The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have faced off against each other 181 times, but Sunday’s NFC Championship matchup will be the biggest meeting to date. This will be only the second time ever that the two have played each other in the playoffs, and the first time they’ve met in the NFC Championship.
This year, the Packers and Bears have split their head-to-head match-ups, setting up for a rubber match on Sunday. There has only been a combined 60 total points against each other this year. Both games came down to the wire.
In Week 3, Jay Cutler led his team to a game-winning field goal. In Week 17, it was Jay Cutler again who was responsible for the outcome, only this time it was a game-ending interception in the end zone. The question for this Sunday is, which Jay Cutler will show up?
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
If last weekend was any indication, Bears fans can sleep a little easier. It was Cutler’s first playoff game, but that didn’t seem to phase him. He accounted for four total touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and threw for 274 yards. Most importantly, he threw for zero interceptions. The one catch is that he did it against the less talented, albeit over-achieving, Seattle Seahawks. The Packers defense is just a tad bit better than the ‘hawks’.
Also quite noteworthy is the fact that Seattle was also able to score three touchdowns in the 4th quarter alone, after not being able to move the ball for the first three quarters. For a Bears defense that is about to face one of the hottest offenses in the NFL, this is a bit concerning.
Unfortunately this has been typical for the Bears all year long. Remember back to Week 12,when Michael Vick was shut down all game, until the fourth quarter when the Eagles proceeded to come within five points. Granted, it hasn’t cost the Bears a game yet, but you can only play with fire for so long. Against a Packer offense, led by Aaron Rodgers, these defensive lapses need to come to an end for Chicago.
Believe it or not, Rodgers has his flaws as well. While he has been great in almost every statistical category, he still carries with him a career record of 9-14 in games decided by four points or fewer. It would be irresponsible to direct the entire blame towards Rodgers for all of those losses, but he still needs to prove that he can lead his team to victory in the closing minutes.
At the level he is playing right now, there is little doubt that he can take that next step. Talent-wise he is the best quarterback left in the playoffs, arguably in the entire NFL for that matter. The only thing separating him from a guy like Ben Roethlisberger is the game-winning drives on his resume. Well, that and two Super Bowl rings.
This game between Green Bay and Chicago will not be pretty or high-scoring, but you can bet that it will be close. The two teams are very similar in that they have stout defenses and young, talented quarterbacks. The Packers are the more talented team, but playing a division opponent at home in bad weather, and for a third time, is quite the equalizer. On the other hand, we’ve seen how little home-field advantage has meant in the playoffs this year. In the end, it will come down to which quarterback can take that next step in leading his team to victory down the stretch.
I think this is the game that Rodgers completes this feat and notches his first game-winning drive in a big game. The way this Packer defense is playing, I’m not sure if Cutler can do the same.
Prediction: Packers 20-Bears 19
Follow Justin Mertes-Mistretta at MertesMist_TSB. You can also read more articles from Justin at https://www.percysperspective.com.