Bears face tough odds in Houston

Something to keep in mind if Adrian Peterson and the Vikings start fumbling the ball all over the Metrodome again today ...

Even if the Vikings lose to the Giants, the Bears still need to beat the Texans in Houston to win the NFC North and eliminate the Vikings. And while beating a 7-8 team this time of year might seem easy for a Chicago team that has won three consecutive games, it won't be.

Since Gary Kubiak was hired as head coach in 2006, the Texans are 7-1 at home and 9-5 overall in December. They're 2-0 at home this month, including a 13-12 victory over a Titans team that's an NFL-best 13-2.

Houston's offense presents multiple headaches for a Bears defense that just isn't what it used to be. For example, Houston is the only team in the NFL with two players among the top 10 in first downs. Andre Johnson (70) is the only receiver in the top 10. Rookie running back Steve Slaton (67) is the other Texan in the top 10.

No pressure, Pack Trying not to lose to Detroit is pressure enough. But a loss to the 0-15 Lions today would be especially embarrassing considering the Packers went 17-0 at home against the Lions during the Brett Favre era. That includes a playoff victory during the 1994 season.

The Lions, of course, also feel the pressure of trying to avoid becoming the first team to finish 0-16 since the league expanded to a 16-game season in 1978.

"Yeah," said center Dominic Raiola, "there's a big monkey on our back. ... It's very real. It's right there. It's pretty sad that it comes down to this."

Asked this week if he wanted someone to "throw him a lifeline," Marinelli said, "I'd throw it back."

Disposable stadiums The Georgia Dome is 16 years old. Apparently, that's now considered old, as 20 other NFL stadiums are younger. There have been preliminary discussions between a developer and the Falcons about building a new stadium in Doraville, a town of about 11,000 residents near Atlanta, where the Georgia Dome sits.

Although details are sketchy, the cost of the retractable-roof stadium has been put at about $1 billion.

The team's lease at the state-owned Georgia Dome expires when the bonds sold to build the stadium are paid off sometime between 2015 and 2020. Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants a new stadium when the bonds are paid off.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

By playing at least 80 percent of the Ravens' offensive snaps this season, Flacco has earned an additional $750,000 in base salary in the final four years of his contract. He would earn an additional $200,000 for each playoff victory.

Ryan can make $1 million in incentives if the Falcons win the Super Bowl. He'd make an extra $100,000 for a first-round playoff victory, $200,000 for a divisional-round win and $400,000 for winning the NFC.

"I'm sure you guys [the media] will compare us for the rest of our careers because we're obviously in the same draft class and started from Day One," Flacco said last week. "But I'm not going to pay too much attention to that. We'll see how it works out."

Stat of the week 5: Sacks needed by the Chiefs at Cincinnati today to avoid breaking or sharing the NFL record for fewest sacks in a 16-game season. The Chiefs have nine. The 1981 Baltimore Colts hold the record of 13.