Jacob Lintner’s Opinion

A good rivalry needs three things: competitive teams, colliding fan bases, and history. The rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers definitely has these things. The teams played 187 total game, with 92 wins for the Bears, 89 wins for the Packers, and six ties. If history dictates anything, the Bears will win this game.

While Chicago may not have a great defense, it is definitely better than the Packers’. The Bears have allowed 372.4 total yards per game, while the Packers have let opponents put up 380.1. These eight yards may not look like much, but they can mean the difference between a touchdown and a field goal, and when so many games have been won by seven or fewer points, these eight yards may mean the difference between a “W” and missing out on the playoffs. In addition to this difference in yards, the Bears have forced 22 total turnovers, while the Packers have forced just 20. These two turnovers have the same effect as the eight yards.

The rushing games will be extremely important as well. The Matt Forte-led Bears are averaging 102.5 yards per game, while the Eddie Lacy-led Packers are averaging just 97.5. This clear difference in rushing will clearly lead the Bears to a victory. It doesn’t matter that Jay Cutler may not be as good as Aaron Rodgers. This game will be decided by stout defenses and impressive rushing attacks. The Bears have these two aspects, so they will win this football game.

While on the subject, Cutler is not as bad as many people think he is. Cutler has thrown for 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while Rodgers has 19 touchdowns and three interceptions. Aside from the interceptions, they’re not that far apart. Their passing yards are close as well. Cutler has posted a total of 26,030 passing yards this season, while Rodgers has 26,289. This shows that these two NFC North quarterbacks, who should be complete opposites, are very close. Cutler will do all that he can in this game to keep it close, and the Chicago defense will win them this game in Lambeau.

Alex Connell’s Opinion

This week’s matchup is the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears; one of the oldest rivalries in NFL history. They have played each other a total of 189 times in the teams’ history. The first time they met was 1921 in which the Bears won 20 to nothing but this meeting will result in a win for the Green Bay Packers. This is one of the biggest games of week 10 with the Packers 5-3 and the Bears 3-6, Packers being atop the NFC North. These teams have already played each other this season which resulted in the Packers winning 38-17 and there will be a similar outcome to this game.

The Packers offense is the strongest part of their team and why they are going to win this game against the Chicago Bears. The Packers are lead by Aaron Rodgers who has 2092 passing yards so far this season and a total of 19 touchdowns, plus Eddie Lacy who is averaging 4.1 yards per rush which means that they can move the ball well and are likely to put up some good numbers against the Bears defense. The last time these teams met this season the Packers offense put up 302 passing yards against the Bears defense which is going to be similar to the yards this week.

A big key to this game will be the Green Bay defense. Last meeting, the defense put up two turnovers against the Bears offense shutting them down pretty well. Two key players on the Green Bay defense are the 6’3 255lb  Clay Matthews playing left outside linebacker and Julius Peppers the 6’7 and 287 lb right outside linebacker stopping the run game on both sides and also providing a solid pass rush. They are Jay Cutler’s biggest fears, with a total of 6.5 sacks this season. Also, the team bolsters a solid secondary, with Casey Hayward who has two interceptions and A.J. Hawk who has 60 tackles so far this season.

With all of these factors together I expect to see a big win for the Packers with great offensive stats and also solid defensive stats with a turnover or two, or three this weekend.

Jacob Lintner is 5-1-1

Alex Connell is 1-5-1