Packers look to spoil Bears' run

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's gut-wrenching for Green Bay Packers coach Mike Sherman to talk about missing the playoffs, but at least his team can try to derail the Chicago Bears' playoff plans.\n"In our situation right now, we're not going to be in the playoffs. That's out of the picture," Sherman said Wednesday. "We certainly can revel in being the spoiler."\nReveling in the spoiler role? At this point in the season, it will have to do.\n"It really turns in my gut to be up here and talk like that, but that's where we are today," Sherman said. "There's always a challenge out there, but this challenge is a little bit different than what we've had in the past."\nThe Packers have ruled their division for much of the Brett Favre era, often embarrassing the Bears in the process. Green Bay has won 19 of its last 22 games against Chicago, including 11 straight on the road, and can tie a record for consecutive road victories against a single team on Sunday.\nBut the Packers (2-9) have been beset by injuries and mistakes this season, while the Bears (8-3) suddenly find themselves trying to ride a dominant defense and solid running game to a first-round playoff bye.\nWith two games against the Bears in December -- at Soldier Field on Sunday and at Lambeau Field on Christmas -- the Packers could still figure prominently in the Bears' playoff plans.\n"It's surprising," defensive tackle Grady Jackson said. "You know, whoever thought the Packers were going to play spoilers this year?"\nFavre, who has an 11-1 career record at Soldier Field, isn't used to playing spoiler to anybody, let alone the Bears. The closest situation Favre remembers is the 2001 season, when the Packers accounted for two of the Bears' three losses but still finished second to them in the division.\n"I'm sure Bears fans across the country don't feel sorry for the Packers," Favre said. "We've been on top for a long time."\nOffensive coordinator Tom Rossley, a former Bears assistant, said records don't matter when it comes to a rivalry.\n"It doesn't matter what the records are, we're playing the Bears," Rossley said. "I've been on both sides. I coached in Chicago as well, I know the importance there, I know the importance here as well. Records aside, this is a big game and both teams will give it their best."\nSherman said he isn't surprised the Bears are playing well, particularly on defense.\n"I kind of thought they would have a good season if they could stay healthy," Sherman said. "There have been other years that I thought they would and they just haven't been able to stay healthy because they've had a good defense and they've added to that recently with high draft picks and now they're even better. But yeah, I thought they'd be a pretty good team this year."\nThe Packers are more surprised at their own failings than at the Bears' success.\n"It's more surprising where we are at, really," Jackson said. "Because this is not us. And how many years in Packer history has it been like this?"\nThe Bears' success makes it even worse.\n"They're winning the games that they have to win, something we haven't done," Favre said. "They're going to be going to the postseason, we're not"