Preview: Bears at Packers

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[November 25, 2015]  SportsDirect Inc.
 
 The Green Bay Packers have had their way with the Chicago Bears of late and are hoping last week's strong performance carries over. The Packers attempt to put together back-to-back wins and stay in control of the NFC North when they host the Bears on Thursday.

Green Bay looked terrible at times during a three-game losing streak that culminated with an 18-16 home loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 10, but made sure to hang onto first place in the North by roughing up Minnesota in a 30-13 win on Sunday. "We've been taking it on the chin, rightfully so, the last three weeks after a couple real poor performances," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told reporters. "This was an important week for us. We really stuck together." Chicago had its momentum swing the opposite way with a 17-15 home loss to Denver after back-to-back wins, dimming its slim wild card hopes. "Our margin for error isn't that great," Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said. "We have to play pretty good football for four quarters and we have to play really good football for the fourth quarter. Games that we have won we have figured out a way to do that and games we lost, we haven't."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Packers -10. O/U: 47

ABOUT THE BEARS (4-6): Chicago has been dealing with key injuries on offense all season, and running back Matt Forte (knee) and wide receivers Alshon Jeffery (groin) and Eddie Royal (knee) are again questionable. "Yeah, we're missing some guys but that's nothing new," Cutler, who also missed one game in September, told reporters. "We've had guys in and out of the lineup all year long. I thought (backup wide receivers Joshua Bellamy) and (Marquess Wilson) stepped in there and had a heck of a day for us. We tried to use the tight ends a little more." Running back Jeremy Langford put up back-to-back performances with over 100 yards from scrimmage while taking over the load for Forte before being held to 25 yards on 13 carries in last week's loss to Denver.

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ABOUT THE PACKERS (7-3): Rodgers and Green Bay have dealt with their own injuries to the skill positions, and at least Rodgers (shoulder) was removed from the injury report this week after throwing a pair of touchdown passes on Sunday to help clip the losing streak. "If you could bottle it, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you, that's for sure," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters about the differences in his team week-to-week. "It's a game of ebb and flow. There are a lot of variables that go into being successful each week." Rodgers looked plenty healthy against Chicago in Week 1, when he went 18-of-23 for 189 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-23 triumph.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Packers will retire Brett Favre's No. 4 in a halftime ceremony.

2. Cutler is 1-11 with 22 interceptions in his career against the Packers.

3. Green Bay has taken 10 of the last 11 meetings, including the postseason.

PREDICTION: Packers 38, Bears 21

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