The vultures will be circling Lambeau Field Sunday, ready to gorge themselves if the Green Bay Packers lose to the Dallas Cowboys.
The cries of discontent this season started in hushed tones last month when the Packers lost to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. They grew louder and more pronounced a few weeks later when Favre returned to Lambeau and stuck it to his old team again. Then came the thunderous roar of outrage after the Packers slipped on a banana peel in Tampa against the previously winless Buccaneers last week.
Now, all most Packers fans want to discuss are the firings of General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy.
Can everyone step back, take a deep breath, and calm down?
Theres no question losing to the Buccaneers doesnt bode well for the second half of the season. This Packers team is riddled with problems, including a train wreck of an offensive line and special teams units that would struggle to cover your grandmother.
But why call for the heads of Thompson and McCarthy on a platter halfway through the season? Even a loss Sunday against the favored Cowboys wont eliminate the Packers from contention.
A victory would provide a desperately needed confidence boost, but a loss is by no means a death knell.
Just six years ago the Packers stumbled out of the gate to a 4-5 record and were left for dead, only to come storming back with victories in six of their last seven games. They posted a 10-6 regular-season record and won a playoff game, and only the infamous fourth-and-26 defensive collapse against Philadelphia prevented the Packers from advancing to the NFC title game.
This is not meant as a prediction the Packers will pull themselves out of the gutter, only a reminder that its been done before and isnt out of the question. This is also not a ringing endorsement of Thompson and McCarthy, only a suggestion that they deserve the chance to finish out the season.
For all their tribulations, the Packers (4-4) remain in the thick of the NFC wild-card chase. They are locked in a four-team battle with Atlanta (5-3), Philadelphia (5-3) and the New York Giants (5-4) for two post-season berths.
The Packers face just three teams with winning records in the second half of the season. Their opponents have a combined 33-33 record, compared to a tougher road for the Giants (34-22) and Eagles (37-30), who each must face five teams with winning marks. Of the four wild-card contenders, only the Falcons (30-35) have an easier schedule than the Packers.
Last weeks travesty in Tampa proved the Packers are capable of losing no matter how soft the competition. Unless they shake themselves out of their malaise, it wont matter who shows up to play them.
But declaring the season over, even if the Packers lose Sunday, would be a rush to judgment. There will be plenty of time down the road to call out Thompson and McCarthy if the Packers fail to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.
Until then, the Packers are still breathing.