nina-dobrev-vampire-diariesmike-singletary-chicago-bears-football-cardFor those of you who just can’t get enough mediocre football, tonight NFL Network begins its two-month stretch of Thursday night programming with the 4-4 Bears traveling to face the 3-5 49ers. It’s a scintillating matchup that we’ll be watching closely between sips of cognac and snippets of The Vampire Diaries. Here’s a few things about Bears/Niners to watch for:

1. Watch for Losing Football: The Bears have lost three of four, and in two of those losses they failed to hold their opponent under 30 points in the first half. Cedric Benson, Beanie Wells, hell, Connie Britton could run on this defense right now. The 49ers, meanwhile, actually come into this game with a longer losing streak, as they’ve dropped four straight. They turned the ball over four times last week in a home loss to the Titans, who converted the 49ers’ mishaps into 24 points.

alex-smith-san-francisco-49ers-girlfriend2. Watch for Nuclear QB’s: Alex Smith was drafted first overall. Jay Cutler was drafted 11th. Both have endured their share of criticism during their short time in the league, Smith for being a horrible player and Cutler for throwing mind-boggling interceptions and never making the playoffs/finishing with a winning record. After a brief flirtation with servicable QB play, Smith threw three INT’s last week against the Titans. Cutler’s Bears are 4-4 and he’s on pace to throw 24 picks this year. The more things change…

3. Watch for Vernon Davis: Davis is tied for the league lead in TD receptions with seven, is a devastating run blocker, and his string of circus catches against the Texans last month was appointment viewing. But prior to this game, he decided to “poke the Bear” by boasting of how the 49ers were going to destroy Chicago’s defensive front. Everyone else has, right? But did he venture too far into Rex Ryan territory for head coach Mike Singletary’s liking? Keep an eye on the sidelines for any potential blowups.

4. Watch for Tommie Hearns, er, Tommie Harris: The former All-Pro, pocket-collapsing dynamo played one series against Arizona last week before being ejected for launching a quick right hook to the head of a Cardinals’ offensive linemen. Harris has been plagued by lower-body injuries over the past three seasons that have sapped his effectiveness and limited his game appearances. He’ll be under a microscope tonight.

5. Watch for playoff eliminations: The loser of tonight’s game won’t be mathematically out of the NFC playoff race, but a five-loss Bears team (that has yet to play Minnesota) or a six-loss 49ers team (even if they are in the NFC Blech) face some long odds in December. So see, this is just like a playoff game!