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This 2011 NFC Championship game betting preview is courtesy of Sportsbook.com, where the line was currently Green Bay -3.5 and the total 43.5. Watch carefully as some trending suggests a move to -3.
Sixth-seeded Green Bay looks to knock off its third straight top-three seeded team in the conference when it travels to Soldier Field for an NFC Championship matchup with the Bears. Chicago won the first meeting this season, 20-17 in Week 3 thanks to the Packers team-record 18 penalties. Green Bay won the rematch 10-3 in Week 17 to earn a playoff berth. These NFC North Division foes have not met in the playoffs since 1941.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been the story of the playoffs with seven total touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) in his two road wins at Philadelphia and Atlanta. He has completed 73% of his passes for 969 yards, 10 TD and 1 INT in three career playoff starts. Rodgers is also 4-2 lifetime versus Chicago with a 69% completion rate, 233 passing YPG, 7 TD and 4 INT in those six meetings. Including playoffs, Rodgers has 22 TD to just 2 INT in his past nine games overall. Four different receivers gained at least 75 yards against the Falcons. Greg Jennings had 101 yards on eight catches and Jordy Nelson also caught eight passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. James Jones also scored and finished with four grabs for 75 yards, while Donald Driver pitched in with six receptions for 76 yards. Green Bay has also done a nice job running the football with rookie RB James Starks who set a franchise rookie playoff record with 123 rushing yards against the Eagles and added 66 more rushing yards in the win at Atlanta. But the Packers could only muster 60 rushing yards on 23 carries in Week 17 against the Bears’ run-stop unit that held Seattle to 34 yards on 12 carries.
Chicago’s Jay Cutler had a tremendous playoff debut last week against Seattle, throwing for 274 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 43 yards and two additional scores. He was just the second quarterback ever to throw for 2 TD and rush for 2 TD in a playoff game, joining Otto Graham on a short list. But the Packers have not been kind to Cutler over the years. For his career, Cutler has a 1-4 record against Green Bay, completing less than 55% of his passes for 228 YPG, 5 TD and 9 INT. This particular Packers secondary has been playing great, especially Tramon Williams who has three interceptions in two playoff games. The Pack have allowed less than 150 passing yards in four of their past six games and their turnover margin is a stellar +7 in the past four contests. The Chicago running game also shined in the win over the Seahawks with 176 yards on the ground, its highest total since Week 5. RB Matt Forte also had a strong postseason debut rushing for 80 yards and gaining another 54 yards on three receptions. He has only rushed for 363 yards on 3.6 YPC with one touchdown in six career games versus Green Bay, but he has gained 159 receiving yards to give him an average of 87.0 total YPG against the Pack.
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- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
