Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE
I believe that the Chicago Bears are a better team than the Green Bay Packers and will prove this tonight at Lambeau Field as these two bitter rivals meet for the 184th time (with the Bears holding a 92-86-6 series lead). I am not smoking funny cigarettes, but an observer of football that thinks the Bears made enough moves in the off-season to become one of the favorites in the NFC. While the national media hasn’t quite picked up on this, many knowledgeable Bears fans are starting to sense greatness from this team.
Why do I feel this way? I think the Bears really set themselves up with the addition of Brandon Marshall. This is a team that has lacked a real NFL wide receiver for many MANY years, and adding Marshall to this team gives the Bears a number one wide receiver, a top quarterback in Jay Cutler, an excellent running attack with Matt Forte and Michael Bush and some other nice pieces as well. The Packers certainly have one of the league’s premier passing attacks, but as we’ve been seeing, they really aren’t able to do much else offensively. Until the Packers start showing teams they can run the football, teams will just not have to respect it.
On defense, it isn’t a secret to anyone that regularly reads my work that I think Clay Matthews III is overrated. But I recognize that he is probably the Packers’ best defensive player. Charles Woodson used to hold that honor, but the years have caught up with the future Hall of Famer. The Bears have a better front seven and are about equal to the Packers in the secondary. As I mentioned about, the Packers lack of a running game will force its defense to log more minutes. Plus, opposing teams will run the ball at this team to keep the defense on the field and avoid the Packers’ passing attack.
On special teams, the Bears have an edge over most teams including the Packers. This has been an aspect of the game stressed by the Bears since Lovie Smith has been head coach. But I will admit that Randall Cobb is a nice returner, but doesn’t scare coordinators quite like Devin Hester.
Tonight’s game will certainly be very anticipated by fans around the league. The pressure squarly falls on the Green and Mold. The Bears are being picked to lose this game anyway, so a win by the Monster’s of the Midway will certainly be a shock to those people that know little to nothing about football. I see the score of this game being Bears 35 Packers 24. It won’t be as close as people suspect.
Now, that being said, I do have two fears tonight. One is Jermichael Finley and the other is the aforementioned Cobb. Finley will be prowling around Brian Urlacher and testing that knee. We’ve seen the types of games Finley has had against the Bears, and I am sure he will be a main focus of the Packers offense. Cobb is my other fear. He is a small and fast receiver that has given the Bears problems in the past. With Greg Jennings most likely missing tonight’s action, Cobb will be counted on more in the passing game.
Follow me tonight on Twitter at ChicagoBearJew. I’m looking forward to interacting with all of you.
