Chicago (4-8) at Green Bay (9-3)
When: Sunday, December 12th 2021
Where: Lambeau Field,
Green Bay, WI
Time: 8:20 ET | TV: NBC
Opening Odds: Green Bay -11/45.5
One of the best rivalries in all of sports resumes in prime time this week as the Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. These NFC North rivals play under the lights in one of their two matchups pretty much every season, and in fact it’s the 10th time in the last 11 years that the Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field will be played in prime time. The rivalry has been a bit one-sided since Aaron Rodgers came into the league, but the Bears will try and buck that trend behind Justin Fields this week. The rookie quarterback will be under center for the first time since Week 11 after injuring his ribs in a loss to Baltimore. Chicago sits in 14th place in the NFC, but are only two games out of a playoff spot. Needless to say, the Bears need to probably win out. They have lost six of their last seven including last week’s 33-22 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Packers are going to win the division and they have a good shot at grabbing the No. 1 seed in the conference. Green Bay is one game behind Arizona for that top spot and have covered the spread in 10 of their 12 games this season. The Packers topped the Los Angeles Rams 36-28 in Week 12 before their bye. The extra rest should help some of their key players. Cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder) had limited participation in practice this week. Linebacker Za’Darius Smith (back), who has been out since Week 1, and left tackle David Bakhtiari, who hasn’t played since last season, are close to returning to practice. Rodgers is expected to play after he fractured a pinky toe in November while quarantining at home after testing positive for COVID-19. Rodgers passed for two scores in the 24-14 win at Chicago in Week 6 and is 22-5 life time versus the Bears.
The boo birds were out last week in Chicago as the Bears were dominated by the Cardinals. With Fields sitting out again, Andy Dalton was picked off four times by the Cardinals and was sacked three times. Running back David Montgomery carried the offense with 141 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Top receiver Allen Robinson missed his third game in a row but should play in this one. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Akiem Hicks also was out and is questionable for Sunday. Fields accounted for 217 yards of total offense and passed for a touchdown in the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Packers. His most recent start, in Week 9 at Pittsburgh, Fields passed for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception and rushed for 45 yards in a 29-27 loss. The Bears defense ranks ninth overall (327.9) and sixth against the pass (207.8).
Green Bay is the No. 2 seed in the NFC right now, but the Packers do own the tiebreaker vs. current No. 1 Arizona (10-2). Rodgers has been playing with a broken toe and considered having surgery during the bye but it’s not believed that he did. He has just one interception and 13 TD passes in his past six games. Before taking a well-deserved rest in a Week 13 bye, the Packers beat up the Los Angeles Rams at home 36-28. Rodgers passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns and zero interceptions on 28-of-45 completions. In Week 6, Rodgers completed 17-of-23 for 195 yards and two scores and also rushed for one in the win over Chicago. Aaron Jones rushed for 76 yards and caught a TD pass. Green Bay has won 11 of the last 13 meetings against the Bears at Lambeau Field and have outscored Chicago 361-195 in that span.
We know Green Bay will win this game, but 12.5 points is a lot for a division game. The Bears defense would like nothing more than shut Rodgers up, so they’ll play with some passion. Fields under center gives the Bears a better chance of keeping this close.
Pick: Bears +12.5
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