Finding game tape hasn't been a difficult task during the postseason for Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
His team opened the playoffs at Philadelphia, where Green Bay opened the season with a 27-20 victory. Next came Atlanta, where the Packers fell in the closing seconds of Week 12, 20-17.
Now, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Packers travel to Chicago to face the Bears; the NFC North Champion and with whom Green Bay split the season series.
The Bears handed the Packers their first loss of the season -- a 20-17 heart-breaker in Week 3 at Solider Field. Untimely penalties (setting a franchise, one-game record with 18), bad play on special teams (punter Tim Masthay averaged just 19 yards per kick) and a blocked field goal helped blow a 10-point lead and the Bears snatched victory on Robbie Gould's 19-yard field goal with four seconds left.
The teams met again in the season finale. Chicago had already locked up the division crown but the Packers needed a victory to clinch a playoff berth.
Chicago head coach Lovie Smith played his starters for almost the entire game -- which was a defensive slugfest for the first three quarters. Aaron Rodgers found Donald Lee for a one-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and the Green Bay defense forced punts on two of the Bears' final three drives.
Nick Collins clinched it late, picking off Jay Cutler on second and ten at the Packers' 11-yard-line, ending a 14-play, 90-yard Chicago drive that took 4:39 off the clock and allowed Rodgers to take a knee and solidify the Packers' third consecutive postseason berth.
With two closes games already in the books this season, there will be little in the way of surprises left when the teams meet again on Sunday.
"They know what we are, they know how we operate," wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "And we know who they are. We know how they operate."
The Bears were successful this season in keeping the Packers' offense in check. Green Bay was fifth in the NFC, scoring 24.2 points per game. In the two games against Chicago, the Packers averaged just 13.5 points.
Credit the Bears' defensive unit, which was among the best in the league this season, for keeping the Packers in check. Chicago finished second in the NFC (behind only the Packers), allowing 276 yards per game and was No. 1 overall against the run, holding opponents to just 34 yards per game.
The Bears have benefited from a lack of serious injuries, too, which has helped the team improve from week to week.
"They're a good defense," McCarthy said. "I think the statistics speak for themselves. ... They're very much in sync. They're good football players across the board defensively. They all tackle very well, they're very fundamentally sound."
The Packers have played an NFC Central or North division rival in the postseason four times (Detroit, '93-'94; Tampa Bay, '97; Minnesota, '04) losing only to the Vikings, at Lambeau Field in a 2004 Wild Card game.
The Packers aren't expecting a lot of surprises, but McCarthy does think there is a benefit in terms of preparation.
"I think there's definitely an advantage," McCarthy said. "You know what you're walking into. You know how they're going to play, they know how we're going to play, and I think that's the way you like to play.
"Roll the ball out there and let's go get it. I think it's going to be a heck of a game to watch."
