Bears have enough to handle Packers

Packers envy is not without its reason.

For most of the season, they've been the best team in the NFC.

Aaron Rodgers has been the best quarterback in the conference.

Linebacker Clay Matthews has been the best defensive player not named Julius Peppers.

Mike McCarthy has done the best coaching job, replacing starter after starter with backup after backup, placing 15 players on injured reserve and still managing to get his team to the NFC title game.

GM Ted Thompson's brilliance has given Green Bay the depth necessary to overcome an absurd number of injuries and has them a game away from the Super Bowl.

And, yet, the Packers are vincible, but for that to happen the Bears' best players have to play huge Sunday at Soldier Field.

It sounds simple, but it's not always so.

Peppers will be doubled and tripled again, and still the Bears need one of his classic tipped picks or a sack-and-fumble.

Brian Urlacher hasn't had an interception since the Carolina game in October, but you get the feeling he's due to get his hands on the football.

Charles Tillman dropped 2 picks against Seattle, so you know he's going to get his chances against Green Bay, and there's no Bears player with a keener nose for the football.

Lovie Smith talks constantly about take-aways, and Tillman is the Bears' chief thief.

Jay Cutler must avoid the dangerous throws that have cost him throughout his career, especially in the red zone. He got away with one against Seattle on the goal line that could have turned the game, and the Packers won't be as forgiving.

The key for Cutler, as always, is his protection, which was outstanding against Seattle.

If Cutler has time, he has shown how good he can be, but the Packers are a different animal, offering a monster in Matthews, blitz after blitz and constant pressure.

“There is no real stopping him,” Cutler said of Matthews. “(Tackle) J'Marcus (Webb) has done fairly well against him, but we need (Webb) to have a huge game this week.”

The Packers will try to hit Cutler, hurt Cutler and rattle Cutler, and they're very good at it.

The Bears' offensive line has received due credit lately, but if it doesn't come up big Sunday, this becomes a very tough game to win.

Nevertheless, Mike Martz must resist the temptation to panic and get away from the run, which would only play into the Packers' hands.

So even if Green Bay limits Matt Forte early, Martz has to stay with it and give him a chance to wear down the Green Bay defense.

Forte will need to break tackles and make yards on his own, and Earl Bennett — if healthy — will have to again be Cutler's favorite third-down target.

But the biggest of the Bears' big-play players has been and always will be Devin Hester, who was mostly a nonfactor against Seattle.

Hester looked confused at times and less than interested in getting hit by the Seahawks, both on special teams and on offense.

There is no player in the NFL more capable of changing a game on special teams than Hester, through scoring and field position, and he's facing the right team to make that happen.

“Even when they kick it out of bounds or kick it away from him, you're changing field position and making it harder on their offense,” Cutler said. “Even if we go three-and-out, we're still going to pin them back inside their 20. (Hester) is very valuable to this team right now.”

The Bears have a huge edge in special teams, and Hester will get his opportunities. If the Packers choose not to let him touch the ball, that works fine as it tilts the field in favor of the Bears.

Either way, the Bears need a game from Hester. He is the game-changer, and he must change the game for the home team.

“It seems like in the bigger games when we really need him is when he makes those returns,” said tight end Greg Olsen. “For whatever reason, certain guys have that knack, and he's one of them.”

It would surprise no one in Chicago if Hester came up big again.

“He's an entertainer. When the bright lights come on, he steps it up,” said special teams coach Dave Toub. “He loves hearing that music at home. He gets his hands going and it's exciting.

“Our whole team gets excited. They all get off the bench and get to the sideline to watch. Now, the opposing teams are doing that, too.”

Hester will do something big Sunday because big players make big plays in big games, and the Bears have the players to make it happen.

In the end, the Bears also have two things the Packers haven't had all season: health and good fortune.

That, combined with a few big plays, is what gives the Bears an edge in the NFC title game.

All things being equal the Packers would win this game, since they're the better team right now playing better football.

But as we've seen for an entire season plus a playoff game, all things are not equal.

That's why the pick here is the Bears.

brozner@dailyherald.com