LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are once again handing out decisive victories over top teams, and they are hoping to jump to the top of the NFC North.It might take a Lambeau Leap.The Packers come into Sundays game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field with three straight wins after dropping four in a row and renewed hope -- if not much room for error.Green Bay (7-6) wiped out NFC West leader Seattle last week, intercepting Russell Wilson five times in a 38-10 romp, and will try to keep rolling against a team that has looked lost all season. Whether it has been injuries, suspensions or poor execution, just about everything has gone wrong for Chicago (3-10).You know, letdown, trap game, we dont use these types of terms in the locker room and in our meeting rooms, Rodgers said. But being a sports fan, you know those are terms that get thrown around when you look at the records of opponents matching up. We just dont approach the game like that.The Packers simply cant afford a letdown.Tied with Minnesota for second in the division and two behind Detroit as it enters a three-game stretch against NFC North rivals, Green Bay needs help to make the playoffs for the eighth straight year.The Packers will have to contend with one of Chicagos top playmakers, with receiver Alshon Jeffery returning from a four-game suspension for violating the NFLs policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Having one of their stars back is small consolation for the Bears with the team missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years.Here are some things to look for when Green Bay meets Chicago:LINE `EM UP: The Packers decision to release veteran guard Josh Sitton before the start of the season was a surprise. Sitton is now with the Bears, but replacement Lane Taylor has been solid.The offensive line overall has played well especially over the last three games, allowing two sacks in that span and just one last week to the Seahawks formidable defense. The return of veteran right guard T.J. Lang against the Seattle from a three-game absence because of a foot injury was an added boost. Protecting Rodgers is especially vital now that the quarterback is nursing injuries to his left hamstring and right calf.BETTER BARKLEY: Chicagos Matt Barkley didnt make a great impression in a loss at Green Bay two months ago. Hes been doing better lately.I definitely have grown a lot since that game in my knowledge of the offense, my comfort level with running this offense in and out of the huddle, getting plays out, so I think itll be definitely a better finish than what I showed last time, he said.Barkley has made the most of his opportunity the past three games with Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer sidelined by season-ending injuries. He has thrown for 720 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions despite being victimized by drops, and is showing he at least belongs on an NFL roster.Thats an improvement from the first game against Green Bay . He came in after Hoyer broke his left arm and completed just six of 15 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions.POTENTIAL PAIN: With the National Weather Service predicting single-digit temperatures for Sunday, it could be a painful day, particularly for the banged-up Rodgers.You still have to hydrate in the cold, actually even more, he said. The conditions obviously affect the field, the surface.Rodgers was already dealing with the hamstring issue when he hurt his calf throwing a 66-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams early last week. Despite the limited mobility, he tore up Seattle for 246 yards and three scores.Having a hamstring and a calf and being able to play the way he did, thats pretty outstanding, right tackle Bryan Bulaga said.ON THE CORNER: The last time these teams met, Jeffery was held to 33 yards after catching three of 11 targets. Barkley is playing better, but the Packers are deeper now at cornerback. Damarious Randall and Quentin Rollins both missed the first Bears game with groin injuries. Theyre back now, part of a defense that shut down Wilson last week.JEFFERYS RETURN: The team leader with 630 yards receiving, Jeffery will be making his first appearance since an embarrassing blowout loss at Tampa Bay on Nov. 13.He hasnt played much with Barkley, though theyve known each other since they were prized high school recruits. Barkley tried to convince Jeffery to play with him at Southern California. Instead, Jeffery chose to stay home and play for the other USC: South Carolina.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Trayvon Mullen Raiders Jersey . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Ted Hendricks Womens Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. http://www.footballraidersmall.com/Youth-Jim-Otto-Elite-Jersey/ . Tevez, who has had conflicts with coaches in the past, has not been called up since Sabella was named coach in 2011. Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria. Derek Carr Youth Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Jim Plunkett Raiders Jersey . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. The Sparks have felt underestimated all year, and that might not change as we head into a new chapter of the WNBA postseason with two best-of-five semifinal series.The Minnesota-Phoenix matchup pits teams that have won six of the last nine WNBA titles. The other semifinal, Los Angeles versus Chicago, has a team that won its last of two titles 13 years ago and a team that has never won a championship -- and has felt underestimated since losing 2015 league MVP Elena Delle Donne to a thumb injury on Sept. 7.But one of the most intriguing things about the semifinals is how very little that went on in the regular season is actually an indicator of what were about to see.Phoenix had a losing record and was the last team to secure its playoff spot as the No. 8 seed. Yet the Mercury have ousted the Nos. 3 and 5 seeds in the single-elimination format and seem to be playing as we initially expected they would.Despite losing Delle Donne -- whose return doesnt seem likely -- the Sky still secured the No. 4 seed and then won their second-round playoff game 108-98 over No. 6 seed Atlanta.Los Angeles had one identity before the Olympic break, and a different one afterward. Now, with a week and a half away from competition to prepare for the semifinals, will the Sparks reboot and return to their more dominant selves of May-June-July?Then theres the team that wants the playoffs to go exactly as the regular season did: Minnesota, which finished a league-best (and franchise-best) 28-6. The defending champions wont beat themselves. If theyre to be defeated in a best-of-five series, it will take an extraordinary effort. Are any of the other three teams capable of that? Heres a look at both matchups.No. 1 Minnesota vs. No. 8 PhoenixBeing a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament is usually not much fun. It means you have a first-round game against a team thats almost indistinguishable from you. So you and your near-twin, the No. 9 seed, duke it out just to see who has to face the top seed. (Save for 1998, the one year in the womens tournament when a No. 16 beat a No. 1. We wont mention the details, Stanford fans.)However, this isnt the NCAA tournament, where the gap between a No. 8 and a No. 1 is typically quite vast. Going into this season, most people expected Minnesota and Phoenix would be the top two in the 12-team league.The change in the playoff format, which did away with the division between conferences, was supposed to help prevent a matchup such as the Lynx versus Mercury happening before the WNBA Finals. Theyve met in either the Western Conference semifinals or finals four of the past five years.But for a lot of this season, the Mercury were as up and down as a thermometer in the Midwest during September. In their two playoff wins, though, the Mercury have been more like a thermometer in Phoenix in July: up, up, up.One can imagine Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve saw this coming during the Olympics, if not earlier. As an assistant with the U.S. team, she witnessed Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner coming alive during the Rio de Janeiro Games. She knew how much potential Spains Marta Xargay had to impact the Mercury, which won WNBA championships in 2007, 09 and 14.Minnesota had a couple of hiccups during the season, but nothing more than that. The Lynx won all three regular-season games with the Mercury, although its been awhile: Their most recent meeting was June 7.The Lynx -- who won WNBA titles in 2011, 13 and 15 -- led the league in both offensive and defensive rating. They have kept their cohesion as a unit ever since their first championship, which is amazing.You can look at this series through the prism of the aforementioned star power, led by Minnesotas Maya Moore versus Phoenixs Taurasi, two do-everything legends. Or the Lynxs Sylvia Fowles versus the Mercurys Griner, two classic-style centers.But even those who are more role players in this series are also stars in their own right. Such as Minnesotas Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Bruunson, and Phoenixs DeWanna Bonner, Candice Dupree and Penny Taylor.ddddddddddddBoth teams are getting older -- Taylor will retire when the season ends -- and so its a good time to really appreciate what these two organizations have brought to the WNBA. Even if theyre not meeting in the seasons last series.No. 2 Los Angeles vs. No. 4 ChicagoIts probably helped the Sparks cohesion to have a no one picked us to win the 2016 title chip on their shoulder. That way, they can direct any irritability more outward than at each other.And its definitely helped them to have the change in format. In the old system, the Sparks would have been facing Seattle in a best-of-three series and then, if they won, either Minnesota or Phoenix in another best-of-three.That would have been daunting for a team that went 21-3 before the Olympic break and 5-5 afterward. Not to diminish the Sky, but in this set-up, they are now all that stands between Los Angeles and the Sparks first WNBA Finals appearance since 2003. (Chicagos lone WNBA Finals appearance was in 2014.)Much to their credit, the Sky have won four of their six games since Delle Done was hurt. And Chicago rested some of its starters in one of the two losses -- the regular-season finale against Seattle -- because there was nothing to gain from that game. So kudos to the Chicago players and coach Pokey Chatman for the mental toughness and pride it takes to compete this well without one of the biggest stars in the league.The Sky put in another inspiring performance in Wednesdays playoff victory against Atlanta. But the Dream were vulnerable in the post with Sancho Lyttle being hurt and Elizabeth Williams, although she was Most Improved Player this season, still being a young player in growth mode.In short, the Sky go from facing a team that had difficulty exploiting Chicagos potential weaknesses without Delle Donne to a team that should be able to expertly take advantage of her absence, both offensively and defensively.L.A.s Nneka Ogwumike is the favorite for MVP; Candace Parker also is a candidate for that award. And the Sparks bring Jantel Lavender off the bench. That is a fearsome post trio. As for the perimeter, Alana Beard is still one of the most potent one-on-one defenders, and fellow guard Kristi Toliver has improved her defense while still being a feared 3-point shooter. Veteran Essence Carson and youngster Chelsea Gray have been good pickups for the Sparks at guard, too.This wouldnt be a good matchup for Chicago even with Delle Donne in the lineup. Without her, the Sky really need some players to overachieve the entire series to get three victories.The Sky have a true, experienced point guard in Courtney Vandersloot, who is coming off her best overall performance in a playoff game. Cappie Pondexter, who won two WNBA titles with Phoenix in her career, is still very capable of being a big-time scorer. They have some youthful, athletic posts to go along with veterans Jessica Breland and Erica de Souza. And guard Tamera Young has been with the Sky longer than anyone; this is her eighth season in Chicago.But the numbers dont add up very optimistically for the Sky. The Sparks were second in the league in defensive rating, third in offensive rating. The Sky were second on the offensive side -- but 11th defensively.Los Angeles won the three regular-season meetings -- one in May, one in June, one in July -- by double digits. But that was before the switch flipped during the Olympic break.Los Angeles lost 2-1 to Detroit in the 2003 WNBA Finals. Despite having franchise icon Lisa Leslie until 2009, and having her career overlap two seasons with that of Parker, and then adding in another No. 1 draft pick with Ogwumike in 2012, the Sparks have not been in that final showcase series for 13 years.This is their chance, if they can play up to their abilities, to end that drought. ' ' '