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Packers look to avenge loss to Bears

Dec 23, 2007 - 11:22 AM Green Bay (12-2) at Chicago (5-9) Sunday 1:00 pm EST

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Thanks to some unexpected help, the Green Bay Packers are still very much alive in the race for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

But the Packers insist they won't be thinking about the NFC's top seed when they visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Instead, they'll be trying to avenge one of their two losses this season.

"I'm going to make a big deal out of beating the Chicago Bears, and everything else comes off that," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I think it's important to stay focused on the immediate target, because (if you don't), that's how you set yourself up for not playing your best football."

The defending NFC champions were eliminated from the playoffs following Monday's 20-13 defeat at Minnesota. But the Bears should have no trouble getting fired up for one of the NFL's best rivalries.

Chicago is the only NFC North team to beat the Packers under McCarthy, who is 8-2 in division games over the past two seasons.

The Bears won last year's season opener, then posted a 27-20 victory at Lambeau Field on October 7 of this season. The Packers outgained the Bears by a 439-285 margin but could not overcome five turnovers.

"This is a rival game," McCarthy added. "There's a lot of emotion. The importance of this game is very evident. It's probably the best rival football game in the National Football League, and we need to be 13-2 when we come back from Chicago."

Green Bay's Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's NFL record for career passing yards in last week's 33-14 win in St. Louis. That result, coupled with Dallas' 10-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, pulled the Packers into a tie with the Cowboys (12-2) for the NFC's best record.

Green Bay will know where it stands in the battle for home-field advantage as the Cowboys play at Carolina on Saturday.

Dallas owns the tiebreaker edge, based on a 37-27 victory over the Packers on November 27. But if Green Bay wins out - it hosts Detroit next week - the Cowboys also will have to win their last two games to get the top seed.

That could make a huge difference in the NFC playoffs, as Favre is 0-9 in his career at Texas Stadium. However, if Green Bay secures the NFC's top seed, the Cowboys would have to face the Packers at Lambeau Field in late January, when the weather could always be a factor.

The Bears' defense played well at Minnesota, forcing Vikings' quarterback Tarvaris Jackson into three interceptions.

But Chicago's offense was inept under quarterback Kyle Orton, who was making his first start since 2005, and could not take advantage of favorable field position throughout the game.

The Bears suffered their third straight loss, managing just 208 total yards and converting only 1-of-14 third downs.