Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Sunday, January 2, 2011, 4:15 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Packers -10
Current Line: Packers -10
Opening Total: 41.5
Current Total: 41.5
Money Line: Packers -520 / Bears +420
The Green Bay Packers (9-6) quite simply need to beat the Chicago Bears (11-4) on Sunday to get into the playoffs as the #6 seed in the NFC, adding plenty of intrigue to the oldest rivalry in league history. The Packers (-10) are coming off a 45-17 rout of the New York Giants last week that gives them the tiebreaker for the last postseason spot with one more victory in the finale.
Some thought the NFC North title would come down to this game, but the Bears made sure it did not by winning seven of their last eight games and going 5-0 against divisional opponents. Of course it also helped that Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was knocked out in the second quarter of a 7-3 loss at Detroit and missed a 31-27 setback at New England the following week.
Regardless, this game means a lot more to the Pack than the Bears, who clinched the #2 seed in the NFC when Minnesota stunned Philadelphia 24-14 on Tuesday night. Chicago does not have anything meaningful to play for here except a perfect mark in the division and the desire to keep its biggest rival out of the playoffs.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith made it his mission to beat Green Bay when he took the job back in 2004 and has gone 8-5 against them, including a 20-17 home win back in Week 3. That latest meeting saw the Packers commit a team-record 18 penalties for 152 yards and let Devin Hester bust loose on a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown, one of his NFL-record 14 scoring returns.
Rodgers returned from a concussion last week against the Giants to play arguably the best game by a quarterback this season. He threw for a season-high 404 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and had 316 yards in the first meeting with Chicago.
Counterpart Jay Cutler for the Bears has thrown three touchdowns in each of his last two games with passer ratings over 100 in four of the past five. Cutler is 21-0 during his career when his passer rating is over 100, but he has tossed seven interceptions in four meetings with Green Bay.
The Packers are 4-1 against the spread in the last five games against Chicago with the UNDER cashing every time. However, the OVER is 5-0 in the last five games overall for the Bears, who are 6-1 straight-up on the road this season with a 4-2-1 ATS mark.
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