The Green Bay Packers might not be in a must-win situation this weekend against the Chicago Bears, but they’re certainly close to that point. This is not a game the Pack can afford to lose.
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears
Sunday, September 28th – 1:00 PM ET
Odds: Green Bay -1.5
Why The Packers Will Cover
They are in deep trouble if they don’t win this game, so they know that they have to play their best in order to save their season. The Packers were not expected to be 1-2 after three games, but here they are. With that losing record and Chicago having a 2-1 record, Green Bay knows that it has to win this game in order to avoid falling behind by two full games in the NFC North, with the Bears having the added bonus of a win in head-to-head competition. If Green Bay loses this game, it will probably face a steep uphill climb in its division. The Packers will have to do a lot of work just to get to the 10-win mark, which is a point at which some teams don’t always make the playoffs. Most of them do, but a few of them don’t. Green Bay is really playing for divisional survival and postseason positioning in this game. If the Packers lose here, they know they’re going to have almost no room for a slip-up the rest of the season. Facing all this, Green Bay is probably going to come bursting out of the locker room and put together its best game of the young season. The Packers were intimidated by the Detroit Lions in one NFC North road game last Sunday. Everything the Packers failed to do against the Lions, they get a chance to do right this weekend against a Chicago team that lost to the Buffalo Bills in its previous home game.
Why The Bears Will Cover
The Bears are simply playing better football right now, and what’s particularly impressive about the Bears is that they, like Green Bay, are injured, only they’re surviving in tough times while the Packers are failing to do the same. Chicago has lost Charles “Peanut” Tillman from its secondary and has absorbed other injuries over the course of the season. Yet, other players for the Bears are filling in the gaps and doing what it takes to win. The Packers have had some injuries along their offensive and defensive lines, taking away a lot of what they like to do best, but they have not been able to overcome their injury-based limitations. Chicago also has the satisfaction of knowing that it has found different ways to win games. The Bears were trailing the San Francisco 49ers by 17 points before rallying to win their week two game in the fourth quarter. Chicago took a different route against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football by taking an early lead and then holding on in the second half. Unless the Packers get off to a fast start and change the feel of this game, Chicago should be able to wear down Green Bay up front and continue the roll it has started the past few weeks.
Outlook
If the Packers’ backs are to the wall, this team has a reputation for doing whatever it takes in a big spot. Aaron Rodgers is not going to play poorly for a second straight week.
Pick: Packers -1.5
