The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have the oldest rivalry in the NFL and the two teams will go at it for the first time this season in a Monday night football matchup on WESN for the final game of Week 9 on the schedule starting up at 8:30 pm on ESPN from Lambeau Field and streaming live on ESPN Radio and the Watch ESPN website.
The Bears come into the game after starting fast and then fading over the back stretch of the first half of the season, while the Packers have taken the opposite route, as they started off 1-2 and are now winners of their last four heading into the game despite dealing with terrible injuries. The Bears offense has not been very potent the past few weeks, while the Packers offense has been humming along and the defense has been a factor too, ranking in the top five against the run. Aaron Rodgers has a steady rushing attack for the first time in years and the team is ranked in the top seven in both passing and rushing yards per game and with Jay Cutler out for the Bears, it could be a long Monday night.
Check here for the Bears and Packers live coverage of Monday night football on ESPN.
The Packers are now winners of four games in a row and two of those games were by big deficits, as was the Lions game and they were able to defeat the Baltimore Ravens despite losing their two best receivers in Randall Cobb and James Jones and now players like Jarrett Boykin and Jordy Nelson have stepped in big until those players can get back. Rodgers is showing how good he is by continuing to win despite the injuries and Mike McCarthy has the offense more balanced than it has been in years with James Starks, Eddie Lacy and Jonathan Franklin handling things. The team plays a tough schedule in the second half, but with the Ravens and Redskins already behind, the team has manageable games sprinkled in down the stretch.
Rodgers has the offense moving along with over 400 total yards per game and the rushing attack has been very potent, averaging over 140 yards per game and that is the highest total for the team in years. The Packers come into the game after two divisional wins over the NFC North in the Vikings and the Lions and they also won two games over the AFC North, as they played the Ravens in Baltimore and the Cleveland Browns at home. The next games will be against the NFC East with the Eagles and Giants and they will have to watch out for the Bears, as they looked solid despite losing Jay Cutler in their loss to Washington.
After playing against the Bears at home, the Packers will hit the road against the Giants after playing the Eagles before that at Lambeau and then they have another divisional set with the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions. The schedule also has a home matchup with the Atlanta Falcons and then the team finishes with two of three on the road with the Dallas Cowboys, Steelers and then the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The Bears come into the game after losing three of their last four matchups and only winning against the terrible Giants and after a long break they now renew the oldest rivalry in the NFL and they will play in the cold on Monday. The team finishes with a game against the Packers in Week 17 and that comes after four road games in five weeks, with the one home game coming against the Dallas Cowboys. That game is on Monday night football and the game will be for Week 9 between the Bears and Packers at Lambeau Field at 8:30 pm.
