Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: 2011 NFC Championship Prediction
I'm being fair here. Believe me. I am a die hard Packer fan, I love my team no matter what, and I wish I lived in Green Bay, but I'm going to make a prediction for this Sundays game based solely on what I have been seeing lately, and I am going to try not to be biased...
That being said, lets talk football. The Bears are a good team. I crack jokes and I love seeing them lose, but as a Packer fan, I'm just doing my job. The Bears have every right to be in this game. Their defense, despite a slight breakdown late in the 4th quarter against Seattle, is playing great. The big guys up front are a brick wall when it comes to stopping the run, and that can be expected again against a Green Bay rushing game that is struggling, to say the least. James Starks and Brandon Jackson have a lot of work to do if they are going to have any chance of putting up good numbers against the Bears front four. A struggling running game will put more pressure on Aaron Rodgers, which can be a good thing or a season-ending disaster for the Chicago Bears. Chicago, with a mediocre secondary ranked 20th in the league against the pass is going to have its hands full against the Green Bay receiving corps. On the other side of the ball, the Bears offense is unpredictable. Jay Cutler has flashes of brilliance, followed by stupid decisions, bad throws, and crippling interceptions. Matt Forte is putting up good numbers running the ball, but is a better receiver than halfback. Tramon Williams, with 3 postseason interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, will be a factor in Cutlers decision making. The Bears offense has the potential to be very dangerous if Cutler gets protection from the Green Bay pass rush.
The Bears, to put it frankly, have a lot on their plate. Green Bay is on fire, winning four games in a row, including the 48-21 rout of the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons, becoming only the 2nd team all year to beat them at home. Aaron Rodgers has never looked better, with a postseason total of 546 yards 6 touchdowns and no interceptions with a 77.8 completion percentage. It is up to the Bears to slow him down, putting pressure on Rodgers and blanketing the Green Bay receivers, including Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones, and Quarless, any of whom can and will be the targets of Rodgers' long bombs downfield. Interceptions, as well as the slippery crap that Soldier Field calls grass (which I still firmly believe is wet sand spray painted green), are good chances for the Bears to keep the Green Bay passing game out of rhythm. That must happen, or the Bears are done for. The Packers must also tighten up their special teams. Devin Hester... Do I need to say more? Taking home field advantage into account and each teams individual weaknesses and strengths, I think the Packers have a great shot at winning this one.
Packers 24 Bears 16
