(My Sportsbook) - The Chicago Bears, who snapped an eight-game losing streak last week, hope to make it two wins in a row on Sunday when they travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers in an NFC North affair at Lambeau Field.

The Bears worked overtime before disposing of the Detroit Lions, 20-17. It was a Paul Edinger 40-yard field goal with 8:58 left in the extra session that gave the Bears their first victory since Week 2. It was their passing game that put them in position for the victory. QB Jim Miller, who played in relief of an injured Chris Chandler, completed 21-of-35 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown.

"We needed to get a victory," Chicago coach Dick Jauron said. "[The players] have worked so hard and got nothing to show for it. Jim made a really strong statement about himself and the guys playing around him. What can you say about him?"

The Packers weren't so lucky last week. They ran into a smothering Tampa Bay defense and Brett Favre threw four interceptions. The end result was a 21-7 victory for Tampa Bay, and now the Packers are in the midst of a two-game slide.

"I'm frustrated," Favre admitted. "There's no excuse. I can play better [here]. I can play better in Minnesota. It seems like every time I play in those places, it's the same old story.

"We gave great effort. So did Tampa. We just didn't make enough plays."

SERIES HISTORY: Despite four straight wins by the Packers, Chicago still holds an 83-74-6 advantage in the head-to-head series. The last meeting between the two teams took place back in Week 5, when Favre threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-21 Packer victory.

Jauron is 2-5 lifetime versus the Packers, while Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman has a 4-1 career record against the Bears.

BEARS OFFENSE VS. PACKERS DEFENSE

Despite a gutsy effort from its quarterback tandem a week ago, both Miller and Chandler are banged up heading into Sunday's showdown in Green Bay.

Chandler suffered a high left ankle sprain during the contest. Miller, who played well in relief, is still suffering from tendinitis in his right elbow and shoulder, an injury that has bothered him since mid-October. Miller is expected to be the starting signal-caller against the Packers, but he will probably be far less than 100 percent.

"Right now we're not optimistic about Chris and we'll have to see how Jimmy's elbow is to see if he can throw," Jauron said. "Then it will become clearer. I think Jim feels he can in talking to him. He just has to gear himself up for it. I thought he got stronger as the game went on. He certainly threw the ball well and it didn't seem to matter with or against the wind and the wind was strong at the end. That was a powerful wind.

"I think [Miller] can [play a whole game], but certainly it's a lot easier for me to say. It's not my arm; I don't feel the pain. The guy's really a very tough guy. If we thought that he couldn't or that we were hurting him by having him do it, then we wouldn't do it."

Last week, both quarterbacks looked sharp and that really helped the Bears' receiving corps. As a team, the Bears passed for 361 yards and the bulk of those yards went to the starting wideouts. Marty Booker caught 10 passes for 157 yards, while Dez White grabbed eight balls for 106 yards and a score.

The Bears' offensive line also stepped up in the winning effort. The line allowed just three sacks and played especially well in the fourth quarter, especially considering the changes that the unit had to endure. Mike Gandy played left tackle for the first time, left guard Kevin Dogins played his third different position of the season and Bernard Robertson was brought in from the bench in the fourth quarter after Pro Bowl RT James "Big Cat" Williams sprained his right ankle.

"It's just been one of those crazy years where we've just been losing guys," said right guard Chris Villarrial. "Losing Big Cat really hurt. But Bernard stepped in and did a great job. My hat goes off to Bernard for preparing the way he did. He came in and we didn't miss a beat and we took it from there."

The Bears' offense looked good a week ago, but this week it runs into a Green Bay defense that has something to prove. Tampa Bay scored 18 points in the second half to beat the Packers in Week 12. The Packers had won their previous 20 games when leading at halftime.

This week, Green Bay will try to get back on track. The Packers' defense allows an average of 325.5 yards per game, and opposing teams are scoring just 20.9 points per game, 11th best in the league.

Green Bay's pass rush could also cause problems for the Bears' makeshift offensive line. Led by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamilla, who has recorded 10 sacks this season and seven in the past five games, the Packers have sacked opposing quarterbacks 30 times this season, sixth-best in the NFL. On the flip side, the Bears have allowed 30 sacks on the year, so look for Miller to be on the run for most of the game.

But the Packers' defense could have some problems with Chicago's opportunistic offense. In the Bears' last 13 trips inside the red zone, they have walked away with eight touchdowns. But the Packers have been just as good, leading the NFL with 33 takeaways.

PACKERS OFFENSE VS. BEARS DEFENSE

Favre has struggled in the past two weeks, throwing seven interceptions in the losses to Tampa Bay and Minnesota. But he's still regarded as one of the best passers in the game, and his coach believes that Favre will prove that in the upcoming weeks.

"On those interceptions, you give them to me because we got a little bit too aggressive with our game plan," Sherman said. "[Favre's] going to come back to work, and trust me, you'll see better days from Brett Favre. I promise you that."

When Favre does return to the field on Sunday he will be without one of his best protectors. OT Chad Clifton was injured when he was blocked by defensive tackle Warren Sapp after Favre threw an interception midway through the third quarter. Clifton was carted off the field and taken to a Tampa-area hospital.

"He has a massive collection of blood in his pelvis, which is not good," Sherman said. "What he actually did was separated the ligaments, both front and back, that hold the pelvis together, a pretty serious injury. There's a chance that he could be done for the season."

The hit disturbed Sherman so much that after the game he and Sapp had some unkind words for each other.

"I just went up to Warren and told him I didn't appreciate the lick that he put on Clifton and the joviality that existed afterward with a guy laying on the ground and numbness in his legs and his fingers," Sherman said. "I just thought that wasn't appropriate for any NFL player. I have a lot of respect for the game and I just didn't think there was a place for that.

"Maybe I overreacted to the hit. From what I saw it looked kind of cheap, but who knows? The afterthought, the after-reaction when a guy's laying numb on the ground and you, who are responsible for that, to be happy about it, that bothers me a little bit. And I think the game of football, it should bother the game of football as well."

The Packers did receive some good news this week when the team came to terms on a new contract with wideout Donald Driver, who signed a five-year contract extension. Driver has emerged as Favre's favorite target. He currently averages the most yards per catch in the NFC (16.4 yards), ranks fourth in total receiving yards (870) and is tied for 10th in the NFC with 53 receptions. He also leads the team with seven touchdowns catches.

"I'm at a loss for words," Driver said after signing his new deal. "You know, I worked hard. I came in here a seventh-round pick, never thought I'd get the opportunity to be able to take care of my family. I have the opportunity to do that now."

This week, the Packers, who rank fifth in the NFL in points scored, will again look to gain yards through the air. The Bears' defense has had a hard time stopping teams from throwing the football, as it allows an average of 241 passing per game.

Chicago has also struggled getting to the quarterback. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin has already registered 9.5 sacks on the year, but the Bears have only 24 for the entire season.

Favre is a very polished passer, but he is prone to mistakes when under pressure. This week, the Bears must blitz as much as possible and force Favre into early mistakes. However, Chicago's defensive backs haven't been very good at picking off passes this season. Through 11 games, the unit only has seven interceptions.