Never a doubt, right?  Everyone always knew that when the best QB on the planet came back to the Green Bay Packers, the Packers would control their own destiny.  Wait, never mind this entire experience has been terrifying.  I was reasonably sure that the Packers could beat the Bears in Chicago this Sunday no matter what.  Defensively that team is a dumpster fire, and Jay Cutler is a terrible 1-8 against the team from Titletown.  The news of the “Return of the King” has injected the fan base and hopefully the team with a newfound hope.  Not only is Rodgers coming back but the Packers gave out promising injury news all across the offensive front.  With Randall Cobb’s possible return as well as the idea that Eddie Lacy will be able to yet again survive his ankle injury to suit up against the abysmal Bears run defense there is hope.  Despite the wave of injuries that has yet again crashed down on the Packers could have every starter on offense from the week one game against the 49ers outside of Jermichael Finley.  The defense remains decimated and struggling mightily but hope remains.

I only own one article of Division Championship apparel.  As a Packer fan I understand that division championships are not what it’s all about.  Superiority over one’s division rivals is expected.  Super Bowls are the goal.  The piece I have is a locker room t shirt from the 03 season.  I did it because I’ve never been so happy about the result of a regular season weekend.  The Packers laid waste to the Denver Broncos (who I was still very bitter towards because of Super Bowl XXXII) and Nathan Poole happened to the Minnesota Vikings.  It was the best.  Not only did that all occur but at the time I was in high school in rural North Dakota, right in the heart of Vikings country.  Division championship swag was a not very subtle reminder of the devastation that had just befallen their starstruck franchise.  I think if we win this Sunday I might allow myself to purchase a memento of this division championship.  Not because this is some great Packers team that needs to be commemorated, because it’s not.  This team isn’t as good as the 2011 or the 2010 renditions of  the Thompson-McCarthy-Rodgers crew.  What it would symbolize, though, is the never say die “Nobody’s Underdog” attitude that this organization has had since Mike McCarthy took over. Plus, screw the Bears.

Why the Packers Will Win: Aaron Charles Rodgers is playing!!!! For weeks now I’ve been able to cop out write here that the Packers best chance to win was if Aaron Rodgres was cleared to play.  Well he’s back now.  The Packers are better than the Bears, now, really they are.  Anyone that watched the Bears game against the Eagles can see that the Packers seriously might not punt. They aren’t going to be able to stop Lacy or Starks and If you drop 8 men down in to the box to defend Eddie Lacy when Aaron Rodgers has Jones, Cobb, and Nelson you’re screwed.  The Packers defense might be in really rough shape, but the fact that Dom Capers absolutely owns Jay Cutler has to count for something.  This will be the 3rd time Cutler has faced the Packers in a do or die situation.  He has lost both times and is 1-8 against the Green Bay Packers including the 2011 NFC Championship game.  I really don’t think that the Packers are going to need to get very many stops, and although they won’t have the Claymaker for this game, they should be able to get the ones they need.

Why the Bears Will Win: It’s possible that Aaron Rodgers is a little rusty.  It’s possible that that rust allows the Bears to put the Packers in an early hole.  It’s possible that the high flying (but is it really?) offense in Chicago will lay waste to the Packers over matched defense.  It’s possible that Jay Cutler will stop being Jay Cutler and all of a sudden be a clutch quarterback that doesn’t play like a complete jackass against his team’s biggest rival.  All of these things are possible, they’re just unlikely.

Bottom Line: I would just rather have Aaron Rodgers more than Jay Cutler in a big spot.  The Packers and Bears both have bad defenses this season.  The Bears supposedly have this great offense now, but with Randall Cobb back, you can try to tell me that Marshall, Jeffery, Bennett, Bennett and Forte are better weapons than Nelson, Jones, Cobb, Q, and Lacy but I’m not going to believe you.  All things being equal (and they’re not, the Chicago D is historically bad) give me the best QB in the league over the perennially disappointing Cutler.  The Bears still suck.  Packers 38 Bears 31

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Ross Uglem is a writer at PackersTalk.com. You can follow Ross on twitter at RossUglem

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