Every NFL team has played at least eight games, marking the official midway point of the season.

The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears are both sitting at 4-4 after embarrassing losses against NFC teams in Week 9 and look nothing like the playoff contenders both were supposed to be at the beginning of the season.

For fans of both teams, all is not lost.

Sure, there are discouraging signs that neither team is going to make a run to the postseason in the NFC. The top two non-division winners earn wild-card spots. As it stands, the Packers are in fourth place behind the Eagles (5-3), Falcons (5-3) and Giants (5-4). The Bears are right behind the Packers.

Let’s assume that 10 wins will get a wild-card berth. Both teams have a ton of work to do to reach 10. n Packers: Green Bay frittered away its NFC wiggle room by losing to the Bucs. The Packers need to minimize their NFC loss total (currently 3) with a remaining slate of Dallas, San Francisco, at Detroit, at Chicago, Seattle and at Arizona. Games at Pittsburgh and vs. Baltimore are tough challenges, but not as big of a factor in the tiebreaker chase.

Most-likely route: Arizona is horrible at home and the Ravens aren’t nearly as good as earlier this year. Packers could lose to Dallas and Pittsburgh, but run the rest of the table to finish 10-6. Green shoot: Beat Dallas this week and the chances improve immensely. n Bears: An even tougher road for Chicago, given two of its three NFC losses (Atlanta and Green Bay) are against teams vying for a wild-card berth. Two games against the Vikings don’t help, but dates with the Lions and Rams do.

Most-likely route: Split with the Vikings, beat the Packers and lose at most one other game. Green shoot: If the Bears want to make a run, they must beat the Niners tonight.

Fantasy Flash

n Must start: Any and all Baltimore Ravens. It became apparent about three weeks into the season that the Cleveland Browns are the worst team in football. Despite struggling all season, look for the Ravens’ defense/special teams to put up top five fantasy points this week.n Bust: Dallas Clark. He’s the best fantasy TE and coming off a 14-catch, 119-yard performance last week. You can’t bench him, but against the Patriots and their fifth-rated pass defense temper expectations. It’s five catches, 40 yards and maybe a TD week. n Sleeper: Seattle’s receiving corps. The most inconsistent bunch in fantasy is playing vs. the 30th-rated pass defense.

Book it

A two-week split moves my record to 26-24.

The Yankees downed the Phillies (and my prediction) in six games in the World Series, but the Bucks beat Minnesota and New York to salvage the split.

This week, give me the Bears over the 49ers.

Mike Larsen can be reached at mlarsen@kenoshanews.com