Packers, Steelers; The tale of two teams

The Green Bay Packers - Pittsburgh Steelers matchup Sunday pits two teams against each other, who were once in the same boat this season, but now are headed in opposite directions.

Green Bay looked down and out in Week 9 after they suffered an embarrassing defeat the otherwise winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They weren't in the playoffs and looked as if the playoffs were practically impossible. Most people, including myself and my family in Wisconsin, had given up on the Pack. Oh, how wrong we all were.

The Packers didn't pack it in, they took the loss as a wake-up call and have gone 5-0 since that game.

Meanwhile, in Week 11, the Steelers suffered a humiliating loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Unlike the Packers though, the Steelers sunk into a deep hole in the following weeks. Rather than looking in the mirror and recognizing their problems, and fixing them, they made excuses, like the defensive players claiming to not know the play calls.

The Pittsburgh media and a lot of Steelers fans have been too hard on the black and gold, but how can you not question the team's effort and passion if they are losing to the likes of Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland? Cleveland?!? If you had asked me before this year, heck, if you had asked me before any season, that we would not score a touchdown against the Browns, I would have laughed at you for a good five minutes. I would have found out your place of business, and called relentlessly to remind you of how dumb you were. Now I'm the dumb one!

Quick unrelated note. Sidney Crosby just scored a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Philly, his fifth point in the past two games against the Flyers, and yet the fans are chanting "Crosby Sucks." I understand they hate him, but the chant just doesn't make sense at that point. Maybe a "Go Home Crosby" chant, or a "Screw You Crosby."

Sorry, back to football.

That is why I am interested in the game this weekend. Maybe the Steelers will look at the Packers and come to realize that maybe they handled the past couples weeks the wrong way. Or maybe they will crawl deeper in a hole and hope for a higher draft pick.

One more thing. To all the Steelers fans; our team is not yet eliminated from the playoffs. Our chances are slim, but as long as their is a chance, you need to cheer for them to win. Don't tell me you want to lose out and get the higher draft pick. I want them to win every game, and you should too, especially when playoffs are a possibility. Tanking and hoping for losses is something I have never understood in sports.

Of course, you are entitled to your own opinion, I just think it's wrong.

Indianapolis Colts 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 17: If I were coaching an undefeated team, I would go for perfection. The Colts have a shot at being thought of as the greatest team of all time if they pull off the 19-0 year. You have to take that chance.

Van Morrison - Caravan