Photo: Dave Anderson / Unsplash
By Charles D. Collier
The playoff picture is simple, if The Packers beat their arch nemesis, The Chicago Bears, they go to the playoffs. The Bears vs. Packer rivalry has been played 207 times (including two postseason games) with The Green Bay Packers winning 106 games and The Bears winning 95. They have been six ties. The Packers should not take the bears lightly, they have won four of their last five games and franchise quarterback in the making, Justin Fields is playing his best football of his career. Justin Field’s career record is a dismal 11-28. However, the Bears front is the most incompetent in all of sports. Remember this is the same organization that drafted Mitch Trubisky 2nd overall in the 2017 NFL draft instead of Patrick Mahomes. During his illustrious career, Patrick Mahomes has won two Super Bowls and Trubisky has been an NFL journey man who has won one playoff game in his career. The Bears front office has a dilemma, should they draft quarterback Caleb Williams with the 1st pick in the upcoming NFL draft, or should they trade the pick for players and draft picks? I opine, the Bears should trade the pick and build around Justin Fields.
The Packers control their own playoff destiny. On December 31, 2023, The Packers beat the Vikings into submission with a 33-10 win in front of over 67,000 angry Viking fans. Jordan Love had another robust performance; he threw 3 touchdowns with no interceptions and rushed for 1 touchdown in the win. After the Packers’ win, Jordan Love said, “I think this team is motivated. This season we have had bumps along the road, we have put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs. I think everyone is motivated.” Jayden Reed provided instant offense and had six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and he appears to be the second coming of Packer great James Lofton.
In other news, around the NFL, The San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC’s Number 1 seed after beating The Washington Commanders 27-10. The Baltimore Ravens secured the Number 1 seed in the AFC after beating the brakes off The Miami Dolphins 56-19. On December 31, 2023, The Ravens’ dynamic Quarterback Lamar Jackson, threw 5 touchdown passes for 321 yards and posted a perfect passer rating for the third time in his career. With his dominant performance, Lamar Jackson proved to the world he is this year’s MVP. It appears The San Francisco 49ers and The Baltimore Ravens are on a collision course for the NFL title. Lamar Jackson and The Baltimore Raven will win this year’s Super Bowl.