It’s going to be another classic Brett Hundley vs Mitchell Trubisky quarterback duel at Soldier Field Sunday when the Green Bay Packers (4-4) try to salvage their season against the Chicago Bears (3-5).
The game will be broadcast on your local FOX station at 1 p.m. EST.
The Game: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-5.5)
O/U: 38.0
The History
The Bears and Packers are the oldest rivalry in the NFL. They’ve faced off 195 times with Green Bay holding a 95-94-6 advantage.
That advantage came from a 35-14 Packers win about six weeks ago at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers didn’t pile up the yards, just throwing for 179 , but he tossed four touchdown passes.
Green Bay has won 16 of the last 20 contests between the two teams.
GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-4)
It’s been a rough patch of games since Aaron Rodgers went down against the Minnesota Vikings a month ago. The Packers have lost three in a row and are likely heading for a losing season unless third year quarterback Brett Hundley can turn this thing around.
Hundley wasn’t bad against the Detroit Lions last week, completing 26 of 38 for 245 yards. He rushed four times for 22 yards and a score. It just wasn’t enough against Matthew Stafford and the Lions offense. That won’t be the last time that sentence is written, trust me on that.
Hundley, of course, got no help from Mike McCarthy’s shitty play design and even less help from the run game. In spite of Aaron Jones’ break out games, McCarthy continues to plug in Ty Montgomery in key situations. He also completely abondoned trying to rush the ball, with just 12 carries on the day from the running backs for a total of 55 yards.
Hundley spread the ball around like a pro, hitting 10 different receivers on the day. Randall Cobb had five catches for 58 yards. Devante Adams caught seven passes for 53 yards. Jordy Nelson, robbed of Rodgers’ improvisational skills and ability to overcome McCarthy’s grade school play design, is in the witness protection program. He hauled in four passes for just 35 yards.
Green Bay’s injury report will be no help as offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga is out with a knee. On defense, safety Morgan Burnett and defensive tackle Quinton Dial are both sitting. Everyone else should play.
Oh, and Martellus Bennett won’t have the opportunity to drop passes or run half-assed routes anymore. The Packers cut him this week.
CHICAGO BEARS (3-5)
For Chicago, the quarterback switch from Mike Glennon to Mitchell Trubisky has worked out pretty well. Trubisky is 2-1 as a starter with a couple of solid victories over the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers.
His lone loss was last week’s 20-12 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. John Fox and the offensive crew still haven’t turned Trubisky loose. Last week the rookie QB was 14 of 32 for 164 yards and a pick. Jordan Howard continued rolling up the yardage in the run game with 23 carries for 102 yards. Tarik Cohen, who seems to have disappeared lately, scored the Bears’ only touchdown.
Chicago has built a pretty solid defense and that’s really the story behind their sudden ability to win games. Against the Saints, the Bears sacked Drew Brees twice and got six stops in the backfield. Holding New Orleans to just 20 points at home is a solid effort all around.
The Bears’ injury report is deep with a lot of guys listed as questionable that didn’t practice all week. Bryce Callahan, Tom Compton, Sherrick McManis, Roy Robertson-Harris, Dion Sims and Danny Trevathan were all up on blocks this week but are still designated with the “Q.”
The Pick
In spite of his first couple of starts, I think there’s NFL football in Hundley and he shows it this week. All Chicago can do consistently is run the ball, but that should keep it close. I’m feeling an upset. Packers 17, Bears 14
This week
Straight up: 1-0
Against the spread: 1-0
Last week
Straight up: 9-4
Against the spread: 11-2
Season
Straight up: 78-54
Against the spread: 69-62
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