"Yeah, I was watching third-and-1 and [when] we scored 20 points," Smith said in an attempt at humor. "Is that the scoreboard-watching you're talking about?"

No, but Smith knew that.

He probably also realized that many of his players spent part of the fourth quarter of the Bears' 23-10 win over Jacksonville trying to keep up on the Vikings-Lions game.

When the Vikings rallied to win, it hurt the Bears more than any Jaguars play from scrimmage.

Minnesota clinched every tiebreaker with the Bears, meaning they essentially have a two-game lead on the Bears with three games to play.

The earliest the Bears could be eliminated is about 3 p.m. Dec. 21, if the Vikings win their 10th game of the season against the Falcons. Under that scenario, the Bears-Packers matchup on "Monday Night Football" would be more important to the ratings than the standings.

With many scenarios out there, tight end Greg Olsen has the right idea.

"If we don't take care of our business, it doesn't really matter what the Vikings or Packers do," Olsen said. "Our margin for error is very small right now."