Patch vs. Patch for Packers-Bears NFC Title Game

As the Packers prepare to trounce the Bears during Sunday’s NFL playoff game, Patch sites in Wisconsin and Illinois are busy brewing their own battle. 

Muskego Patch has teamed up with Yorkville Patch in Illinois, where Local Editor Jillian Duchnowski admits football isn't her thing. Still, Da Bears are going down, and here's why:

No. 1) Aaron Rodgers is versatile. He can throw, obviously, but he's also not afraid to rush and can read the blitz in a nanosecond. His ability to change the play and connect with his receivers or even his backfield is just part of why the Packers rolled over the Falcons last week.

No. 2) Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews, and a crushing defensive line. The line might be uneven, but Woodson and Matthews are fast and deadly in cutting down quarterbacks or stuffing a rush before it even reaches the line of scrimmage. 

No. 3) The offensive line. Last year, Packers fans had reason to worry that Rodgers might end up maimed for all the protection the line offered him, but this is a new year and the line has really come together. Their ability to form a wall between the quarterback and the defense gives Rodgers the time he needs to drive the ball down the field.

Jillian's response:

Um, no.

That’s the best response I could come up with. But never fear - New Lenox Patch Editor Michael Sewall came to the Bears (and my rescue) with three well-reasoned, persuasive arguments.

Why Sewall knows Da Bears will win:

No. 3: It's Chicago's year. Not that it's ever really Green Bay's year, or Wisconsin's year. Sports is just a bigger deal in our city, and part of that is that we've got better teams. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. The Bulls will compete for an NBA title. And the Sox (on the south side here, it's Sox country) are built to win again after just five years removed from the World Series. It's the Bears' turn to come up big now, and they've got the defense and an offense that's finally clicking (see more on that soon). We're the true Title Town USA, and our champion fans will prove it this week.

No. 2: Fast Don't Lie. OK, the Bulls' Derrick Rose has been using that slogan in his commercials, but another Chicago athlete should join D-Rose in those spots because he's truly the X-factor in this game. If all-purpose kick returner/wide receiver Devin Hester gets a shot, he can change the course of the game more than anyone else on the field. The Packers will likely kick away from him, but you can't rule out his ability to run after the catch or a flip/reverse to him in the return game. We saw what Hester did returning the kickoff for a touchdown to open the 2007 Super Bowl. Expect more fireworks this weekend. 

No. 1: Offense will win the game. This probably sounds good for Green Bay after the Packers just put up 48 on the Falcons and the last time these two met the Bears managed just three points. But these are two fantastic defenses, and whichever teams gets the edge on offense will win.