Green Bay Packers: Week 17 Predictions vs. Chicago Bears

Here are a few predictions to get you ready for the Green Bay Packers’ crucial Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears.

Given the history and the tradition of these two franchises, regardless of records, when the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears meet up, it’s always going to be an intense and hard-fought matchup. But this week, well, there is a lot on the line for both teams as this is one of the more high stakes games in recent memory.

With a win, the Packers secure the NFC’s top seed and force their eventual playoff opponents to have to beat them at Lambeau Field in January. A loss, however, and it’s very likely that Green Bay ends up as the three seed, losing the first-round bye and facing the possibility of having to travel to both Seattle and New Orleans if they hope to reach the Super Bowl. The latter is obviously a lot less ideal.

Meanwhile, the Bears have managed to win four games in a row — their last loss was to the Packers — and now control their own destiny. A win over Green Bay, and they clinch the NFC’s final playoff spot, but even with a loss, they can still get in if Arizona loses.

As I said, there is a lot on the line with this one.

On the injury report, the Packers will, of course, be without David Bakhtiari, who was officially placed on IR on Saturday and Kingsley Keke is out as well with a concussion. But other than that, this is a relatively healthy Green Bay team.

For the Bears, Akiem Hicks will be on the field Sunday after being sidelined the last time these two teams met. However, Chicago will be without two of their top cornerbacks as Jaylon Johnson and Buster Skrine have both been ruled out.

Now without further ado and for the final time this regular season, our crew here at Dairyland Express has put together our predictions for this pivotal matchup. Let’s dive in and see who comes out on top and why.

Matt LeVene (7-2)

This regular-season finale between two storied rivals provides a lot of intrigue. In what is a do or die game for the Bears, look them for them to come out hot. Matt Nagy will not hesitate to pull any and all tricks on the offensive end to try and get his team to the playoffs. Mike Pettine and his defensive unit will need to build off their stellar performance last week and contain the run game of David Montgomery.

By limiting the success of the rushing attack, Green Bay’s pass rushers and ball-hawking secondary can have a field day with Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears’ signal-caller has struggled against the Green Bay Packers and should provide many opportunities for turnovers. Their passing game does present one big potential issue in the performance of Allen Robinson. The standout wide receiver should be shadowed by Pro Bowl corner Jaire Alexander which will be a great matchup to watch. I predict Jaire comes up with at least one takeaway.

On the offensive side of the football, it will be interesting to watch how the now Bahk-less offensive line will contain Chicago’s stout defensive front. Even with the heartbreaking loss of the star left tackle, the Green Bay offense will in all likelihood continue its dominant season. I have seen no evidence foreshadowing a letdown performance. On another note, Davante Adams is having one of the greatest receiving seasons in history. He, along with the incumbent MVP Aaron Rodgers, will cause nightmares for the Chicago secondary. It will be interesting to see how the snaps in the Green Bay backfield are distributed. With three more than capable backs, they should have fresh legs all game. I predict a multiple score game for Aaron Jones,

Prediction: Packers 31- Chicago 23

Trevor Bender (5-1)

This Bears team is a tough one to figure out. They started the season 5-1, lost six in a row, now have won their last four. The main reason for all of the inconsistency this year has been the lackluster offense. Mitchell Trubisky started the season, was benched for Nick Foles and now Trubisky is back as the Bears starting quarterback. The Bears offense has averaged 23.7 points per game in 2020 which is 18th best in the NFL. The Bears defense is top ten in points allowed per game at 22.3. They are not as dominant as they have been in the past but they are still a good defense.

To me, this means that if the Packers’ defense continues to play as well as it has been, they will be able to slow down the resurgent Bears’ offense, simply because this Green Bay defense is better than what the Chicago offense has seen during their win streak.

The Packers’ offense will be able to move the ball, they scored 41 on the bears just five weeks ago. The Bears will have Akeim Hicks back in this game, they did not have him in the Week 12 matchup. Hicks will complicate things for the Packers’ offense but I still think they will be able to score enough to clinch home-field advantage. Lastly, this will be a good test for the offensive line with no David Bakhtiari as the Bears have a formidable front. It will be important to monitor how this offensive line can hold up against a good pass rush as it will be important for Aaron Rodgers to stay upright for a deep playoff run.

Prediction: Packers 34 – Bears 17

Kenny Jilek (10-5)

This week, the Green Bay Packers’ offense took a big hit, losing multiple time All-Pro David Bakhtiari. This couldn’t come at a worse time with one of the best pass rushers in the league, Khalil Mack, looming. Fortunately, Billy Turner and Elgton Jenkins are both good replacement options and they should be able to hold up fairly well. Even if Mack does get to Rodgers to pressure him a few times, the Packers’ offense should still be able to keep rolling and score enough to win. Maybe we’ll even see another big A.J. Dillon game in the cold.

Defensively, they’ll have to stop a Bears’ offense that had been bad all season but has been surging lately, scoring at least 30 points in each of their last four games. Still, I just can’t bring myself to be scared of an offense led by Mitch Trubisky. If they want to score more, they’ll have to attack the middle of the field with guys like Anthony Miller and Jimmy Graham. Even if they do this effectively, they just don’t have enough firepower to outpace the Packers’ offense.

Prediction: Packers 34 – Bears 24

Paul Bretl (13-2)

I have to say, a month ago I didn’t expect the Bears to be in the position that they’re in, but nonetheless, here we are. Chicago is 4-0 in their last four games and the offense is averaging 36 points per game–although they’ve faced some of the league’s worst defenses during that span. Yet even with their success, the defensive formula for Green Bay remains the same; contain David Montgomery and force Mitch Trubisky to play quarterback.

On offense, the Green Bay Packers are without Bakhtiari, but this is still a very good offensive line unit overall. And with the Bears missing two of their top corners, Green Bay having a three-headed monster in the backfield, along with Aaron Rodgers under center, my expectations remain the same–and that is that they should put up points.

While the offense may not drop 41 points like they did the last time these two teams met, they’ll still find success. Green Bay Packers win and clinch the one seed.

Prediction: Packers 34 – Bears 24