These are two teams going in different directions as the Packers have won five games in a row while the Steelers have lost five games in a row including losses to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns in that losing streak.  The Packers’ O-Line must keep Aaron Rodgers relatively clean tomorrow if they want to win this game.  When Rodgers is sacked less than six times in a game the Packers are 9-0.  The Steelers will be sending James Harrison (10 sacks), LaMarr Woodley (9 sacks) and Lawrence Timmons (6 sacks) after Rodgers all game long.  That means that Rodgers will likely use a shorter passing game tomorrow and he has the receivers to get that done.  The Steelers are allowing 209.2 yards passing per game this season and they only have 8 interceptions this year so the Packers should have some success getting the ball to Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, James Jones and Donald Lee.  The Steelers are only allowing 84.9 yards rushing per game this season but the Browns torched them last week on the ground so Ryan Grant and Ahman Green will likely get their fair share of yards too.

The Packers’ D is the real reason for the hot streak as they have been outstanding allowing only 14.2 points per game in the last five.  The Steelers would like to get Rashard Mendenhall going in the running game but the Packers will likely stop that as they are only allowing 85.0 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  The Steelers might have trouble keeping Ben Roethlisberger clean tomorrow as he has been sacked 38 times this season and Clay Matthews will likely be let loose to hassle him the whole game.  The Steelers still have solid receivers in Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller and Mike Wallace but the Packers specialize in picking off passes as they have 23 interceptions already this year.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 27, STEELERS 17

33-year old cornerback Charles Woodson is having a monster season for the Packers in 2009.  He has played in 13 games for the Packers this season and he has 61 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 4 forced fumbles, he has defensed 14 passes and he has 8 interceptions.  He has 134 return yards on his pickoffs (16.8 avg) including two that went for TDs.  Personally, I think that Woodson should win the Defensive Player of the Year Award this season as he has been truly incredible.

26-year old Aaron Rodgers might have lost twice to the Vikings and Brett Favre this year but he has been the better QB since Favre left.  Rodgers has played in 29 games the last two years and he has completed 632 of 980 passes (64.5%) for 7,617 yards with 53 TD passes and 20 INTs.  He has also carried the ball 108 times for 490 yards (4.5 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  In his last two years, Brett Favre has also played in 29 games in which he has completed 638 of 955 passes (66.8%) for 6,813 yards with 49 TD passes and 28 INTs.  He has also carried the ball 29 times for 48 yards (1.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  The numbers are pretty close but I have my doubts that Favre would have been able to keep playing with the O-Line the Packers have this season as Rodgers has been sacked 47 times this year already.  The Packers made the right move and they might get another shot at Brett Favre and the Vikings in the playoffs.

The Green Bay Packers were on their way to an easy win over the Chicago Bears, but they could not get much going after building an early 13-0 lead.  Aaron Rodgers didn’t have his best game, throwing for only 180 yards and no touchdowns on 16/24 pass attempts.  Fortunately for the Packers, they didn’t need a big game from Rodgers to beat the struggling Bears.  Running back Ryan Grant was able to handle most of the offensive load, running all over the Bears’ defense.  Grant got the Packers an early lead with a 67-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter, and had his second touchdown run in the 4th quarter to seal the victory for the Packers.  He finished with the two touchdowns and 137 yards on 20 carries.

The Packers defense did enough to get the win, but the Bears were able to find some success after the Packers built an early lead.  They let Jay Cutler throw two touchdown passes, although they did pick the Bears’ quarterback twice.  The Packers were also helped by the Bears and their penalties, 13 of them amounting for 109 yards.  Matt Forte rushed for only 51 yards, but he only had 12 carries (4.25 avg), which is well over his normal average of 3.3 yards per carry coming into this game.  They did enough to hold the Bears off though, and the win is all that matters.

The Green Bay Packers (8-4) are heading to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (5-7).  The Packers beat the Bears 21-15 to open up the season, but the Bears are a different team now.  Their defense is not as good as it was then and their offense has been about as good as it was in that first game where Cutler threw four interceptions.  The Packers probably wont get four interceptions off of Cutler again, as the Bears have tightened the quarterbacks’ reigns after a Rex Grossman type performance most of the season.  The Bears offense has been laughable at times and the Packers defense should have no problem slowing them down.

Aaron Rodgers and the passing game will have some opportunities to find some success, but the windy and cold weather may make it hard to go deep down the field.  Ryan Grant should get a lot of carries, and with the Bears giving up 126 rushing yards per game, he should have a good day.  The Bears defense is depleted and has been underachieving all season, so I think the Packers should not have a problem in this game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 13, Green Bay Packers 28