Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers

Chicago has overcome a disastrous start to have a respectable season by winning five of seven, including 37-17 over Atlanta on Sunday when Justin Fields threw for 268 yards and a TD and ran for a TD and D.J. Moore caught nine passes for 159 yards and a score. Now the Bears have an opportunity to ruin their archrivals' playoff hopes as Green Bay can clinch a postseason berth with a win and the Packers would need three other teams to lose to get in without beating the Bears. Chicago is 7-2-1 its past 10 games and 6-0-1 ATS against versus NFC opponents. Green Bay is 1-6 ATS after totaling more than 350 yards their previous game and they come off a win over Minnesota, which was using a fourth-string quarterback, and the Packers were fortunate to defeat lowly Carolina the week before. That game followed two losses against Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. Green Bay has gone OVER six games in a row and Chicago sailed OVER by 14.5 points against the Falcons. The Packers are 13-3 OVER their past 16 January games, 17-5 OVER overall following a win and 27-8 OVER after winning by more tha 14 points. Play the Bears as a Max Play and the OVER.

A battle of kid quarterbacks. QB Jordan Love replaces Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Love has one career NFL start, just 83 passes, and the team let wide receiver Allen Lazard walk. The Packers do have talent on the defensive side of the line, one that ranked 17th in total yards allowed, sixth against the pass, and seventh on third down (37.63%). Chicago QB Justin Fields has 15 starts and threw for more than 190 yards in a game just twice last year. The offense was 27th in yards and 22nd in points (19.2 per game). Chicago added to its defensive depth in free agency and the draft. An NFL team like Green Bay that had a completion percentage of 64% or higher in the previous season is 51-20 UNDER the total when facing a divisional foe. This shapes up as a plodding game with more punts than points. Take Green Bay/Chicago UNDER the total.

Both teams have big problems at the quarterback position as Aaron Rodgers has a rib injury and has been playing with a broken thumb and Justin Fields is questionable with a shoulder injury. Green Bay backup QB Jordan Love entered the Sunday night game in the third quarter against Philadelphia and completed six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, including a 63-yarder to Christian Watson. The Packers have lost seven of their past eight games and are 2-7 ATS their past nine games and Rodgers already says he would understand if Love was given the starting role if the Packers are eliminated from playoff contention. Chicago had lost three close games in a row before falling to the Jets 31-10. Trevor Siemian threw for 179 yards and a TD in place of Fields and he is dealing with an oblique injury while Fields is day-to-day. Green Bay won the first meeting 27-10 and it went UNDER by five points and the Packers are 8-3 UNDER their past 11 December games and the Bears are 22-10 UNDER their past 32 home games. Green Bay is 2-7 ATS its past nine road games and 0-4 ATS overall versus teams with losing records and getting any points in this matchup is valuable. Take the Bears as a Max Play and the UNDER as a Max Play.

Rebuilding Chicago pulled a Week 1 surprise, winning 19-10 against San Francisco, but let's not read too much into it. It was at home and the Bears had just 204 total yards. They turned it over once, and went 5-of-14 on third down. Chicago is on a 4-9 spread run, going 3-7 ATS on the road. They're also 5-14 ATS against the NFC and 4-12 ATS as a dog. Green Bay has a talented team that went 13-4 last year but they had a stinker in the opener, losing 23-7 at Minnesota. In the last two-plus seasons, QB Aaron Rodgers has 85 TDs and just 10 interceptions. This is the home opener for the Packers, who are 19-9 ATS on grass, while coach Matt LaFleur is 18-6 ATS in the first-half of the season. The Packers are on a 22-7 ATS run against rival Chicago, including two wins by double-digits last season averaging 34.5 points on offense. Play Green Bay.