Only 10 points.
Ten points was the total margin of victory when the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers split in their two head to head meetings this season.
The Bears won the first game in Chicago in Week 3, 20-17. In the rematch in Green Bay, a game the Packers had to win to secure the NFC’s sixth seed and a playoff spot, they came away with a grin it out bare knuckles 10-3 victory.
The stakes will be much higher this Sunday when the Bears and Packers meet again at 3 P.M. in Chicago for the opportunity to move on the Super Bowl.
Odds makers have installed the Packers as three point favorites over the Bears despite being the road team. It is a combination of familiarity and the Packers’ ascension over the past month as perhaps the most balanced and dangerous team in the NFL. Although the Bears were the NFC division champions with a record of 11-5, the 10-6 Packers, the division runner-up, are the apple of prognosticators eyes.
They crushed the Atlanta Falcons last Saturday, the NFC’s No.1 seed coming into the post-season, by48-21. The Packers made it look easy on the Falcons’ home turf, where they were a nearly unbeatable 7-1 during the regular season.
There is no hotter and more hyped player remaining in the playoffs than Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The six-year pro has emerged as one of the most versatile players in the game, capable of carving opponents with his arm and legs.
He seemingly toyed with the Falcons defenders, passing for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Rodgers also ran for a score. But if form holds, he won’t have the similar results versus the Bears. Led by defensive end Julius Peppers and linebacker Brian Urlacher, the Bears presented problems for the explosive Packers offense in their two previous match ups.
Furthermore, the respect factor, or lack thereof, may be an intense motivator for the Bears, who for the better part of the season were dismissed by many as pretenders. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball. But they have an extremely talented quarterback of their own, albeit erratic, in Jay Cutler, along with a solid running back in Matt Forte. The X factor is the Bears kick returner/wide receiver Devin Hester, arguably the most feared player on either team.
The pick here is the same score as Week 3. Bears 20, Packers 17.