The Chicago Bears, somehow, will be featured during primetime once again this week.
This week, the Bears will head north to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The Packers lead the NFC North at 7-3, but they just suffered a tough late loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Bears have been spiraling for weeks now, and we still don’t know who the starting quarterback will be on Sunday. Green Bay, meanwhile, has a two-game lead in the division. If they take care of business, it could run away with the NFC North.
Here’s what NFL bettors need to know about the Week 12 clash.
Bears @ Packers odds
The big question surrounding the Bears is: Who will start as quarterback? And the appropriate follow-up question: Does it really matter?
Chicago ranks 31st in total offense on the season, and isn’t doesn’t do anything particularly well. Nick Foles has been bad since taking over as the starter, averaging a measly six yards per attempt.
But we don’t even know which Bears QBs are healthy at this point. Foles suffered a hip injury against the Vikings, though it isn’t as serious as previously thought. And Mitchell Trubisky has been inactive the last two games due to a shoulder injury.
Trubisky is reportedly throwing again, but we don’t know if he’ll be ready Sunday.
If he does, it would seem like there’s a good chance he gets the nod against the Packers. As frustrating as he’s been, the Bears’ offense was better in the first three weeks with Trubisky at the helm than it is now, and his mobility can help bail out an inept offensive line.
In their last game, the Bears generated 32 yards of offense and two first downs in the second half. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
That also came against a Vikings defense that ranks 27th in points allowed. The Bears have been making porous defenses look mighty for weeks.
With all of that said, the Bears made the move from Trubisky to Foles for a reason.
In other words, don’t expect much from the Chicago offense regardless of who’s under center or who’s calling plays. It will be especially tough sledding if David Montgomery misses another game due to a concussion, but we don’t know his status at this time.
Packers flawed, but far superior
The Packers lost to the Colts in overtime on Sunday, 34-31. After a nice start to the season, Green Bay is now 17th in scoring defense and 12th in total defense.
They’re going to want to improve upon that if they have Super Bowl aspirations, but they have more than enough on defense to stop this hapless Bears attack.
The offense, meanwhile, is one of the best in the league. And while the Bears’ defense remains stout and relentless, there’s only so much they can do. That unit is usually asked to spend far too much time on the field due to the offensive woes.
Aaron Rodgers is having a phenomenal season, as is No. 1 wide receiver Davante Adams. Rodgers has thrown 29 touchdowns to four interceptions on the season, and Adams has hauled in 10 of those scores.
The Packers average 30.8 points per game, ranking third in the league. For reference, the Bears have scored 30 points once all season.
Even if the Chicago defense fares better against Rodgers than most, it won’t be enough. The Bears might have to score a few defensive touchdowns to have a real shot.
Bears fans shouldn’t past them, of course. But it’s hard to feel great about that strategy going into an NFL game in 2020.
The Bears and Packers will kick off at 7:20 p.m. CST on NBC on Sunday.
