Packers vs Bears Betting Line

Home: Green Bay Packers (13-1 overall, 6-0 at home)
Away: Chicago Bears (7-7 overall, 2-4 on the road)
When: Christmas Day, 2011. NFL Week 16. 8:25 pm ET.
TV: NBC

Latest Bears at Packers Betting Lines: Christmas Day, Week 16

* Below is an article we wrote for a previous matchup between the Bears & Packers. The odds above are current for the 2011 week 16, Christmas Day game.

In the NFC Championship game on Sunday, two old foes will meet yet again. The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have faced each other more than any two teams in NFL history, with Chicago leading the head-to-head matchup 92-83-6. Although the game is being played in Chicago, the Packers are favored to make it through to the Super Bowl. Tons of betting options are available online, including hundreds of prop bets. The latest point spread, money line, and over/under odds from the best online sportsbooks are listed below.

Kickoff is scheduled for at 3:00pm EST at Soldier Field in Chicago, and it will be televised nationally on Fox.

Latest Packers vs Bears Point Spread & Betting Odds

The point spread is 3.5 everywhere except Bodog, where you can get Bears +4 (-115). At BetUS, you can get the Packers -3.5 (-105), but we’re still a few days before kickoff. So, if you want to take the Packers, it would be smart to do it now before the line goes in the wrong direction.

If you want the Bears +3.5 (-110), we recommend BetOnline.com. They have the easiest Visa deposit process, and new accounts can be opened and funded within a few minutes. They also offer reduced juice on Friday, so if you wait until tomorrow you can get -105 on either team. You’ll also get a $10 free bet upon signup.

Best Packers vs Bears Money Line Odds

For Green Bay, the best money line odds are Packers -190 at Sportsbook.com. For Chicago, you can get Bears +170 at BetOnline. BetOnline also accepts Visa credit & debit card deposits from U.S. handicappers. Although we’re picking the Packers to win, the +170 money line on the Bears is very tempting and I couldn’t fault anyone for taking those odds.

Packers at Bears Over/Under Odds

For the Packers at Bears over/under, the over is an easy one. If you like the over, go to Bookmaker.com where you can get 42.5 (-110). For the under, you have a couple of options. First, you can get 43.5 (-110) at Sportsbook.com, or 44 (-115) at Bovada.lv. The Bovada Sportsbook will have the best live betting options for this game as well, so if you don’t have an account at an online sportsbook, Bovada would be a good place to sign up.

Packers at Bears NFC Prop Bets

Every online sportsbook listed above are offering prop bets for this NFC Championship game. The largest volume of prop bets are at the Bovada Sportsbook where dozens, if not hundreds of live prop bets will be offered during the game. They have the best live betting interface in the industry, and offer props on almost every down. Quarter, half time, and other props are available right now.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears Betting Line

In this game, the line opened at –3 for the visiting Packers and that’s in large part due to the Packers smoking the Falcons last Saturday on the road. Chicago looked good for most of the game last Sunday against the Seahawks, but they didn’t seem to be playing 100% towards the end of the game, costing them some points. This line may not change much from now until kickoff, but we’ll have to wait and see where the money is going.

Packers vs Bears 2011 Regular Season Results

The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have already met twice this season, so they’ll be very familiar with each other. The Bears won the 1st game in Chicago 20-17, but the Packers tied the season series in week 17 when they won 10-3 at home. Chicago didn’t need to win the week 17 game, but they didn’t sit any of their players. If the Bears won the game in week 17 the Packers would have been eliminated from the playoffs and we wouldn’t even be looking at an NFC Championship Game between these two teams.

Both offenses have been rolling this postseason. Green Bay put up 21 against the Eagles in the wild card round and then put up 48 points against the Falcons last week in the divisional round. Aaron Rodgers looked incredible last weekend against the Falcons and ended the game with 31 completions on 36 attempts for 366 yards and 3 TD’s. It’s hard to get much better than that, especially in a playoff game. The running game was never able to get going last week and that’s unlikely to change this week against the Bears 2nd best rushing defense.

Chicago had a bye during the wild card round and a fairly easy game last week against the Seahawks. The Bears beat the Seahawks 35-24, but it was never close. Jay Cutler and the Bears offense put up a quick 14 points in the 1st quarter and had a huge 21-0 lead at halftime. Jay Cutler was easily the player of the game last week, as he finished the game going 15 of 28 for 274 yards and 2 TD’s through the air, and he also had 8 carries for 43 rushing yards and 2 TD’s. Cutler usually makes mistakes trying to force the ball into tight spots, but he used his feet last weekend to open up some big plays.

Green Bay and Chicago had two of the best-ranked defenses in the 2010-2011 NFL season. Green Bay only gave up 15 PPG (2nd in the NFL) while the Bears weren’t that far behind, allowing just 17.9 PPG (4th). Chicago has struggled stopping the pass and those problems continued last week, as Hasselbeck threw for 3 TD’s. Green Bay can stop the pass, but they’ve had some issues containing opposing RB’s. The good news for Green Bay is that Chicago doesn’t have that strong of a running game, as they only averaged 101 rushing YPG (22nd) this season.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears Key Match-Ups

Aaron Rodgers vs. Bears Passing Defense

Aaron Rodgers had a near perfect game last week on the road against the Falcons, and if the Bears want to stay in this game they’ll need to shut him down a lot more than Atlanta was able too. Chicago had the 20th ranked passing defense this year and allowed an average of 224.2 YPG. The Packers do well passing the ball because they have a very deep WR roster. Last week Nelson and Jennings had 8 catches apiece while Driver (6) and Jones (4) weren’t far behind. When you can move the ball around the field like the Packers do, it puts a lot of pressure on the secondary, as they have to run all over the field to cover everyone.

Jay Cutler vs. Packers Defense

Without Jay Cutler I’m not so sure how the Bears would have fared last week against the Seahawks. Cutler did everything right and even though he made a few poor throws, none of them were intercepted. In order for Chicago to stay close in this NFC Championship Game they’re going to need another mistake free game from Cutler. Jay doesn’t need to score 4 TD’s again this week, but he can’t afford to throw picks and turn the ball over to Rodgers.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears Prediction

After watching Green Bay last week it’s hard to bet against Rodgers and their offense. Chicago looked good last week as well, but they weren’t as dominating as the Packers. Rodgers should have a big game against the mediocre Bears passing defense and as long as the Packers defense can make a few stops, I don’t see this game being as close as the point spread reflects.

I’m taking the Packers -3.5.