Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears NFC Championship Preview
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Packers at Bears NFL Lines
Date/Time: Sunday, January 23, 3 PM ET
Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Broadcast: FOX
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears Betting Lines from Sportsbetting.com
Money Line: Bears (+170) Packers (-190)
Spread: Packers -3.5
Over/Under: 43.5
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Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears Preview
The longest rivalry in the NFL heats up this Sunday in the NFC Championship game when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers. NFL lines have the visiting Packers as 3.5-point favorites in this game with a total of 43.5.
These 2 teams have played each other the most out of any 2 teams in the NFL and these NFC North rivals faced each other twice this season with each team winning at home. Green Bay has won both of their playoff games on the road including a 48-21 spanking of the Atlanta Falcons last week. In their divisional playoff game last week the Bears beat the Seattle Seahawks 35-24.
This season the Packers are 11-7-1 ATS and the Bears are 10-6-1 ATS. Both teams covered the spreads last week and the Packers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games in Chicago.
There is no love lost between these 2 teams, as Bears’ head coach Lovie Smith recently stated, “You just look at our history and it does have a respectful tone, but it can be nasty also. It’s going to be a physical game. We don’t like each other.”
The Bears have a couple of tall tasks in this game, as they have to try to slow down Aaron Rodgers and they have to protect Jay Cutler. Rodgers has been on fire in the playoffs and in the win over Atlanta he was simply awesome going 31/36 got 366 yards with 3 TD and 0 INT. The trio of LB Lance Briggs, LB Brian Urlacher, and DE Julius Peppers have to get to Rodgers and not give him time to find his targets of WR Jordy Nelson and WR Greg Jennings, who combined to catch 16 passes for 180 yards last week.
Protecting Jay Cutler is also vital for the Bears in this game and the offensive line has to step it up. Cutler was sacked twice last week, but in the week 17 loss to the Packers in Green Bay he did pass for 221 loss and was sacked 6 times and was picked of once. Cutler is only 1-4 in his career facing Green Bay.
Cutler will be facing the league’s 5th ranked passing defense led by the CB duo of Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams, who has 3 picks in the playoffs. Cutler cannot make mistakes with the ball, as if he is picked off more than once the Bears will not make it to the Super Bowl.
Running the ball will be important in this game and more so for the Bears. Chicago rushed for 176 yards last week and while Green Bay has had issues in their run defense this season they only gave up 45 rushing yards last week. RB Matt Forte is key for the Bears’ as if he has a good game and takes the pressure off Cuter the Bears have a legit chance to win.
The Bears have one of the best run defenses in the league, ranking 2nd, and they will be facing rookie James Starks, who has rushed for 189 yards in the playoffs and even though he did rush for 66 yards last week he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry. Chicago’s D will key on stopping Rodgers, so Starks may be able to peel off some big runs.
One player that is also key in this game is Chicago return stud Devin Hester. He ran a punt back for a TD in the week 3 win over the Packers and Green Bay gave up a 102 yard kickoff return last week to Atlanta. The Green Bay special teams’ defense has to get to him and not let him give the Bears great field position and especially keeping him from running kicks back for scores.
The Bears are at home, but the Packers are rolling and Aaron Rodgers will have another huge game. He is simply en-fuego and he will get protection and take advantage of it and torch a mediocre Bears’ secondary. Green Bay will win this game and cover the 3.5-point spread and only become the 2nd team in the history of the NFL to make the Super Bowl as a 6th seed.
Betting Trends
Green Bay is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite of 3.5-10 and Chicago is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Both games this season between the Bears and Packers went Under the posted betting total and even though the last 4 games between the 2 have gone Under I would stay away from the Over/Under bet since the Packers offense is firing on all cylinders.
Pick: Packers -3
