NFL Betting – Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

When the 2010 NFL betting season started, nobody in their right mind gave the Chicago Bears a chance at winning the division. Now the Bears have clinched the NFC North and will end their season against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, possibly with a shot at taking over the number-one seed in the NFC and the homefield advantage throughout the playoffs that comes with it.

It is undoubtedly one of the bigger tilts on the schedule, and will have huge ramifications for the playoff picture which is why this game is easily the NFL Game of the Week for the final leg of the regular season.

To clear things up, let’s break down the playoff picture in the NFC North before we breakdown the NFL Game of the Week:

·      Green Bay can clinch the playoffs as a wild card with a win against Chicago
·      Green Bay can also clinch if the Giants and Bucs both lose in Week 17
·      Chicago can clinch the top-seed in the NFC if they beat Green Bay and New Orleans loses to Tampa Bay and Atlanta loses to Carolina
·      Chicago has clinched the NFC North already and cannot finish worse that the 2nd seed in the NFC

The Bears can’t fall any lower than a second seed, but based on the strength of schedule and the quality of their losses, they also actually have a shot at the top seed should the Falcons somehow lose to the Carolina Panthers and the Bucs beat the Saints. That means home field advantage, and at Soldier Field, as you well know if you bet on football, that’s a huge feather in the cap of Chicago.

Chicago Bears (11-4) vs. Green Bay Packers (9-6)

Sunday, January 2nd — Lambeau Field — 4:15pm EST

NFL Spread Betting Line: Packers -10

If anything, the Bears will know if the window of opportunity exists for the first seed because both the Saints and Falcons play in the early games. The result of those games will be known by the time Chicago and Green Bay kick-off.

You have to imagine that the Falcons won’t lose that game, especially since they’re listed as -13.5 point favorites in Week 17 betting. Still, the Vikings were 14.5-point underdogs on Tuesday versus the Eagles and still won by ten points, so anything can and does happen.

But, assuming the Falcons do win, do the Bears really have anything to play for in the NFL Game of the Week?

The question is two-sided because do need to work on keeping their momentum and team chemistry. The issue is putting Jay Cutler at a risk of injury against a very stingy Green Bay defense that is exceptional at getting to the quarterback.

Do they jeopardize the health of their playoff chances by putting Cutler out there in an otherwise meaningless game, or do they just keep the ball rolling for them like they have all season? It’s a meaty debate because teams have given up the whole “team chemistry and rhythm” factor before to let players rest, and it has cost some teams in the post season (remember the Patriots without Wes Welker, who was lost in a meaningless Week 17 game last season, getting blown off their home field by the Ravens).

The Packers will have their playoff lives at stake unless the Bucs and Giants lose on Sunday, and they won’t know the outcome of the Giants-Redskins game since it tees off at the exact same time. The sense of urgency is there for them, and it’s simply not as prevalent for the Chicago Bears.

If recent trends prove anything, it’s that the Chicago Bears actually do pretty damn well in this situation. Lately, they’re 4-2 SU and 3-2-1 ATS when playing the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Check back to our News Section later in the week for big time breakdowns of this matchup from our best handicappers and keep in mind that Week 17 matchups rarely have the gnarly consequences or the gravity this particular game commands.

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