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 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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