Packers take field advantage, Bears return to playoffs

The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Green Bay.

The Packers took the field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win today in Chicago. The win gives the Packers a 13-3 record on the season, the best in the conference. They will qualify for a first-round playoff bye and then stage their first playoff game on Jan.16 or Jan.17.

It was an impressive game for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who perhaps won the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Rodgers threw three touchdowns and no interceptions, and while he threw a few assists in the second half that could have been picked, for the most part he was precise and in control of the offense.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t play quite as well, although he was precise in mostly throwing short passes into Matt Nagy’s Tory game plan. Unfortunately, once the Bears fell two points behind at the end of the fourth quarter, Trubisky took a downline shot that was intercepted. Trubisky didn’t do enough to win, but he was far from the main reason the Bears lost. The Bears’ real problem was that their defense just didn’t have a game plan to stop Rodgers.

Fortunately for the Bears, the Rams beat the Cardinals. That means the Bears will make the playoffs as the final wild card in the NFC, and they’ll be on the road against the Saints in the playoffs next weekend. And if the bears are upset, they’ll be in Green Bay next week.