Most Super Bowl betting players weren’t even thought of when Chicago and Green Bay met for the first time in the NFL, as the Chicago Staleys blanked the Green Bay Packers 20-0 in the Windy City on November 27th, 1921. Of course, the Staleys are now the Bears, and these two will meet in the playoffs for the first time since 1941 as the Bears host the Packers at Soldier Field on Sunday. Packers vs. Bears Betting – Sunday, 3:00 PM ET
Aaron Rodgers showed little care for Atlanta’s great reputation at home, as Rodgers led the Packers in a 48-21 slaughter of the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. Rodgers was 31-of-36 for 366 yards and three touchdowns with no picks as the Packers racked up 442 yards on offense, going 8-of-12 on third down, and they were 4-of-6 in the red zone. It wasn’t just the offense that did their thing, as the defense fed off Rodgers and company, holding the Falcons to 194 yards while forcing four turnovers, and Tramon Williams ran a pick back 70 yards for a score. NFL betting players would probably say this is the best performance of the playoffs so far, and there’s a worry that Green Bay peaked already.
Jay Cutler wasn’t bad at all in his first playoff game since high school, going 15-of-28 for 274 yards and two touchdowns with no picks, and he added two more scores on the ground as the Bears rolled to a 35-24 win over Seattle at home. The Bears also ran for 176 yards, which allowed them to hold the ball for over 37 minutes, and Chicago really controlled this game until a couple of late touchdowns by the Seahawks to make the score more respectable (and scare those who bet on the 10-point spread for the Bears). Many figured Cutler would fall on his face in his playoff debut, but he handled it very well, albeit against a team that isn’t really that good.
Whether it’s worth the price per head or not (tickets are reportedly going for upwards of $900 for this game), it’s going to be a Midwest classic, and the Packers are 3.5-point favorites on the road in Chicago, where they are 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five trips. The home team won both times when these two played this season, which is why some think it’s strange the Packers are favored. But Green Bay have been playing out of their mind as of late, and Rodgers has been bolstered with the emergence of James Starks, whose presence in the running game keeps the blitz off Rodgers. Meanwhile, we’re not sure how Cutler will handle the Green Bay blitz, as we’ve seen him put up some ducks in the pass when he’s pressured. We’re sticking with Green Bay to cover the sports betting spread on Sunday.
