Special Preview- Week 12
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Bears: I was never sold on them. Even when they were 5-1, they just didn’t do it for me. In the beginning, Bears fans were happy when Mitchell Tribusky was benched. Remember those days? In comes, Nick Foles and he hasn’t been any better. Before the bye week, Matt Nagy decided to give up his playcalling duties. It didn’t change anything. When you watch this Bears offense, they run the same plays it appears. As I said months ago, there’s no type of innovation nor creativity within their scheme. If I’m the defense, I’m angry because each week, they handle their business, they get the ball back yet they don’t do anything with it. Something must give. Mitchell Tribusky is back on the field for the Bears as the starting quarterback. This is an important game for them. Tonight, they’ll be in Wisconsin for a rivalry game.
Packers: Talk about a tale of two halves. I noticed a strong performance in the first half against the Colts. Everything was going right for them. 28 first-half points, they displayed balance offensively and for a change, the defense was playing well. Then came the second half and they disappeared. Give credit to the Colts defense because they held one of the better offenses in the league to three points in the second half. You close out and they didn’t. I have no issues whatsoever with their offense. With Aaron Rodgers under center, you have a shot at winning every game each week. What will continue to plague this team is their defense. It’s way too up and down for my liking each week. They’re looking to bounce back tonight at Lambeau with the Bears coming to town for a showdown.
Bears X-Factor: David Montgomery– As I told someone the other day, the formula to slowing down Aaron Rodgers is keeping him on the sidelines with a ground attack. Also, control the clock and win the time of possession battle. Hopefully, he can give the Bears’ running game a boost because they need it.
Packers X-Factor: Kenny Clark– He makes their defense go. The big man in the middle to be exact. Kenny is a lane clogger that creates push upfront. In other words, what Akiem Hicks is to the Chicago Bears defense is what number 97 is to the Packers defense.
Final Thoughts: Who doesn’t love a rivalry game? This is a big showdown here tonight. The Bears must treat this game as if it were a playoff game. Also, the pressure applied to Aaron is necessary. Don’t allow him to buy time in that pocket or extend the play. Furthermore, with the Packers’ defense, they face a challenge in going against Mitchell Tribusky because of his mobility.
Prediction: Packers 24 Bears 20
