Patrick from Freehold, NJ

I miss the good ol' days when the younger fans thought the Vikings were our biggest rival. Kevin from Tinton Falls, NJ, wasn't the only one watching Rams-Bears as if it was a Packers game.

Rivalries are a good thing. Maybe the best of things…and no good rivalry ever dies.

Alan from Fresno, CA

I'll say it here and now, the Chicago Bears will win four fewer games next year. Their "magic" isn't sustainable and above all else, they will be playing a first-place schedule. GB has a real shot at winning the division. The biggest a question is who the defensive coordinator will be. I can't wait! GPG

The Bears had a season most NFL teams can only dream of. I know their fanbase is saying, "Oh, we'll be back next season," and perhaps they will be, but each NFL season is a new, often treacherous, summit and there are no guarantees. Dan Campbell caught some grief last year after saying Detroit might have missed its chance, but there was a lot of truth in that. A big offseason awaits the Bears.

Lex from Mequon, WI

It is fair to predict that the NFC North in 2026 will be a dogfight. The Bears have not just been "lucky." They are a formidable opponent. The Lions will have their injured playmakers back. J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings were definitely on the upswing late this season, and the Packers, if they can stay healthy and figure out how to get out of their own way, will remain contenders.

As soon as Harrison Mevis' kick split the uprights, I tweeted that the NFC North is gonna be fun next season. Chicago is a good football team, but all four teams will have a legitimate shot at the division title depending on how their offseasons unfold. Because as promising as 2025 was for the Bears, the bill is coming due after all their veteran acquisitions the past couple years. The Packers stand to lose some pieces, too, but they'll also be another year older and another year wiser. Those who return also will remember how the Bears games played out and the narratives coming out of those contests. Ben Johnson wanted a rivalry and he's gonna get one, but really this is nothing new between the Packers and Bears. Same book, new chapter. Welcome back, Chicago.

Doug from Albert Lea, MN

Truck the Bears! I love when karma kicks in. I know this is blatant chortling, but can we allow it this one time? GPG!

I'll allow it. It's been a long couple weeks.

Mike from Chaska, MN

If I was in charge (my wife says, "Ya sure…"), I would make Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons captains next year! Let them drive the new "get it done" philosophy!

I could see it, though Kraft already wore a "C" this year.

Ray from Phoenix, AZ

Now that the GM and coach are in place, we should begin to see changes in the GB coaches. I am really anxious to see the role Sean Mannion plays next year. To get that East-West gig speaks loudly about Mannion's abilities to coach. He has really helped Jordan Love and Malik Willis develop their games. As a former QB with years learning from some great coaches tells me Mannion will be a great coordinator someday. I'm sure glad we have him.

Mannion clearly has a knack for this coaching thing. After apprenticing under Tom Clements for a year, Mannion not only helped Love take his game to the next level this year but also kept Willis on an upward trajectory, too. He puts in the time with his guys and works hard to develop every quarterback in his room. You can see why Matt LaFleur was quick to hire him to his coaching staff after Mannion hung up the cleats after the 2023 season.

Scott from Hamlin, NY

I wish Malik the best of luck. He's earned the opportunity to compete somewhere. Mike spoke of synergy yesterday. I think MLF calls his best games with Willis under center. I'm glad we extended MLF and hope Willis has a coach who can get the best out of him the way coach did.

Me, too. Willis was sensational in relief of Jordan Love the past two years. While LaFleur will be the last one to ever take any praise, he did an unreal job of fitting his offense to Willis' strengths in a pinch. That partnership is rooted in the increasingly rare ideals of development and both sides prospered from it.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, I have to think the season would have ended better, or at least later, if the run game developed as envisioned. The Packers have spent the last several years getting bigger and bigger on the offensive line, in theory to establish a road-grading run game that can eat up clock and finish games when the Packers had the lead. I know injuries were significant, but even when most of the preferred starters were out there, the run game disappointed. How will they improve with maybe three new faces?

The Packers have possible openings at both left tackle and center depending on what happens with Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan in free agency. But I would agree that the Packers need better from the run game in 2026. It's vital to the offense LaFleur runs.

Chris from Netherlands

If the Steelers decide not to retain Aaron Rodgers and release him today ... could the Broncos pick him up as a free agent/sign off waivers/whatever crazy process the NFL must have for such a contingency?

No. The only players eligible to sign with a playoff team are those whose practice-squad contracts expired. By definition, they are street free agents who are free to sign with any team. Rodgers is on ice until the new league year starts in March.

Blake from Marion, IA

Good morning, all. Mike mentioned the Houston Texans having a tough decision at QB moving forward. Wouldn't A12 (or AR8, I suppose) be the perfect guy to run that team? With that defense, all they really need is a QB that doesn't cost them the game. And A-Aron can still make all the throws. That would be a scary team. As always, Go Pack Go!

I don't disagree with Mike. C.J. Stroud's numbers have been going in the wrong direction since winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. That said, he is a former No. 1 overall pick who's only 24 and just played his first season under a new offensive coordinator. Sunday was not good at all, but you understand why DeMeco Ryans reiterated the team's commitment to Stroud after the game. Dave Canales did the same in Carolina with Bryce Young.

Doug from Neenah, WI

Good morning, Wes. Until the Rams' OT victory, the playoff-fickle finger of fate was favoring teams with a dynamic young QB and/or a freshly relocated HC. Veteran coaches Andy Reid and John Harbaugh didn't make it. Matt LaFleur, Mike Tomlin, Kyle Shanahan, Nick Sirianni and Jim Harbaugh were all eliminated. Without Green Bay in the mix, I was rooting for Buffalo to win it all but now they've fired their head coach, Sean McDermott. Was that move justified?

I'm not a fan of the Bills firing McDermott. I understand the disappointment of another playoff exit, but it's not like Buffalo suddenly becomes Super Bowl favorites with a new head coach. Buffalo has the best opening now and will have the pick of the coaching litter but also loses the identity McDermott practically built from the ground up since 2017.

John from Stevens Point, WI

The University of Virginia didn't panic when Tony Bennett's team lost to No. 16 seed UM-BC in a first round NCAA tourney game. The UVa didn't even think of firing Bennett. The next season, the Cavaliers won a thrilling NCAA championship. I'm glad Ed Policy and the Packers didn't push the panic button. There are eight NFL teams looking for head coaches. What makes fans think there's an upgrade from MLF out there? Change for change's sake doesn't always produce the intended result.

It often achieves the opposite, especially when a firm plan isn't in place. I think about San Diego letting go of Marty Schottenheimer in 2007 and hiring Norv Turner. The Chargers spun their wheels for three years and then fired Turner after three playoff-less seasons.

Dave from Howard, WI

If a team is looking for a head coach this offseason, it would seem prudent to wait until after the Super Bowl in case the losing team fires its head coach. Happy to see the Packers chose not to jump on the coaching merry-go-round.

It's been a weird year, almost unprecedented. I'm curious what McDermott's future holds. You'd think he becomes a prime head-coaching candidate if he wants a job straightaway.

Larry from Green Valley, AZ

Do you have a DC choice if Jeff Hafley leaves? I would like to see Al Harris. Played here, has been a very good defensive coach and would have a positive influence on teaching our DBs.

I offer no predictions, but this head-coaching carousel has released a slew of accomplished defensive coordinators to the open market.

Mark from Ada, OK

I know this is the oldest of grievances, but after the "controversial" Bills interception, what I immediately thought of was the not/interception for Evan Williams in the Bears game that was ruled an incompletion. C'est la vie…

Rob Demovsky would tell you nobody enjoys ripping into refs more than I do, but the only thing more difficult than getting calls correct is creating uniformity on what is or is not a catch/interception. It's the slipperiest of NFL slopes. I think New York did the best it could given the situation.

Sharon from Lakewood Ranch, FL

Please explain why Cole Kmet's obvious push-off to make the TD catch at the end of regulation was not called offensive pass interference.

I wasn't pining for a flag there. To me, Kmet made a hell of a play after jousting with Cobie Durant. Maybe Durant draws the flag if he "sold" the contact more (e.g. Jalen Ramsey vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown), but Kmet also timed things out perfectly. More than anything, the DB needs to disengage and play the ball once he sees it in the air.

Mark from Canton, GA

That game-tying TD pass by Caleb Williams near the end of regulation almost reminds me of Russell Wilson's crazy throw for a two-point conversion in the "game that shall not be named." Reasons why DBs should never give up on their receiver until the play is officially dead.

Plaster till infinity.

David from Riverwoods, IL

While the talking heads are regaling the Williams game-tying throw, it must make every coach from peewee football to the NFL cringe. There is not a coach on this planet who would ever teach a QB to retreat 30 yards on a do-or-die play to wing a prayer into double coverage.

Williams' offensive line didn't do him any favors, either. Listen, the guy is supremely talented, and his competitiveness is off the charts. However, Williams' inaccuracy on intermediate throws and decision-making in scoring territory would be slightly concerning if I'm a Bears fan. They need to see growth in those two areas next season. I also felt the importance of Colston Loveland's absence late in that game cannot be overstated. He's the guy in that offense.

Mark from Summit Lake, WI

If you ever talk to anyone on the rules committee, I have a suggestion. If a player is fined by the league after a game, and a foul isn't called on the field, I suggest the official responsible for the call be fined as well. If a player commits a flagrant foul that results in a player being injured and not being able to return to a game, that player committing the foul be suspended for at least the rest of that game. And if an official missed the call, they were suspended the following game.

But…but…but Bears fans screamed that Austin Booker's third fineable hit on Jordan Love was just a football play. Officials will never get suspended, but I would like to see more player suspensions for repeat offenders. I'm not saying Booker should be suspended for those infractions, but it should stay on his "record." It seems like the NFL only suspends players for isolated incidents.

Tim from Canada

Watching other games during the playoffs is very helpful in gaining perspective. The Pack are not the only team to make mistakes, endure bad calls, or lose close games in a heartbreaking fashion. On another note, I was furious that the Rams ran the ball on third down with 2 minutes, 7 seconds left (the two-minute warning was going to stop the clock anyway) rather than try to win the game with Stafford. So glad they still pulled it out.

I didn't understand that one. Because even if you throw it there and it's incomplete, the punt still kills the two-minute warning for you. Instead, the Rams punted at the two-minute, and Chicago still had a timeout to play with.

Luke from Des Moines, IA

Ravens, Steelers and now the Bills. None were content with just getting to the playoffs – and the coaches are gone as a result. Green Bay actually gives an extension to their guy. Happy for the continuity it provides for the players but I'm not really expecting anything to change. And that is exactly the problem.

Tomlin coached Pittsburgh for 19 years, Harbaugh was in Baltimore for 18 and McDermott did nine rounds in Buffalo. I think you're using the wrong basis for a flawed argument.

Al from Green Bay, WI

I saw some really exciting playoff football this weekend, but the Seahawks really impressed; offense, defense and special teams all dominated. Wes, can any of the remaining teams beat them? Who has the best shot to do so?

I think the Rams are gonna give them the best game they're gonna get. I have nothing against Seattle, but I'd wanna see old No. 17 in a Super Bowl.

Ron from Wichita, KS

Good morning Insiders! Just for fun can we get Wayne Larrivee to do a simulated call for the Rams' kick in overtime, including "and there is your dagger"?

With all due respect to Wayne, who is the GOAT, I don't know if anyone could do a better retrospective call than Kevin Harlan's in real-time. What an absolute treasure.

Ryan from Centre Hall, PA

I know you won't post this, but when will people figure out that you probably will post this? Sheesh, I'm sure you get a lot of submissions that you really can't and shouldn't publish, but I think II has a pretty good track record of not shying away from critical submissions.

We're always here. We're always reading. We're always listening.

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