Bears’ losses could be Packers’ gain
By GERY WOELFEL
The Packers may have received an early Christmas present.
When the Packers play their arch-rival Bears in the Windy City Saturday night, they’ll be facing a team that will be without arguably their best receivers.
Rome Odunze, the Bears’ leading receiver with 44 receptions, and Luther Burden III, the Bears’ talented rookie who has caught at least three passes in each of the last six games, will be watching this critical matchup from the sidelines in street cloths. Odunze has an ailing foot; Burden has an ailing ankle.
Without Odunze and Burden III, the Bears figure to be virtually a one-dimensional offense, a running offense.
And the Packers conclusively proved they can deal with the Bears’ running game. You might recall how three weeks ago, the Bears’ running game ran roughshod over a quality Eagles defense, piling up an insane 281 yards.
Yet, the following week against the Packers, the Bears’ running game sputtered. The Bears managed a meager 138 rushing yards as the Packers secured an important 28-21 victory at Lambeau Field.
And the Packers kept the Bears rushing in check despite a non-descript performance by pass rusher extraordinaire Micah Parsons, who had just one tackle and zero sacks.
Parsons, like Odunze and Burden III, will be a spectator at Saturday’s crucial game that has significant playoff implications. He suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in last week’s game against the Broncos.
While Parsons’ injury was a major blow for the Packers (9-4-1), not having Odunze and Burden III available for the Packers game could be costly for the 10-4 Bears.
WHAT THE ODDSMAKERS ARE SAYING: Bears are 1.5-point favorites.
GW’S PREDICTION: Packers 30, Bears 20.
