The NFL deserves some credit for the recent trend of making divisional games even more meaningful by scheduling one at the end of each season for every team. Today's 'win and in' games featuring the NFC North and NFC East are proof that such a tactic is indeed creating an extra week of playoff style games that are effectively knockout competitions.
Anyway, the Bears and Packers... what more need be said? This is football and the recent history between these two teams makes today even more interesting. Can Aaron Rodgers come back and play to an MVP calibre immediately? Can Jay Cutler avoid early mistakes and gain the momentum that makes him one of the best QB's in the league on his day? SO many questions, so little time...
Green Bay @ Chicago (16.25pm ET)
**Matchup Difficulty: 55.28% **(the higher the score, the better the experts' success rate when picking these two teams. An 'average' matchup would be 62%)
Consensus: Green Bay 63%
Top 5 Overall: Green Bay 80%
Best Pick Index:
_Table is sorted by overall success rate when picking these two teams on the road and at home. _
Green Bay
Chicago
Rank
Expert
Affiliation
Road %
Home %
Overall
Pick
1
Pickwatch
Pickwatch
57.14%
100.00%
78.6%
CHI
2
Ryan Fowler
FOX
66.67%
85.71%
76.2%
GBP
3
Adam Rank
NFL
42.86%
100.00%
71.4%
GBP
4
Andrea Hangst
Bleacher Report
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
GBP
5
Tyson Langland
Bleacher Report
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
GBP
6
Prediction Machine
CBS
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
GBP
7
Rick Drummond
ProFootballFocus
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
GBP
8
Frank Schwab
Yahoo
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
CHI
9
Tom Pelissero
USA Today
57.14%
85.71%
71.4%
GBP
10
Chris Hansen
Bleacher Report
28.57%
100.00%
64.3%
GBP
11
Ty Schalter
Bleacher Report
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
12
John Breech
CBS
57.14%
71.43%
64.3%
GBP
13
Ryan Wilson
CBS
57.14%
71.43%
64.3%
CHI
14
K.C. Joyner
ESPN
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
15
Merill Hoge
ESPN
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
16
Pick ‘em
ESPN
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
17
Adam Meyer
FOX
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
18
Chris Wesseling
NFL
57.14%
71.43%
64.3%
GBP
19
Dan Hanzus
NFL
57.14%
71.43%
64.3%
GBP
20
Heath Evans
NFL
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
21
Kevin Patra
NFL
57.14%
71.43%
64.3%
CHI
22
Kurt Warner
NFL
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
23
NFL FAN PICKS
NFL
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
24
Steve Mariucci
NFL
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
GBP
25
Michael David Smith
PFT
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
26
Neil Hornsby
ProFootballFocus
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
27
Yahoo Users
Yahoo
42.86%
85.71%
64.3%
CHI
28
Matt Smith
NFL
60.00%
66.67%
63.3%
GBP
29
Marshall Faulk
NFL
42.86%
83.33%
63.1%
GBP
30
Knox Bardeen
Bleacher Report
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
CHI
31
Matt Miller
Bleacher Report
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
CHI
32
Will Brinson
CBS
71.43%
42.86%
57.1%
GBP
33
Keyshawn Johnson
ESPN
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
34
Tom Jackson
ESPN
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
35
Joel Beall
FOX
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
36
Michael Fabiano
NFL
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
GBP
37
Chris Law
NFL
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
GBP
38
Rich Eisen
NFL
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
39
Shaun O'Hara
NFL
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
CHI
40
Ben Stockwell
ProFootballFocus
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
CHI
41
Gordon McGuinness
ProFootballFocus
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
42
Nathan Jahnke
ProFootballFocus
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
43
Sam Monson
ProFootballFocus
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
CHI
44
Don Banks
Sports Illustrated
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
GBP
45
Nate Davis
USA Today
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
CHI
46
Lindsay H. Jones
USA Today
57.14%
57.14%
57.1%
GBP
47
Pete O'Brien
USA Today
42.86%
71.43%
57.1%
CHI
48
Brian Baldinger
NFL
40.00%
71.43%
55.7%
No Pick
49
Brad Gagnon
Bleacher Report
57.14%
42.86%
50.0%
GBP
50
Erik Frenz
Bleacher Report
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
51
Mike Freeman
Bleacher Report
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
52
Zach Kruse
Bleacher Report
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
53
Josh Katzowitz
CBS
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
54
Pete Prisco
CBS
57.14%
42.86%
50.0%
CHI
55
Cris Carter
ESPN
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
56
Eric Allen
ESPN
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
57
Mark Schlereth
ESPN
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
GBP
58
Mike Ditka
ESPN
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
CHI
59
Mike Golic
ESPN
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
60
John Halpin
FOX
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
61
Whatifsports
FOX
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
62
Chris Brockman
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
63
Dave Damashek
NFL
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
GBP
64
Elliot Harrison
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
65
Henry Hodgson
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
66
Marc Sessler
NFL
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
CHI
67
Melissa Stark
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
68
Michael Irvin
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
69
Michael Silver
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
70
Sterling Sharpe
NFL
57.14%
42.86%
50.0%
GBP
71
Warren Sapp
NFL
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
72
Khaled Elsayed
ProFootballFocus
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
GBP
73
Steve Palazzolo
ProFootballFocus
57.14%
42.86%
50.0%
GBP
74
Les Carpenter
Yahoo
33.33%
66.67%
50.0%
No Pick
75
Vinnie Iyer
Sporting News
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
CHI
76
Jim Corbett
USA Today
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
77
Simon Samano
USA Today
42.86%
57.14%
50.0%
CHI
78
Accuscore
Accuscore
28.57%
71.43%
50.0%
CHI
79
Steve Wyche
NFL
42.86%
50.00%
46.4%
CHI
80
Matt Bowen
Bleacher Report
42.86%
42.86%
42.9%
GBP
81
Dave Richard
CBS
42.86%
42.86%
42.9%
GBP
82
Jamey Eisenberg
CBS
42.86%
42.86%
42.9%
GBP
83
Adam Schefter
ESPN
28.57%
57.14%
42.9%
GBP
84
Chris Mortensen
ESPN
28.57%
57.14%
42.9%
CHI
85
Ron Jaworski
ESPN
57.14%
28.57%
42.9%
GBP
86
Gregg Rosenthal
NFL
28.57%
57.14%
42.9%
GBP
87
Coin Toss
None
57.14%
28.57%
42.9%
CHI
88
Mike Florio
PFT
28.57%
57.14%
42.9%
GBP
89
Black Tie
NFL
28.57%
57.14%
42.9%
CHI
90
Jason La Canfora
CBS
14.29%
57.14%
35.7%
GBP
91
Seth Wickersham
ESPN
28.57%
42.86%
35.7%
CHI
92
Jarrett Bell
USA Today
28.57%
42.86%
35.7%
CHI
93
Michael Schottey
Bleacher Report
14.29%
42.86%
28.6%
GBP
For more updates from Pickwatch, follow us on twitter or Facebook. Check back for more previews of week 17's matchups, helping you to decide who to trust in this week's biggest games. Missing picks will be updated... well, they'll be updated when the picks are actually made!
