The Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns are a combined 4-24. The Bears have all four wins, despite being bad enough to lose to the Brett Hundley-led Packers. (Chicago was even coming off a bye week. It was the game featuring the John Fox challenge turnover.)
Another fun fact: the Bears are 3-0 against the AFC North. The Browns, of course, are 0-14, two losses away from the wrong kind of perfect season. And to top it all off, today’s game is apparently going to feature some snow.
Merry Christmas from Soldier Field. Snow beginning to fall. #Bears #Browns pic.twitter.com/kNLdibHl0K
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 24, 2017
Less than 3 hours to kickoff. Snow starting to stick. pic.twitter.com/LK9DxON4xC
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 24, 2017
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 24, 2017
Typically a snow game is a rare treat, the elements conspiring for fantastic visuals and some wackier NFL moments. We had a great one just two weeks ago when the Colts lost in Buffalo.
Chicago is also looking at some lake effect snow thanks to Great Lake proximity, the exact same thing that caused the massive pileup in Buffalo:
Things could get interesting at Soldier Field. Models suggest a plume of lake enhanced snow will be roaming the area 11A-2P. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/FOeK7ixGi4
— Mike Hamernik (@MikeHamernik) December 24, 2017
But apparently even the grounds crew at Soldier Field has given up for the year:
You are looking live …
(Soldier Field was tarpless this morning.) pic.twitter.com/vKXX6Z1Zd5
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) December 24, 2017
They didn’t even have the tarp down! With lake effect snow possible, that should be automatic. Maybe it’s a form of protest.
It’ll also be interesting to see the attendance today, on Christmas Eve, in frigid temperatures and a snowstorm. Who would go to this?
The snow might help the aesthetics in Chicago today in a superficial sense, but these are two teams who play every game like it’s a snow game. There’s no way it’s not going to be hilariously bad football. If you’re watching at home, I’d suggest blaring “Yakety Sax” at full blast from kickoff onward.
The Bears are favored by five points, but that’s never been a good thing for the Bears under John Fox:
John Fox doesn’t like laying points.
His straight-up record when favored as Bears coach:
L
L
L
L
L
L
LMore Week 16 betting angles: https://t.co/pL5MqcHAUO pic.twitter.com/uj0DUEpcKB
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 24, 2017
I’ve actually swung around on this: make it the national game. Obviously there’s no way that happens, and as it stands, it’s confined to a narrow region of the midwest. But it’s just going to be so, so bad. It’s the game we deserve.
The Browns might win this 5-3.
[photo credit: Adam Hoge, WGN]