If readers are still holding out postseason hope for the 7-6 Bears, they’ll be disappointed to learn that Thursday night’s outstanding win over the Dallas Cowboys, solely for intents and purposes of the playoff picture, essentially never happened.

This is not the way a team with Super Bowl aspirations is supposed to operate, especially with games against its three NFC North Division rivals — Chicago at home, Minnesota and Detroit on the road — coming up next and the playoffs after that. No wonder the Packers were more bothered than excited afterward.

Aaron Jones rushed for a season-high 134 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries, Aaron Rodgers threw for 195 yards and the Green Bay Packers did enough to beat the Washington Redskins 20-15 Sunday.

Ervin, claimed on waivers from Jacksonville last week and immediately installed as the team’s return man, accomplished more the first time he touched the football Sunday than the rest of the Packers punt returners accomplished in the season’s first 12 games.

State Journal columnist Tom Oates grades the Green Bay Packers' performance in their 20-15 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Packers held off a late push by the Washington Redskins to pull out a 20-15 win Sunday at Lambeau Field to improve to 10-3 on the season. 

Prepare for kick off of the University of Wisconsin's football season on Friday night against the South Florida Bulls with the Wisconsin State Journal's annual Badgers season preview. 

Two of the top teams in the NFC squared off in front of a raucous crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Dec. 8. with the No. 1 seed hanging in the balance. The San Francisco 49ers (11-2) improved their chances at landing the top seed in the NFC with a nail-biting 48-46 win over the New Orleans Saints (10-3).

Rodgers and the Packers (9-3) play the Washington Redskins (3-9) on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Jason Wilde breaks down three keys for the Green Bay Packers when they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. 

It’s hard to imagine a less intimidating offense coming into Lambeau Field than the crew Washington will put out there, a unit that ranks dead last in the NFL in scoring (14.4 points per game), dead last in total offense (262.4 yards per game), dead last in passing offense (163.0 per game), dead last in third-down efficiency (26.5 percent) and second-to-last in red-zone efficiency (35.7 percent).

There are probably trickier ways to change a play call at the line of scrimmage than the shouting of “Big Dog! Big Dog!” Aaron Rodgers did before throwing a touchdown to veteran right end Marcedes Lewis — aka, Big Dog — but give Rodgers this much: It worked just fine on his 1-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter of last week’s 31-13 win over the New York Giants.