With the elimination of the Seattle Seahawks (which had 5 former Cal football players on their team), it should be clear who California Golden Bears fans will be rooting for next week: Aaron Rodgers, Desmond Bishop and the Green Bay Packers. After the Packers beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Philly and the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, they will try and complete a road sweep of the NFC playoffs when they take on their rivals the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field. The game will be on FOX at 3 PM ET.
Vegas seems to like the Packers too. Green Bay is favored by three over Chicago, despite (a) being on the road, and (b) having played two tough games against the Bears this season. Is this line a trap?
Chad Millman, ESPN's Vegas expert, has believed the Packers are the most public team in recent memory. The Eagles were very small favorites over the Packers, and the Falcons even smaller. A lot of this seems to be related with the growing confidence of the betting majority in a strong quarterback, in this case being Rodgers. That buzz should grow after this week's performance.
Still, think twice before putting the house on Rodgers and the Packers--Chicago beat Green Bay earlier this season, and in a must-win for the Packers in Week 17, held them to only 10 points in a 10-3 defeat. The Bears defense has held Rodgers under a 100 passer rating in their last five meetings, and the Bears special teams is much much better than the Packers special teams. Don't be surprised if it's another defensive slugfest.
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