Divisional: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
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Last year, the Bears-Packers NFC Championship Game showdown marked the first time the hated rivals met in the playoffs. The next postseason showdown will come less than 365 days later.
The Bears' win in New Orleans a week earlier will provide a tremendous boost in confidence heading into the matchup with Green Bay: the Saints offense is comparable, though not as good as, the Packers'.
So Chicago will have a nice game plan for
Aaron Rodgers and Co: By halftime, the game will be extremely tight.
Last year, Chicago's offense wouldn't have enough bullets to compete with Green Bay, but because the Packers secondary hasn't been as sharp and the pass rush isn't as ferocious, the Bears and a rested
Jay Cutler will keep up for a while.
But in the end, the Packers, who fall short of the perfect season with back-to-back losses to playoff teams the Lions and Giants, will surge ahead in the second half as Rodgers' incredible 2011 season continues.
Prediction:
Packers 45, Bears 31