northern intelligence
Eli Manning's first-quarter pick-six bailed Bears coach Marc Trestman out of an early gamble that would have been a big deal had the Bears not beaten the Giants 27-21 on Thursday. After an earlier Manning interception was returned to the Giants 12-yard line, Trestman figured the gift deserved seven points, not three. So he went for it on fourth-and-2 from the 4-yard line but failed to convert. Five plays later, the Bears led 7-0 thanks to Eli's pick-six. Trestman isn't afraid to go for it on fourth downs. He's 4-for-6 in converting them this season.
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The high-powered Lions obviously aren't so high-powered without Calvin Johnson. With Johnson out because of injury, quarterback Matthew Stafford had just 262 yards on 40 pass attempts in last week's 22-9 loss at Green Bay. That's a 6.6-yard average, down from 8.1 the first four games. Stafford also was sacked five times.
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Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers heads into Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium having come a long way since the last time he was there. On Dec. 19, 2005, the Packers were getting beat 34-3 when soon-to-be-fired coach Mike Sherman pulled Brett Favre and gave Rodgers, a rookie, his first extensive NFL playing time. Rodgers responded with an interception and two lost fumbles, one of which was returned for a TD.
