In week 3 NFL action, the 2-0 Green Bay Packers take on the 1-1 Chicago Bears in Soldier Field in late Sunday afternoon action.

Curent NFL odds and spread has the Packers favorite by 4 points with the over/under at 45 1/2.

The Packers, lead by QB Aaron Rodgers, beat the New Orleans Saints (at home) in week 1 (42-34) and the Carolina Panthers (away) in week 2 (30-23).  The Bears, on the other hand, beat the Atlanta Falcons (at home) in week 1 (30-12) but fell to the New Orleans Saints (away) in week 2 (30-13).

Offense will be the name of the game in this matchup.  The Packers defense is giving up 476 total yards per game (400 passing and 76 rushing).  The Bears defense isn’t much better, giving up 384 yards per game (270 passing and 114 rushing).

The Packers will win this game and beat the spread because of the following:

Bears have given up an NFL league leading, 11 sacks and the offensive line is banged-up.

The Packers defense, with 7 sacks in 2011, will have no problem getting at Bears QB Jay Cutler.

The Bears lack a big-play receiver, a problem the Packers don’t have.

Finally, the Packers beat the New Orleans Saints in week 1 42-34, the Bears lost to the Saints in week 2 30-13.

Prediction:  Packers 35  Bears 14

Here is it. The last Sunday NFL game in the 2008 regular season. The Denver Broncos play the San Diego Chargers for the AFC West Championship.  John Madden and Al Michaels will be in the booth for the game.

GAME INFO
Date: Sunday, Dec 28, 2008
Kickoff:  8:15 PM ET
Teams: Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego California
TV: NBC

THE LINE (subject to change)
The Chargers are favorite by 8 points (-7).  The Under/Over is 49

THE MATCHUP
The winner is the champion of the AFC West. The loser goes home.
Denver is 8-7 overall and 4-3 on the road. They are 3-2 in the AFC West and 5-6 in the AFC
San Diego is 7-8 overall and 4-3 at home. They are 4-1 in the AFC West and 6-5 in the AFC
AGAINST THE SPREAD (ATS)
The Broncos are 5-10 overall ATS. They are 4-3 ATS away, 4-2 ATS underdog and 3-2 ATS as an away underdog.

The Chargers are 6-9 overall ATS.  They are 3-4 ATS at home, 4-8 ATS as the favorite and 3-4 ATS as home favorite

PREVIEW
Philip Rivers is on a serious roll and he is averaging 270 yards with 2.2 TDs vs just 0.5 interceptions for a simulation passer rating of 114. With Jay Cutler mustering just an 82 rating the Chargers are heavy 84 percent favorites. The Broncos lost 2 more RBs to injury and Tatum Bell and recently signed Cory Boyd are averaging well under 4 ypc. The Broncos have relied solely on the passing offense to win games this year. To pull off the upset they not only need a huge 3 TD performance from Jay Cutler, they also need the defense to sack Rivers twice and have at least 2 Chargers turnovers. In these simulations the Broncos pull even with an average simulation score of 30-30.
 
PREDICTION (ATS)
San Diego Chargers 35   Denver Broncos 14
Phillip Rivers will lead the Chargers into the Post season.  The Denver Broncos will not be able to overcome 2 more injuries to their running backs. Expect a high scoring affair - at least for the Chargers.