Adrian Peterson (256 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 40 receptions) who took over full time last week for an injured Cedric Benson.
Peterson, a longtime special teams stalwart, carried 22 times for 67 yards, also notching game-highs with seven receptions for 82 yards out of the backfield.
His 149 yards from scrimmage were the second-most of his career.
The Redskins rank 10th against the rush and have allowed just one touchdown over a span of eight quarters, that coming in the first quarter of the team's 19-13 loss at Tampa Bay in Week 12.The lowdown: Redskins starting guard Randy Thomas, out since Sept. 17 with a torn triceps, could return to action. WR James Thrash (ankle sprain) is likely to miss a fourth consecutive game. ... Bears DT Anthony Adams suffered an elbow injury in Sunday's loss to the Giants and has been ruled out.
Cornerback Nathan Vasher (groin) won't return yet, either. ... Chicago has lost eight of its last 10 to the Redskins, including five of its last six in Washington.
...Bears QB Rex Grossman has thrown three TDs and one only one INT in his past four games. ... The Redskins haven't lost five in a row since starting 2001 0-5.
x... The Bears have been alternating wins and losses over the past nine games, which means they are supposed to win this game. With Grossman actually playing well of late, I think the Bears do pull this one out.
Betting trendsThe Bears are 4-8 ATS.
The Bears are 3-3 ATS away.
The Bears are 2-3 ATS as the underdog.
The Bears are 2-2 ATS as an away underdog.
The Redskins are 3-7 ATS.
The Redskins are 1-4 ATS at home.
The Redskins are 1-5 ATS as the favorite.
The Redskins are 1-4 ATS as a home favorite.
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