(7) Green Bay Packers @ (2) Chicago Bears
Saturday, January 10, 8 PM ET
Many people will argue that sequels are never as good as the original, but can I interest you in a trilogy? There have been some great trilogies in history, including the original Star Wars trilogy, Lord of the Rings, The Mighty Ducks...You know, stuff that's typically considered in the same realm.
All kidding aside, this rubber match between the Bears and Packers carries a ton of intrigue. Two division rivals going at it in the postseason after two games which already had some significant playoff-like atmospheres.
In the first matchup, the Packers were able to beat the Bears at Lambeau Field on a walk-off interception by Keisean Nixon. The Bears went on a little run right after that, winning the NFC North and putting an exclamation point on it with a come-from-behind win against the banged-up Packers just two weeks after they lost to them in Green Bay.
Now, both of these teams feel like they're limping into the playoffs a little bit. The Packers, especially. Green Bay won't have Micah Parsons, and Jordan Love was getting one more week of rest before he likely comes back into the mix for the postseason.
The Bears got beat in Chicago against the Lions, even though the Seahawks had solidified that #1 overall seed. It was still a disappointing end to the regular season for the Bears to have the Lions walk off with a field goal in Chicago, and that's not the taste you want lingering in your mouth as you get set to host another division rival.
Interestingly enough, the Packers are 1.5-point favorites on the road for this one. And if the Bears' offense struggles again in this one, I could see the pendulum swinging back in Green Bay's favor with Jordan Love's return to the lineup.
Prediction: Packers win 23-19