Severe Weather: Alerts | Weather Map | Radar | Traffic | Submit Weather Photos

Tale of the tape

Week 15: Green Bay Packers At Chicago Bears

Packers

Bears

The Packers are now in a position to clinch the division if they can beat the Bears because it would give them a two-game lead over Chicago with two games to play and they would also have the tiebreaker advantage. Aaron Rodgers may be the best quarterback in the game and he has tormented the Bears with his pinpoint passes.	Quarterback	The Bears will have a difficult task in this game and it will be even more difficult if Jay Cutler (neck) can’t play in this game. Backup quarterback Jason Campbell came off the bench and performed well vs. Minnesota in Week 14, but it’s doubtful he can trade points with Rodgers for 60 minutes. If Cutler can play, he must avoid throwing the ball into coverage because that has been an issues against Green Bay in the past.
The Packers had a solid ground game in their Week 14 come-from-behind win over the Lions, and that’s a huge relief for head coach Mike McCarthy. Alex Green had 69 yards and the newly re-signed Ryan Grant showed a bit of explosiveness with 13 yards on his only carry. Wide receivers Greg Jennings, James Jones and Randall Cobb have the ability to hurt Chicago badly.	Offense	The Bears have not had any decent secondary receivers to complement Brandon Marshall and that’s why the offense has been so pedestrian. The offensive line has been rife with problems, particularly at the offensive tackle positions. Matt Forte has been OK, but he has not been as productive as he was last year.
The Packers have played well and managed to hang in there even though linebacker Clay Matthews has been out with a hamstring issue. Matthews should be back this week and he will give the Green Bay defense a much more ferocious attitude. The Packers have gotten a lift from rookie defensive back Casey Heyward who has five interceptions this season.	Defense	The Bears started the season as if they were going to have the best defense in the league with all their interception and fumble returns for touchdowns. However, the Bears have slowed down. Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher (calf) won’t play in this game and the defense has shown some weaknesses in recent weeks.
Mason Crosby has had an awful year for the Packers and you have to wonder if he is going to be able to hold on to his job for much longer. Tim Masthay is an ordinary punter who has a net average of 40.0 yards per punt. Cobb has excellent speed and can be an explosive return man.	Special Teams	The Bears almost always have an advantage with their special teams, but placekicker Robbie Gould tweaked a calf muscle in his plant leg prior to the Week 14 loss to the Vikings and the Bears are hoping that injury does not linger. Speedy Devin Hester has been below average this year and the Bears need him to have an explosive game vs. the Packers.

We'll just call it a tie

The Packers are streaking and appear to be getting healthier while the Bears are slumping and head coach Lovie Smith is clueless when it comes to making adjustments that would help turn a game around once his team falls behind. The Packers smell blood in the water and should jump all over the home team.

More Tales of the tape

NCAA Championship Game: #1 Louisville Vs. #4 Michigan
Rick Pitino has been here before, after making his 7th Final Four appearance, he’s now in his third go-round in the title game. He’s got plenty of experience on the big stage and he has the Cardinals playing high level basketball at the right time.
Super Bowl Halftime Show Vs. Neil Diamond: Who Takes The Trophy For Better Entertainment?
For years, both Neil Diamond and the Super Bowl Halftime show have been giving us, let’s say, mild overproduction (read: glitzy, flashy, and potentially unnecessary). So who’s got the edge between these two cheesy industry mainstays?
Harbaughs Vs. Baldwins: Which Pair Of Siblings Stand Out?
Harbaughs vs. Baldwins? Wow. What a battle! Let’s dig deep to see which pair of brothers has the upper hand.

See all Tales of the Tape

Listen Live!

TV Schedule

	Full Program Grid
7:00 PM	CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
7:30 PM	omg! Insider
8:00 PM	NCIS
9:00 PM	NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 PM	Person of Interest
11:00 PM	KDKA-TV News at 11
11:35 PM	Late Show with David Letterman