Two undefeated teams head to head...Should be a night of great plays and I'm predicting a high scoring game. I've been researching tonights game and came across a couple write ups I thought I would share.
The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have hooked up plenty of times throughout NFL history, and many times the games have been for division crowns. Recently, however, the teams have not played many meaningful games due to the state of the Bears organization.
That changes tonight when Green bay comes to Chicago. The two organizations are two of only a handful of unbeaten teams, and the winner of tonight's game will head into next week in sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Green Bay is favored to win the game, according to odds makers, by three points. The total for the match up is 46.5, higher than most games that the teams have played in the past. Unlike in past years, it is the offenses that drive both Chicago and Green Bay.
The bears brought in Mike Martz to run their offense, and so far he has received mixed early season results. The offense Martz has put in is high risk and high reward. it requires the quarterback to take a fair amount of hits, but so far Jay Cutler has responded well.
Green Bay, on the other hand, is just continuing the success they had at the end of last season. Aaron Rodgers has developed into one of the top quarterbacks in the game, and their defense has been better. The Packers are many analysts' pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.
Chicago would like to get back into that conversation and a win tonight would help their cause. With the Minnesota Vikings starting 1-2. and Detroit acting like the Lions of recent season, a win by Chicago would give them a one game lead on green Bay, two on Minnesota, and three on Detroit.
Green Bay has equal incentive, they are not only looking to win the division, but also go far into the playoffs. To accomplish that, the Packers would like to be one of the two top seeds in the conference, therefore earning themselves a first round bye in the playoffs.
September 27, 2010
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
The day is finally here! Thank goodness because I do not think I could have waited any longer. It seems like a year ago that the Chicago Bears defeated the Dallas Cowboys. By the way, are the same pundits that discredited the Chicago Bears win over Dallas still saying how overrated Dallas is this season after the Cowboys dismantled the Houston Texans yesterday? Just as a reminder (and a boost of my ego), I picked the score to be Chicago 28 Dallas 20 last week (in reality, it was 27-20).
I’ve played this game several times out in my head. Obviously being a Chicago Bears fan, I tried to identify how the Chicago Bears can win this game. What are Green Bay’s weaknesses and the Chicago Bears’ strengths? After doing this review in my head, I came to the realization that there is no reason why Chicago shouldn’t win this game.
What Plays in the Chicago Bears Favor…
Here are the things that should help the Chicago Bears…
- It will be quite a whipped up crowd at home. I am not one of theses home-field advantage guys, but this rivalry will add some fuel to the fire.
- Green Bay has no running game.
- Over his last four games (going back to last season), Jay Cutler is beginning to show why he is a franchise quarterback.
- Matt Forte is getting his burst back from his rookie season.
- Johnny Knox and Devin Hester are getting better each week with Greg Olsen making important catches as well.
- Teams with strong running games through two weeks have not been able to run the football on the Chicago Bears defense.
- There are very few missed tackles.
- The linebackers are playing great.
- The secondary is creating turnovers.
- The kickers are playing up to their high standards.
- Mike Martz and Mike Tice really have shown an ability to adjust when needed.
Here is what plays in the Green Bay Packers Favor…
- Aaron Rodgers is an elite quarterback with a strong group of receivers.
- The defense has been dominant at times.
- Green Bay’s coaching is strong.
- The Chicago Bears are suspect on the offensive line and secondary.
- The betting-line on this game has moved to Green Bay’s favor (getting three points).
The Verdict…
I spent my afternoon watching other games from around the NFL. I saw some things that amazed me. For example, New Orleans losing in overtime because their kicker Garrett Hartley couldn’t hit a 29-yard field goal (missed really badly). Or the number of poor passes and play calling in the red zone by teams like the San Diego Chargers. The Washington Redskins lost to the St. Louis Rams. The New York football Giants getting their rear ends kicked at home against Tennessee. So, with all of this, I began to realize that perhaps the Chicago Bears may be a very good team. While it has only been two weeks, some of the mistakes that plagued other teams just don’t happen with the Chicago Bears (minus a certain Calvin Johnson play…GULP). For example, Robbie Gould is an elite kicker. Can you see him missing a 29-yard field goal?
After much consideration, the final score of this game will be…
Chicago 27 Green Bay 24
