LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Hollywood’s best screenwriter couldn’t have created a more compelling script than the one that will culminate Sunday with the Bears hosting the Packers in the NFC title game at Soldier Field.
The intense rivalry, which began in 1921 when the Chicago Staleys defeated the Packers 20-0 at Cubs Park, has included 181 regular-season games and only one playoff contest—a 33-14 Bears win in 1941.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said quarterback Jay Cutler. “To be in an NFC championship in the situation we’re in at home and then to bring Green Bay in on top of it just adds to it.”
“It’s our closest rival,” added middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. “They’re right up the street, so it’s a big deal. We have a lot of history with them. We don’t like them; they don’t like us. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of hype around this game building up to it.”
Even though the Packers entered the playoffs as the sixth and final seed, coach Lovie Smith is hardly surprised that Green Bay advanced to face the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.
“After we played them up there [in the regular-season finale] I thought it could easily come down to it,” Smith said. “I knew what seed they would be. I knew they would be a good football team. A lot of people probably thought it could happen this way.”
Green Bay earned a wildcard berth with a 10-3 win over the Bears Jan. 2 at Lambeau Field. The Packers then went on the road and defeated the Eagles 21-16 and Falcons 48-21 to reach the title game.
“They’re a really good football team,” Cutler said. “They’re really hot. To go to Philly and to Atlanta and now to come to us in Chicago, they’re used to the road. I’m sure that their confidence is sky high.”
“We know what they are,” Urlacher said. “They have a great quarterback and a great defense. It’ll be a big challenge for us. We’ve played pretty well against them here, the last couple years we have at least."
In Green Bay’s lopsided win over the Falcons, Aaron Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 136.8 passer rating.
“He knows where to go with the football,” Urlacher said. “He knows what coverage you’re in. You’re not going to trick him. They change up personnel a lot too. They run a lot of guys on and off the field trying to get you off balance and get you thinking about what they’re doing.”
Cutler has developed a friendly rivalry with Rodgers. While they’ve battled on the field, Cutler has helped Rodgers’ younger brother, a junior quarterback who transferred from a junior college to Vanderbilt.
“He’s a guy who’s been great to my little brother,” Rodgers said prior to a Bears-Packers Monday night game in September. “As a big brother, it’s much appreciated the way he’s made my little brother feel comfortable down there and get the lay of the land down there in Nashville.
“It’s only helped to strengthen our friendship. I pull for him 14 weeks out of the season, and hopefully he throws us a couple in those other two weeks.”
Asked Sunday night whether he plans to text Rodgers this week, Cutler said: “I texted him after the [Packers beat the Falcons] and told him ‘good game.’ I’ll probably have a few text messages from him, so we’ll have friendly banter I’m sure. It was an impressive win they had [Saturday] night. What they did on the road to an Atlanta team is hard to do, so we’ve got our hands full.”
Even though Sunday’s game no doubt will be billed as one of the biggest sports events in Chicago history, Cutler understands that the Bears must focus on the task at hand and eliminate all distractions.
“The hype’s definitely going to be there, with the rivalry and the magnitude of the game,” Cutler said. “We’re going to have to do the same thing we did last week. We can’t blow this out of proportion. It’s still a football game. They’re going to line up 11 guys and we’re going to line up 11 guys and whoever executes the best is going to win.”
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