COMMENTARY | Well the final week of the 2012 NFL season is upon us and the playoff seeding for the NFC North has yet to be determined. The Green Bay Packers clinched their second straight division title two weeks ago, but can still claim the number two spot with a win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings will claim the last playoff berth in the conference with a victory over the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately for the Chicago Bears, their scenario is a bit more complicated. Not only do they need a road win over the Detroit Lions, they will also need the Vikings to lose to the Packers in order to get into the postseason. That being said, it should be an interesting weekend of football for the teams in the black and blue division. Here is my forecast for Week 17.
James Tillman posted a 3-1 mark with his Week 16 NFC North predictions, improving his season record to 30-20. His Week 17 picks are below.
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings:
While the Packers are glad to be division champs, their eyes remain on earning a bye-week in the postseason. The other story in this match-up is whether or not Adrian Peterson will break the season-rushing record currently held by Eric Dickerson. In order to eclipse that record, he will need to rush for 208 yards. This sounds like a daunting task, but keep in mind that he rushed for 210 yards the last time these two teams squared off in Week 13.
Minnesota defeated the Houston Texans 23-6 in Week 16, despite a pedestrian 86-yard day from Peterson. However, an average day from AP will not be enough against a Packers team that has won nine of its last ten games. The Vikings need a balanced attack offensively to win this game and that will not be possible once the Packers go up by a few scores.
Prediction: Packers
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears:
For the second straight week, the Bears find themselves in a do-or-die situation. As previously mentioned, the Bears need a win over the Lions to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bears’ defense returned to form last week in a 28-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals, but the offense is still a huge question mark, which should not be the case at this point in the season.
The only good news for the Bears is the Lions’ defense has not played well in various stretches during the season, which was evident in a 38-10 loss to the Cardinals in Week 15. The Bears front four will have a solid game against a one-dimensional offense, but the big question is can Jay Cutler and company make enough plays on offense to help lead the team to a victory.
Prediction: Bears
James Tillman III is a resident of the Chicago-land area, who has followed the Bears for over 20 seasons. James is also a Featured Sports Contributor for Yahoo! Contributor Network and a Sports Journalist for Sports Rantz Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693
Sources:
Week 17 NFL Predictions – Elliot Harrison
Team stats provided by www.nfl.com
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