Bears And Packers Renew Rivalry And We Are Betting On This

Bears vs. Packers, 4:25 ET

I was born and raised in Chicago, but my allegiances for sports teams are a bit unique. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, which is where you'll pretty much find only White Sox fans. I was, and still am, a Cubs fan. I had Michael Jordan and the Bulls dominate much of my life while I was in grade school. So, there are loyalties and ties to my geographical origin. However, I've never been a fan of the Bears. For whatever reason, I just thought the franchise made dumb decisions, and I never cared for them. I was a Colts fan when Peyton Manning was there - also when I first started really getting into football. Now, I don't really have a true team that I root for - but I will say the new Bears culture and regime impresses me, will it be enough to finally beat the Packers?

The Bears are leading the NFC North, which has to be exceeding even their expectations for how well this season was going to go. Chicago is 9-3 for the season, and I've made a point recently of saying just how difficult it is to trust the team. They could've just as easily been 3-9 this year. They play in a lot of close games, and I suppose the sign of a good, winning team, is pulling these games out. They are certainly doing that, and I am impressed that the team has figured out ways to win, which is rather important for a developing team. They have won two games without having key pieces on defense. They have come from behind to win, and they have shown they can win wire-to-wire. I do believe that they made the right choice by hiring Ben Johnson as he looks like he has changed the culture of the organization. Caleb Williams still has work to be done, but he, too, has taken great strides in his second year under center. 

Caleb Williams' new home will make you put a football in your kids' hand as soon as you posisbly can. (Getty Images)

The Packers are still the team to beat in the division. Of the three teams in the NFC North that made the postseason last year, this seems like the one that is most likely to make it again. The Lions still have a shot, but the Vikings took a big step back (which is what happens when you don't have a quarterback). This hasn't been the cleanest season for Green Bay, but they have found ways to make it work. They lost to the Browns in Cleveland in an ugly game. They tied with the Cowboys earlier in the year in a fun, but ultimately disappointing contest. Then a few weeks ago they lost back-to-back games, at home, against the Panthers and Eagles. Since then, they have run off three straight wins over the Giants, Vikings, and Lions. I will mention they weren't the most comfortable wins, but again, they got the job done. 

This may not be the same Bears team, but I do think this will be the same result. The Packers should win this game, but the question is if they will win by margin. In my opinion, they will. I think they should be able to get the job done with their edge on the defensive front. The Packers can essentially take away the ground game. Rome Odunze is hurt, but likely to play. If he is hobbled at all, Williams will be missing his favorite target. I just can't see the Bears winning if they are one-dimensional and relying on Williams to throw 35 times. The offensive line has improved a lot for Chicago, but I'm not convinced they are going to stop Micah Parsons. I'm going to back the over 44.5 in the game. It will be cold, but the Bears will need to throw a lot, and I think the Packers can attack the Bears defense from a few angles. Back the over. 

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