They started out the season with one of the best runs in the league; and they were quickly announced as favorites for the Super Bowl. But in the last month or so, things quickly turned around for the Chicago Bears; in the worst way at the very worst time. Even a win this past Sunday against the Detroit Lions couldn’t do much for them, after the Vikings won their game against the Packers and snatched away any hope the Bears had for the playoffs.

It’s the fifth time in their six past seasons that the Bears have missed the playoffs, but this year was especially disappointing after such a great start. About midway through the season though, when better teams such as the Green Bay Packers started playing in a more typical fashion, the Bears showed they still didn’t have the consistency to carry them through. Their offense struggled, especially in the past few weeks, and the 2013 playoffs will again pass them by.

So far, former head coach Lovie Smith has paid the biggest price for it, ending his nine year run with the team. Smith was only one of seven head coaches touchedby the firing frenzy this past weekend in the NFL.

But while the Bears and others are saying goodbye to the 2012-2013 season, many teams are still desperately trying to hang onto theirs. Cincinnati, Houston, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Seattle, Washington, Minnesota, and Green Bay are all playing their wild card games this weekend.

Meanwhile, other teams will be sitting pretty on a bye week awaiting their first week of the playoffs. Those teams are Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver, and New England.