NFL Betting Advice – Green Bay And Chicago Vie For NFC North Lead

The Minnesota Vikings are 0-2, but the Chicago Bears have joined the Green Bay Packers at 2-0. The NFC North’s fiercest rivalry continues this Monday night. Here’s a preview along with some NFL betting advice for both teams. 

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears 
Monday, September 27th – 8:35 PM ET 
Soldier Field, Chicago 
Broadcast: ESPN 
NFL Odds: Packers -3, Bears +3 
Total: 46

In 2009, the same sad story kept playing out again and again for the Chicago Bears, a team just three seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance. Jay Cutler, the strong-armed quarterback who was acquired by the team in the hopes of returning to pro football’s championship game, kept throwing interceptions. The disease was chronic, and nothing coach Lovie Smith did was successful in snapping Cutler out of his bad habits. Game after game, Cutler coughed up the pill in or near the red zone, destroying the Bears’ chances of winning even on days when a defense missing Brian Urlacher still contained an opposing offense. In order to address the Cutler issue, the Bears brought in Mike Martz – one of the better quarterback teachers in the game – to be the Chicago’s new offensive coordinator. In this high-stakes showdown for the early NFC North lead, we’ll see just how much value Martz has brought to the Bears. 

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NFL Betting Advice: What The Packers Have To Do To Win 

For a team that is going to be without star running back Ryan Grant for the rest of the season, the Packers need to be creative on Monday night. Sure, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was always going to throw a fair amount of passes to a solid corps of wide receivers, but the issue for Green Bay and coach Mike McCarthy is to find ways of making this offense less predictable. With the offense still getting used to life without Grant – one of the better ballcarriers in the league – expect a lot of screen passes and quick hitch routes, plays that are technically passing plays but essentially amount to “extended handoffs.” McCarthy and his offensive braintrust need to vary the ways in which Packer running backs touch the ball. It’s doubtful that Green Bay will be able to run a lot between the tackles, but the Packers need to show that look a few times to keep Chicago’s front seven honest. Finding the right mix of plays will stretch the field and keep the Bears away from Rodgers. That has to be the ultimate goal of the Packers for the rest of the 2010 season. 

NFL Betting Advice: What The Bears Have To Do To Win 

Because Green Bay doesn’t have its most reliable running back, the huge key for Chicago – aside from the need to avoid turnovers – is to harass Rodgers. The Bears need to punish Green Bay’s dynamic young quarterback, hitting him hard and making him uncomfortable in the pocket. Chicago will almost certainly need at least one turnover, and likely two, to win the game, all while getting a mistake-free performance by Cutler. If Chicago can win first down and put Green Bay Packers in predictable passing situations, the Bears could make the Packers look vulnerable, and that would form the basis for an upset win.

Handicapping Outlook & NFL Betting Advice

There’s not yet enough reason to trust Cutler. He did play a turnover-free game against Dallas in week two, but the Cowboys are really struggling. Green Bay – alongside New Orleans – appears to be the class of the NFC. Rodgers is a rapidly-rising star in the sport, and he definitely deserves a lot more trust than Cutler does at this point. The game is being played in Chicago, but one should remember that if the NFL didn’t have absurdly complex (and unreasonable) rules for a legal pass reception, the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson would have won in Chicago in week one. Green Bay is a much better team, and that should become apparent on Monday night.

NFL Betting Advice: Packers -3