Packers vs Bears NFC Wild Card Round, preview, odds and prediction 

The oldest rivalry is set for the newest chapter in the endless saga as the Chicago Bears and he Green Bay Packers prepare for a Wild Card showdown from Soldier Field. It will be the third time they meet this season and this time the winner goes on and the loser goes home.

Bears outlook

What a turnaround season it’s been for the Chicago Bears who were one of the bottom feeders in the NFL last year. Caleb Williams was in his rookie year, and the team wasn’t ready to rally around a rookie QB. This year, with a season of experience under his belt and a new coach that is widely considered an offensive genius, the Bears won the NFC North and now looking for their first playoff win in 15 years.

While the Bears headliners are Caleb William and Ben Johnson, the engine of the team comes from their backfield with running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Swift has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 9 TDs while Monangai has added another 783 yards to form one of the most formidable one two tandems of running backs in the league.

The other side of the ball is where they have to tighten things up, especially in the playoffs. They are giving up 361.8 yards, which is fourth from the bottom in the NFL. While that is a problem for the Bears, Chicago’s defense does create more takeaways than any other team, with 23 INTs and 10 fumbles and has a +22 turnover differential which is best in the league.

Packers season recap

This was supposed to be the Packers year, and it still could be but Green Bay is going to have it tough. They lost their last four games to drop out of the division race and end up with the last Wild Card spot in the NFC. Now Jordan Love and the Pack will have to do something that has never been done before, win the Super Bowl as the 7 seed.

People started to rave about the Packers after their Week 1 demolition of the Detroit Lions. Jordan Love immediately rose to the top of the MVP odds board, but that was short lived. The Packers kept winning, but it wasn’t always the most convincing, and towards the end of the season things started to fall apart. A loss in Denver preceded a game in which Jordan Love got injured in a Week 16 game against the Chicago.

The Packers had to turn to Malik Willis under center, and he played well but they lost both games he played in and ended the season on a four game losing streak. Now they will try to straighten the ship against a division rival that they have played twice already this year, and won one and lost one.

Odds and prediction

The Bears and Packers played twice in a matter of three weeks and split the series. Green Bay beat the Bears at Lambeau with a healthy Jordan Love, but it took a Keishon Nixon interception on the final drive to keep the Bears out of the end zone. Just two weeks later the Bears looked like they were heading for another defeat but a FG, onside kick and a late TD forced OT, and the Bears won it with a 46 yard DJ Moore walkoff touchdown in the overtime session.

• Odds: Packers -1.5
• Over/Under: 45.5 points
• Moneyline: GB -118, CHI -102

I love the way the Bears have finished the season and even though Jordan Love wasn’t around for the final few weeks of the season the final stretch of the season wasn’t too convincing for the Pack. They get Love back and that’s a big reason why I’m going to take Green Bay to win in Lambeau Field.

Packers win: 24-20

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