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For now, NFC North still up for grabs

What does it mean when the Chicago Bears are 0-2 at home and 2-0 on the road?

I am not really sure because being 2-2 in the North division might be status quo. Jay Cutler's play isn't up to par, and neither is the Bears' defense.

Cutler, now 1-9 against the Green Bay Packers, was within striking distance in the first half, but he threw two interceptions in the second half to sink the ship.

The defense looked suspiciously like it did last season - not good. I don't know how many times in history the Bears have rushed the football for 236 yards and held the ball for over 38 minutes and lost, but that's difficult to do.

The Detroit Lions are now 3-1 and alone in first place after their victory against the hapless New York Jets. The Minnesota Vikings took it to the Atlanta Falcons, and we know what the Packers did to the Bears, so every one in the North is 2-2 and one game back of the Lions.

One of these teams will be 2-3 Friday morning as Green Bay plays the Vikings on Thursday night at home. The surging Lions will play the 2-2 Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and I believe the Bears have a winnable game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, especially considering they seem to play better on the road.

The NFC North remains wide open at the quarter post, but for how long?

Poor choices by Watson:

I love Tom Watson, who's he's a great guy and a terrific golfer. That said, I knew the U.S. team was in trouble with "Captain Tom" when he let an injured Tiger Woods determine himself whether he would participle or not against Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Bad lineups, sitting Phil Mickelson, not being aggressive and the lack of team chemistry destroyed USA's chances.

I could see the difference in the two teams as I watched; the Europeans were chatting and seemed bent on winning, and U.S. players seemed unsure of their roles as Mickelson campaigned to play more.

Watson said Mickelson looked exhausted at dinner, which is why he didn't play him more. OK, so Phil goes to bed that evening and wakes up fresh in the morning, Tom.

Still, the best golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy, makes the Europeans automatically better than Team USA. Honestly, the U.S. golfers seemed to roll over Sunday almost like they didn't want to play.

Mickelson commented that maybe they should look at how Paul Azinger handled the team in 2008, the last time the USA won the Ryder Cup.

Not words of high praise for Tom Watson, and I must say I agree.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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