As the hours drag on until kickoff, I need some way to satisfy my impatience to see this game played. The closest I can come, of course, is to explore how others think the game will turn out.
I was surprised by this headline on NFL.com: “A longtime NFC North scout tells Jason La Canfora why he believes Chicago will beat Green Bay.” So I read the piece, only to discover that the scout also told La Canfora why he believes the Packers will beat the Bears. The title, of course, betrays the fact that more people are saying that the Packers are going to win. And, in the end, La Confora himself picks the Pack in a close one.
Peter King of SI.com is also picking the Packers to barely edge out the Bears. He is predicting a mere one point victory, while in the AFC game he expects a more comfortable margin of victory for the Steelers over the Jets.
King’s Sports Illustrated colleague, Jim Trotter, is also picking Green Bay to win a low-scoring affair. While King’s treatment of the game is just a thumbnail, Trotter makes a more extended and encouraging argument for a Packer victory.
And, speaking of extended and encouraging arguments, get a load of this piece by Kerry Byrne. Boy, does he ever make an effective case for a Green Bay win! Usually, my palms don’t get clammy until after kickoff, yet with the magnitude of this Sunday’s game, I have felt the anxiety set in several times already this week. Byrne’s article gives me great comfort, however.
The guys at Countdown Daily on ESPN both expect a Green Bay win. And, with a lot of variables considered and calculated, in 10,000 simulations, their crazy AccuScore method says that the Packers win 61% of the time.
Damon Hack also eloquently weighs in on why and how the Packers will win. His case sounds very convincing (although he does manage to say with a straight face that we’re playing well on special teams right now… hmmmm).
On the other hand, President Obama, playing the shameless homer, predicts a Chicago win, 20-17. Fortunately, the NFL doesn’t count votes the way they do in Chicago.
Unfortunately, however, the NFL doesn’t count votes, at all. If it did, then CNN and FOX would both be calling the game for the Packers based on all the aforementioned polling data. But, alas, the game is played on the field, and all of these high hopes and expectations don’t contribute a single point to the scoreboard.
Still, the polls are all I’ve got until kickoff!
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