The last of the NFL-record 44 times that the Curly Lambeau-coached Packers faced George Halas’ Bears was a midseason game between two teams hovering around .500 and not destined for big things in 1949.
Not exactly a swan song befitting two legends.
Sunday night’s win-and-in regular-season finale between John Harbaugh’s Ravens and Mike Tomlin’s Steelers comes under circumstances that pay more appropriate homage if it turns out to be the final chapter of a great 18-year rivalry. The loser of the game could undergo a franchise facelift as the playoffs start for other teams next week.
“Hearing all the outside noise about both of the coaches is something I think they could care less about,” said Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, a former Ravens first-round draft pick. “Their mindset is: ‘Win this game and I ain’t got nothing to worry about’ — as it should be.”
