By Monty McMahon/Special to LAist
“The Chicago Bears get no respect.”
We've heard the refrain a hundred times. You know why the Chicago Bears don't get any respect? Because the Chicago Bears don't deserve any respect.
Yes, they have a pretty nice defense. Sure, they have one of the best return men of all time. That doesn't mean they belong in the NFC Championship game, much less the Super Bowl.
The Chicago Bears have done it with smoke and mirrors all season long, and this is the week they get exposed.
Ooooh... I forgot about your big win over the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks last week. I'm so... impressed.
Actually, I'm not, and as a life-long Packer fan, I can't wait until the Green Bay Packers thump the Chicago Bears this weekend. The day I no longer have to listen to the “no respect” refrain and all the mindless blather spewing from the mouths of Chicago Bears fans will be a beautiful one.
The only team playing on Sunday that can beat the Green Bay Packers is the Green Bay Packers. That certainly isn't out of the question - the Packers committed a team-record 18 penalties in their first matchup with the Bears this season, handing Chicago a 20-17 victory with a fancy red bow on it.
Why the Green Bay Packers Will Put The Chicago Bears Out of Their Misery
That's not going to happen this week.
While the Bears were sitting around during wild card weekend, the Packers were dispatching the only NFC playoff team remotely as dangerous as their own, beating Michael Vick's Philadelphia Eagles 21-16. The Eagles were a scary team. Chicago, you are not.
Last weekend, while the Bears were awing the world by beating the Seahawks, the Packers were thrashing the NFC's No. 1 seed Atlanta Falcons, 48-21. The game was over early in the third quarter.
These are the Green Bay Packers.
They've won two consecutive playoff road games, putting up a total of 69 points. They have the hottest player in the NFL in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who's thrown six touchdowns in the playoffs and is coming off a performance where he completed 31 passes and had only five incompletions.
And while everyone talks about Chicago's great defense, the Packers actually own the superior unit. They finished fifth in total defense during the regular season and are the third-ranked unit in the playoffs. Chicago ranks ninth and fourth, respectively.
That Packer defense is highlighted by last season's defensive player of the year, cornerback Charles Woodson, who plays the run, pass and blitzes equally well; soon-to-be defensive player of the year, linebacker Clay Matthews, who will be harassing Chicago's lead mouth breather, quarterback Jay Cutler, all day long; and cornerback Tramon Williams, who already has three interceptions and a touchdown this postseason.
The Packers are superior to the Bears in every way. Well... except for special teams.
Devin Hester gives the Bears a weapon that's unrivaled, but he can be negated. The Packers made Hester a non-factor in their week 17 victory over Chicago by consistently punting away from him. He was able to return only two of eight punts.
So how's this going to play out?
The Packers are going to blitz Cutler all day long, forcing him into mistakes. If the Bears stick with their traditional Cover-2 scheme on defense, the Packers will turn to rookie running back James Starks, who's rushed for 189 yards in the playoffs. If the Bears blitz, Rodgers will tear them apart.
Unfortunately, these teams know each other too well for this game to be the blowout it should, but the Packers are too talented and too hot to lose.
Packers 24, Bears 14
Yes, there's an AFC game, too. I don't pay as much attention to that inferior brand of football as I do the NFC, but I do know this.
The New York Jets defense is playing better than anyone's, right now, including the Packers. They also have a ton of momentum after dispatching the New England Patriots. If that kid from SC doesn't screw it up, the Jets are going to be hard to beat.
While a Pittsburgh Steelers-Green Bay Packers Super Bowl has a nice ring to it from a traditional and historical perspective, these playoffs are going to be historic for another reason - the first time two No. 6 seeds reach the Super Bowl.
Jets 27, Steelers 20
Monty McMahon is originally from Wisconsin and came to his senses nine years ago moving to Los Angeles. He writes for TotalPackers.com.
