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Chicago Bears against Green Bay Packers is NFL’s oldest rivalry and might just be the best the NFL has to offer. The teams have met 181 times, an astounding number for sure, but only once in the postseason. That matchup happened seven days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor and in that game the Bears prevailed 33-14. This game is bigger and better than any other game in Bears and Packers history. Why? Because you can eliminate your mortal enemy one step away from the Super Bowl, because you can make this one hurt forever and even if they were to meet again at the same stage it wouldn’t be the same. It just wouldn’t. It’s all about 2 p.m. on Sunday and about beating the Packers.
The field will be frozen, the crowd, however, ought to be louder than ever before. There is no excuse if it isn’t. None. People have been to “cold” games before, so the conditions shouldn’t be a factor whatsoever in that regard. There is no reason why the crowd shouldn’t be in a frenzy before the game, during the singing of the national anthem and hopefully throughout the game as well. The team needs this kind of support as it embarks on the most important game in the history of the franchise. The team needs it to overcome a better than good Green Bay team and it’s “can’t miss a receiver right now” stud quarterback. 
Standing across the Bears will be a Green Bay team peaking at the right time and if the Bears are going to win this game it will take all four facets of the game: offense, defense, special teams and the Soldier Field crowd. Jay Cutler and Lovie Smith will hopefully take care of the first three but the good people of Illinois need to step up and deliver the fourth.
As for what will happen in the game, there are several keys that should determine the outcome. One of the keys should be stopping Green Bay’s new found ground game – James Starks. Starks had a great game against the Eagles but did not come up as big in Atlanta as Aaron Rodgers took over and picked apart the Falcons. Starks did, however, carry the ball 25 times even if only for 66 yards. What that does tell me is that they are committed to the running game even if it’s not working like they would want it to. The Bears must stop Starks to have a chance in this game. Making Aaron Rodgers and the Packers one dimensional will go a long way in stopping Green Bay’s well oiled machine, something the Bears have already done twice this year.
Aaron Rodgers will get his numbers. That’s a fact. He is too good of a quarterback and he is playing at too high of a level right now to be completely stopped. That being said though, it is possible to limit his big play ability. The Bears did that in the last game of the season for majority of the game, the only blunder being a huge completion to Greg Jennings down the right side of the field. Other than that play, the Bears did a fantastic job containing Rodgers and his explosive receivers. The Bears need to stay in their gaps and tackle well; they need to trust the defensive scheme. It’s gotten them this far and it will get them to the Super Bowl as long they execute the game plan.
On the Bears side of the football it isn’t all up to Jay Cutler to take the Bears to Dallas. Matt Forte needs to have a better game than James Starks and enable Cutler and Mike Martz to effectively use play-action. Forte has been really good in the 2nd half of the season as well as the playoff game against the Seahawks. Forte rushed for 80 yards and caught additional 54 yard proving yet again how versatile he has become to the Bears offense. In my opinion if Matt Forte runs the football effectively the Bears will win the game. Cutler needs to protect the ball, like he has in the past couple of games but he can’t play too cautious. He is at his best when he plays freely and exudes confidence, something everyone could see in the win against the Seahawks. Jay needs to take what the defense gives him and occasionally take 
his shots down the field. Whether Mike Martz designs the right game plan remains to be seen, he certainly has done so as of late.
The wild card remains Devin Hester. NFL’s most elusive return man ever took one back against Green Bay in the first matchup and almost had a couple more in the regular season finale at Green Bay. The Packers will most likely kick it to him, albeit directionally trying to pin him in the corners of the field. They succeeded in Week 17 but one little mistake will result in another Devin Hester gallop towards the Hall of Fame and Dallas, respectively. Hester could prove to be the reason why the Bears go to the Super Bowl and here is to hoping that the Packers decide to punt to him every single time.
I think the Packers have the edge offensively at the quarterback position. The Bears have the better special teams while the defenses should cancel each other out. The difference to me is the running game. The Bears have the edge in that department and that should, in my opinion, be the difference between the two teams. I know that Aaron Rodger is playing out of his mind. I know that the Packers defense is phenomenal. I know all that. I simply believe that the Bears will find a way to squeak this one out. It’s just a gut feeling. I just hope that I can review the game on Monday and talk about the Super Bowl instead of a long offseason. Hope – it’s the only thing that we can all rely on until the ball is kicked off on Sunday.
Bear down Chicago.
PREDICTION: Bears 24 – Packers 20
Finally it is here. The game that the whole Chicago has been waiting for is here. The Bears welcome the Seahawks in the “least attractive game of the weekend”, according to many experts. That, however has no bearing how important this game is to Bears fans. The Bears will attempt to avenge the loss in Week 6 and if they do so will host the NFC Championship next Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Pittsburgh and Green Bay posted impressive victories last night and are awaiting today to see who they will face next week in the championship games. Steelers overcame a 14 point deficit against the Ravens while Aaron Rodgers went to Georgia Dome and destroyed NFC’s top seed Falcons.
Here is a preview of today’s games:
Seahawks @ Bears – on FOX @ noon
It’s the rematch of the Week 6 game where the Seahawks came in and won 23-20. In that game Jay Cutler was sacked 6 times while Matt Hasselbeck didn’t get sacked at all and only got hit once. That right there needs to change for the Bears today. Hasselbeck needs to be pressured and at the same time Jay Cutler needs to be protected better.
Bears’ best defensive player, Julius Peppers, was shut down completely in the Week 6 loss by the talented rookie left tackle Russell Okung. The sixth overall pick has been very good all year but his best performance of the year came without a doubt in that game against the Bears. His performance today will be crucial in determining the outcome of the game.
As for the Bears it always starts and ends with Jay Cutler. When Jay plays well the Bears are a very scary team. When he is off his game and throwing off his back foot, the Bears are very beatable. Yes the defense is very good and the special teams are the best in the league but it’s the offense that sways the pendulum one way or another. If Jay is careful with the football and doesn’t turn it over the Bears should win this game. The Bears are the more talented team in this matchup and if both teams play up to their ability the Bears should come out a winner.
Chicago has to be able to stop the Seahawks running game of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. If they can do that and make Hasselbeck HAVE TO beat them through the air, this should bode well for the Bears. Another key is Matt Forte who didn’t do anything in the first game between the teams. Forte has been very good as of late and I believe he will show up today.
In my opinion the Bears will find a way to get to Hasselbeck and Matt Forte will rush the ball way better than he did in the first meeting. The Seahawks will get burned if they do decide to kick the ball to Devin Hester. All of these factors amount to a Bears victory however, in a closer game than the people think.
PREDICTION: Bears 27 – Seahawks 20
Jets @ Patriots – on CBS @ 3:30
The trash talking is finally over and teams can take their anger to the field after a long week in front of the cameras. The Jets are hoping to be better prepared this time around as they are still licking their wound from the 45-3 beatdown they received in Week 13. The teams have been jabbing at each other long enough now and at last it’s going to be determined on the field who trully is the real bully of the AFC East.
For the Pats the game plan is pretty simple: Tom Brady throws the short routes while they mix in some runs and deep plays. 
The Pats have the best turnover ratio in the NFL at +28, the best ratio in the league since the 1983 Washington Redskins and they will hope it continues today against the blitz happy Jets defense.
For the Jets, the key is to run the football effectively and take the pressure off Mark Sanchez while at the same time keeping Tom Brady and the Patriots offense off the field. They did this successfully last week in their win against the Colts and there is no doubt that they should follow the same gameplan this week.
Antonio Cromartie talked all week how much he hated Brady and one has to wonder whether Brady and Belichick will target Cromartie, whilst at the same time avoiding Darrelle Revis. Cromartie said he hopes that Brady will throw his way and I have feeling that this will happen over and over throughout the game.
If Brady can be pressured by the Jets defense the game will be close or even won by the Jets, especially if they can run it successfully and keep Brady off the field. If, however, Brady has all day to throw the ball and the Jets are unable to run the ball it might be a long game for Rex Ryan and his trash-talking team.
I think that Brady and Belichick prevail in the end and with the added motivation of the war of words they will not let this one slip away.
PREDICTION: Patriots 34 – Jets 24
At last it is playoff time in the NFL as eight teams begin their journey towards the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Chicago Bears are relaxing this weekend and waiting to see who they will host next Sunday at Soldier Field. It is already predetermined that the Bears will face either Saints, Seahawks or the Eagles. If Philadelphia wins tomorrow against Green Bay, the Bears will host Michael Vick and the Eagles next Sunday. If the Packers beat the Eagles tomorrow, the winner of the Saints – Seahawks game is coming to Chicago.
As a Bears fan the best case scenario would almost certainly be playing against the 7-9 Seahawks at Soldier Field. In my opinion playing against Saints or against the Eagles would be about the same as both teams present very difficult matchups. Seattle is the worst out of those three opponents, not just by the season record but also by talent and not a lot of people can argue with that.
Here now is a little preview of Saturday’s games:
Saints @ Seahawks – Sat. 3:30 on NBC
It’s the defending champs against the team that really shouldn’t even be in the playoffs, let alone be hosting a game with a 7-9 record. The Saints are coming in with major injuries and questions surrounding their running backs. Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory have already been placed on the injured reserve list and it’s down to Reggie Bush and former Seahawk Julius Jones to provide the running spark for New Orleans. The Saints defense is playing well as of late and Drew Brees should have all his passing options available for this game.
The Seahawks are happy to report that Matt Hasselbeck will be starting this game (already playing in the 1st quarter) and are hoping that the veteran quarterback and the noisy crowd will carry them to victory. 
Seattle’s Qwest Field is known as the loudest place in the NFL and it should be a big factor for this game. Seattle’s running game has been improved since the arrival of Marshawn Lynch, as he and Justin Forsett are a very formidable duo and should pose problems for the Saints defense.
Despite the home noise and the 12th man, I believe the Saints will come out on top in this game. To me there is simply too much talent on that Saints’ sideline for the Seahawks to be able to come out victorious in this one. The play-calling of Sean Payton and the execution of Drew Brees should be enough for the Saints to advance to the next round.
My prediction: Saints 31 – Seahawks 24
Jets @ Colts – Sat. 7 p.m. on NBC
It’s Peyton Manning vs. Rex Ryan’s blitzing defense. Need I say more? It’s a game that features arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time against the team that talks more than any other team in NFL history. It’s a rematch of the AFC championship game from last year, where Manning and the Colts prevailed 30-17 ending the Jets’ surprising run.
Rex Ryan spoke all week long how this matchup against Manning is “personal” and how he wants to beat Manning more than anyone else. 
Manning, however, in his usual manner has refrained from any verbal jawing with the Jets coach and has instead focused on how to beat the Jets defense. Manning will be missing two of his favorite targets in Dallas Clark and Austin Collie. The Jets are a year wiser and have brought in Antonio Cromartie to help out Darrelle Revis and neutralize the Colts’ top two receiving options.
The Jets are very good at running the ball and the Colts are not good at stopping the run, although over the last four weeks of the regular season Indy’s run defense allowed only 79 yards a game. The Jets feel like they should be able to dominate the time clock with their running game, while the Colts are sure that they can stop the run.
In my opinion Peyton will do his thing, he will throw a couple of touchdowns and perhaps a pick here and there but that is not where the game will be won or lost. I believe that the game will be either won or lost by the Jets QB Mark Sanchez. If he plays well and minimizes the mistakes the Jets will come out victorious, however, if he turns the ball over and lets the crowd noise get to him then Peyton and the Colts will get the best of Rex Ryan once again.
My prediction: Colts 27 – Jets 24
It is the last week of the regular season for our Bears and boy does it feel good not to have to worry about whether they will make the playoffs or not. With the No.2 seed already clinched and an outside shot of being the top seed in the NFC, life is good right now at Hallas Hall. As I am writing this Atlanta is destroying the Carolina Panthers and with it making sure that the road to the Superbowl in the NFC goes through the Georgia Dome. That will make the Bears’ game against the Packers even more so interesting since Lovie Smith had planned to play all his starters for an extended period of time. One has to wonder how much the likes of Cutler, Urlacher and Peppers will get to play now that there is no way for the Bears to be the top seed in the NFC.
The Packers have everything to play for and the Bears absolutely nothing. The Packers need to win to get in and they must do so since the Giants play against the Redskins at the same time, a game the Giants are expected to win rather easily. Aaron Rodgers played last week following his concussion problems and he certainly played well. Rodgers threw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns against a Giants defense widely regarded as one of the best in the NFL. All this happened in a game where both teams needed the win but Aaron Rodgers was simply unstoppable.
Against the Bears Rodgers should have another great day, especially if the Bears starters are out of the game in the second half, as is expected. For the Bears it all depends how long Jay Cutler and the rest of the offensive starters remain in the game and if they do decide to go all out for the victory. The motivation for the Bears should be in the fact that they can deny the Packers entry into the playoffs with a victory, and anytime you can bounce a rival out of the playoffs that has to be considered a good day. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Bears approach this game.
Yesterday at this time I would have said that the game will be close and even now I expect the Bears to give it a legit effort. Today, within an hour of the actual game I have to believe that the Bears will sit their starters in the second half and “allow” the Packers to get into the playoffs.
All joking aside, even if both teams had their starters for the whole game I would have to go with the Pack because of the situation that they are in. Bears have nothing to play for while Green Bay has everything riding on this one.
I think the Bears will put forth a decent effort today but I don’t think it will be enough to win at Lambeau with so much riding on the game for the home team. I do believe that there will be points scored by both sides in a very entertaining game. Unfortunately, I expect Rodgers and the Packers to come out on top and join the Bears in the playoffs. Regardless it was a great season for the Bears and no one in their right mind expected them to go 11-5 or perhaps 12-4. At least no one writing this article did.
PREDICTION: Packers 31 – Bears 20
Even though the Bears have already clinched a playoff spot and the NFC North title, there is still a lot more at stake in the last two weeks of the season. The main goal is and will be getting the No.2 seed in the NFC behind Atlanta, who has all but clinched the top seed in the conference. The Falcons have a big game on Monday Night Football against the reigning champs Saints and with a win Atlanta can ensure that the road to Dallas will go through Georgia Dome this year.
The Bears face the New York Jets in a matchup of 10-4 teams but with slightly different playoff scenarios. The Bears are fighting for the playoff seed in their conference, while the Jets need a win to clinch a playoff berth for a second consecutive year. In a year where the Jets have been in the news for a whole lot of wrong reasons (just think Jenn Sterger, Ines Sainz and the tripping equipment guy) there was another issue this week.
Jets coach Rex Ryan was the reason for the distraction this time around, as there are reports claiming Ryan and his wife, Michelle, participated in some foot-fetish videos seen on the Internet. The videos show a woman displaying her feet to an off-screen cameraman who, in one particular video, sounds like Ryan. The two are having an intimate chat about her feet.
The Jets have dealt with distractions before; therefore one has to figure that this will not be a big deal this week. The bigger question is the health of their quarterback Mark Sanchez, who has been nursing a sore shoulder all week and has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games, all the while throwing four interceptions. Sanchez is expected to play on Sunday and from a Bears perspective that might not be the worst of deals. He has been Mr. Inconsistency over the last month and he gets to face one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday in Julius Peppers and the Bears. That is one of the reasons why I am optimistic about this game.
The biggest problem for the Bears will be containing the Jets defense, in particular the blitzing schemes that Rex Ryan like to use. The Jets defense comes early and often. Their motto is always to rather get beaten while applying pressure, rather than just sitting back and waiting things to develop. They are very aggressive and the Bears will have to find a way to use that aggressiveness against them. Quick, short passes should be used tomorrow to offset the Jets pass rush, as well as screens and draws. The Jets get their swagger from their defense and if that is taken away from them everything else becomes easier.
The Bears have an advantage at the quarterback position, since Cutler is simply playing better than Sanchez. At the same time I believe that the Jets running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene are better than our combo of Forte and Taylor. The Jets receivers are certainly better than the Bears receiving core, however, with Sanchez struggling as much as he has over the last couple of games, that becomes a mute point. Both defenses are very stout against the run and both have a great front four. The Jets corners Revis and Cromartie are widely regarded as the best CB duo in the league so I wouldn’t expect much from the receivers in this game.
That leads me to my key to the game: Special Teams. Both teams are getting great special team play, Jets from Brad Smith and Bears from Devin Hester. Smith returned a kickoff last week for a score and is among the league leaders in average return yards per kickoff, something the Bears MUST stop if they want to win tomorrow.
Devin Hester set the all time NFL record last Monday night in Minnesota, as he took another punt return to the endzone to set the new all time record at 14. Which ever team stops the other electrifying return man better will have a huge outcome in who wins the game.
The Jets are a good team but they are not great. Both teams were manhandled by New England in the last 3 weeks, and they both have glaring weaknesses. The team which exposes the others’ weakness better will end up winning the game. For my money I will take the Bears at home, simply because I believe that Sanchez will make more mistakes than Cutler and Bears special teams will out duel New York’s. It’s hard to imagine that this will be anything other than a defensive game, something both teams are very accustomed to.
PREDICTION: Bears 20 – Jets 14