We cap an interesting Thanksgiving Day of blowouts with a game that might be worth fighting off your turkey nap to watch. The Chicago Bears (4-6) will be at Lambeau Field taking on the Green Bay Packers (7-3), just like the Pilgrims envisioned.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for preview info.
First, here’s my pick from today’s Thanksgiving Night Match-Up.
The pick: It’s that time of the year and the Packers have already lost their three games. They won’t lose again and definitely won’t to the Bears at home. Packers 38, Bears 27
And here are my entries for each team in this week’s Power Rankings.
6. Green Bay Packers – (7-3) Aaron Rodgers didn’t lose four games in a row. Now can he win two in a row? The dangerous Bears will be a real obstacle to that Thanksgiving night. Last week: No. 6
18. Chicago Bears – (4-6) The Bears hung in to until the end against a superior Broncos team, even with Brock Osweiler starting. Now they get to lose to the Packers, but good things are happening in Chicago. No reason to blow this thing up yet. Last week: No. 17
And lastly, here’s our own GMS Preview.
The Chicago Bears (4-6) head to square off with the Green Bay Packers (7-3) at Lambeau Field this week. Green Bay has had its share of highlights this season, but has struggled in recent weeks, having lost three of its last five. The game will air Thursday, Nov 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Packers defeated the Bears 31-23 in their last meeting. That Week 1 game marked four straight wins for Green Bay against Chicago, going back to the 2013 season. James Jones had a great performance in the last meeting, grabbing four receptions for 51 yards and two TDs. Eddie Lacy had a great game as well, adding 85 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Matt Forte had a good outing running the ball for Chicago in that game, rushing 24 times for 141 yards and one TD. Martellus Bennett chipped in with 55 yards and a TD on five catches.
A close score is not projected this week when the Bears, a substantial seven-point underdog, take on Green Bay. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently at 47 points.
Sitting at 7-3 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4 Against The Spread (ATS), the Packers will look to improve heading into Week 12. In their five most recent matchups, the Packers went 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS. Green Bay hopes to take advantage of a Bears defense that allows 4.6 yards per rush, 29th in the NFL. During their last five games, the Packers have done a better job stopping the run, giving up an average of 97.8 rushing yards. In the first quarter, Green Bay is a tough challenge, putting up a league-leading 8.2 points in the first 15 minutes.
Across the field, the Bears fare well ATS, sitting at 6-4. However, they are only 4-6 SU this season. Over their last five games, the Bears have a SU record of 2-3 and a 4-1 record ATS. Chicago has made opposing defenses suffer as of late, averaging 25 points per game over the last five games. This improved stretch brought its season average to 21.4 PPG. Chicago’s quarterback and wide receivers will look to keep the strong passing attack rolling this week. Over the past five games, they’ve managed an impressive 280.6 yards through the air. Moving on to the Chicago defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Chicago’s pass defense ranks fourth in the league. This frightening bunch gives up 217.2 yards per game through the air. It’ll be difficult to keep Chicago’s offense off the field this week. The team’s average time of possession is 32:43, ranking fourth in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – GB, ATS Winner – GB, O/U – Under
The game is on NBC at 8:30 p.m. Stay awake with me and watch it. There’ll be plenty of time for naps tomorrow.
