Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers: The Kickoff Game

NFC North rivalry

NFL offseason is very long. We haven't seen a meaningful game since the Superbowl in February. Those preseason games don't count, because nobody really cares about the final score in those. And now after waiting for 7 months, we are getting a real treat. Clash of two rivals from NFC North in what will be a repeat of last year's Week 1 matchup.

That time, Green Bay was considered a big favorite. But everybody knew that the Bears have quietly become a solid team that should not be overlooked. They've brought Matt Nagy over from the Chiefs an appointed him as the head coach, hoping that an offensive mind like him will get the best out of their No.2 overall pick - Mitchel Trubisky. And just before the season, they got themselves Khalil Mack (DPOY), who couldn't get to an agreement on a contract extension with his former team, the Oakland Raiders.

They jumped right out of the gates in that game and held a 20-0 lead in the third quarter. Defense was dominating the Packers, knocked Aaron Rodgers out of the game and was constantly putting pressure on their QB, enabling them to get anything going with their passing game. But, Aaron Rodgers got back into the game after the halftime, which provided a morale boost for the entire Packers teams. Everybody stepped up their game and slowly but surely, they clawed their way back into the game and managed to steal it in the end.

What's new?

Well, not much to be honest. Especially when talking about the Bears. They did lose one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, though. After 20+ years in the NFL, Vic Fangio finally got himself an opportunity to run his own show, so he accepted the offer from the Denver Broncos. Safety Adrian Amos left in the free agency and signed with Green Bay. But all the other defensive pieces are still in place, forming one of the best units out there. Another important player that left was their leading rusher Jordan Howard. But I'm pretty sure they are not going to dwell on that one too much. Howard, despite his qualities, was never a great fit for Nagy's system. They drafted David Montgomery in the 3rd round out of Iowa State to replace him. The rookie showed a lot of potential in the training camp and preseason games, indicating that he's gonna have an important role in this offense right away. He is a very versatile runner. He has the vision and toughness to get the yards in between tackles but also can catch the ball out of backfield.

When it comes to Packers, the biggest change was made with the coaching staff. Matt LeFleur came over from the Titans and replaced Mike McCarthy. In the last couple of years, there were many rumors about Rodgers and McCarthy not getting along very well. Some were saying that Rodgers wanted McCarthy out because he was holding him back with conservative playcalling. Don't think that was entirely true, but let's see how he does with another young offensive mind, who worked with Sean McVay in 2017. When it comes to the roster, they were mostly spending on pass rushers. Signed Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith, plus drafting Rashan Gary in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Bears vs Packers best bet

Considering that not much has changed, I tried to find something that was pretty consistent in both of their 2018 matchups. Allen Robinson is the No.1 receiver for the Chicago Bears. In the first game, he had 4 catches for 61 yards and in the second, he had 3 catches for 54 yards. In those games, he was mostly working against Jaire Alexander who showed enormous potential in his rookie season and should only get better this year. I believe that he'll manage to limit Robinson in this game.

But that is not the only reason. Cornerback is one of the shallowest positions on Packers roster. Kevin King is not at 100%. Tramon Williams is 36. Josh Jackson got demoted to third-string etc. What I am trying to say is that Trubisky should like other matchups way more, meaning Robinson should not even draw that many targets in the opener. Take the under 4,5 receptions.