Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears
Soldier Field – Chicago, Illinois
Sunday September 25 – 4:15PM
Moneyline: Green Bay -200, Chicago +170
Spread (ATS): Green Bay -3.5
Over/Under: 45.5
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Green Bay
The Green Bay Packers got a bit of a scare last week from Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. It was a surprise as the veteran Pack was supposed to show the rookie a thing or two about life in the NFL. Instead he showed that Green Bay is hardly invulnerable, in fact they may have a defensive issue or two after getting shredded through the air a couple of times already this season.
It is possible that the Packers might have been looking ahead to this week when they play the hated Chicago Bears. Don’t forget it was the Bears that won the division last year beating Green Bay at home during the regular season (thought the Packers got even in the playoffs). Neither team has played a division game this year so whoever wins this one will have a significant leg up on the other.
There is no doubt that the Packers are a good team but the reason many thought they could repeat as champs is because they have great balance. That hasn’t been the case as their defense has performed well below expectations. They are giving up an average of 400 yards through the air. That number will likely come down after facing Chicago but it is an indicator that the Pack are not as far ahead of the pack as we originally thought.
Chicago
It looked like the Chicago Bears dominated Atlanta more than they really did in the opener so it should not have come as a surprise when they got beat by almost the same score at New Orleans last week. This Bears team really isn’t all that good so it should not be surprising to see drastic home/road splits, especially when they are playing at a team with a distinct home field advantage like the Saints. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The biggest problem the Bears have is on the offensive line. Last week they gave up 7 sacks to New Orleans and you can bet the Packers will dial up the pressure again this week. We all know that Jay Cutler and pressure are not a good combination in terms of producing winning football for Chicago. The line also has trouble getting a push up front making running back Matt Forte more of a threat in the passing game than running the ball. Green Bay’s defense has been exposed so far this season but I don’t think the Bears have the personnel to do it to the same extent as New Orleans and Carolina.
Being at home is an advantage for the Bears as they have won 3 of 5 at Soldier Field against Green Bay. If they want to have success on Sunday they need something special out of their defense and return ace Devin Hester as their is no way their offense can stay with Green Bay’s. The 3.5 points seems like an easy number for the Green Bay side.
ATS Pick: Green Bay -3.5
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Green Bay 30 – Chicago 21
