SB Nation Chicago is continuing to gather NFL Week 16 picks from around the web for the Christmas night matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. The teams are heading in different directions, as the Packers are looking to lock up home field advantage in the NFC playoffs, while the Bears are turning to Josh McCown to keep their slim hopes alive. Vinnie Iyer of AOL Sporting News has released his picks for this week, and here is what he has to say about the Bears' chances:
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. Sunday. No, we're not talking about the Bears here. Without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, their offense has been even worse than expected, and now journeyman Josh McCown will get thrown into the fire. Instead, let's focus on the Packers, who will learn a lot from the lumps they took at Kansas City. With perfection out of the picture, Green Bay can just concentrate on locking up the No. 1 seed in the NFC. On Christmas night, the Packers will wrap it up with a nice Green and Gold bow, taking extra pleasure in playing the Grinch to their archrivals. Packers 31, Bears 13.
As for the rest of the NFC North, here is how Iyer sees the action developing:
- The Minnesota Vikings will fall to the Washington Redskins, 30-19.
- The San Diego Chargers will upset the Detroit Lions on the road, 31-27.
Iyer is 148-76 for the year-to-date, and went 7-9 straight up in Week 15.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Bears be sure to visit Windy City Gridiron. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.