Here we go ...
It's always interesting when Packers-Bears week arrives. Especially when it arrives Week 1 of the season. In Chicago. With a new starter QB ... for the Pack. Without a team's top deep-ball threat ... for the Pack. And the youngest (by age) roster in the NFL ... for the Pack. Toss in a coaching regime change ... for Da Bearz. And a new and proven receiving threat ... for Da Bearz. Interesting, indeed.
The Preview
You basically got the overview in the paragraph above. The fact of it is: no one really knows — especially in the first game of the season — what either of these teams actually can bring to the field. The Packers feel good about who they are and where they are at, albeit without their deep-ball threat, Watson. It's also possible that second-year WR Romeo Doubs might also be held out of the game, also with a hamstring injury. Taking your top two receivers out of the mix in the first game of the year is not a plus. A-duh. When Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked about Watson's absence for this game, he indicated that the team had basically had all week to plan around that. Probably have planned for either limited or no action by Doubs, too. The rookie receivers and tight ends will be called upon to step up. There's talent there, just not the experience you'd like to have out there. It is what it is.
We may expect as a result that there is a heavy reliance on the running game with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon called upon to take some of the pressure off the receiving game, although we could likely expect that Jones, especially, may be used in screen and outlet passes. It's going to be interesting to see the adjustments that will be made before and during the game. New starting QB Jordan Love is a confident young man and if he can limit mis-reads in the early going, there may be opportunities to take advantage of Chicago's defense.
Conversely, the Packers defense — with its eight 1st-round draft picks — needs to finally earn its keep. They were highly touted going into last season and were a let down. They played soft and defensive coordinator Joe Barry seemingly was unable or unwilling to make adjustments. The run defense was porous and defensive backs often were not even in the same zipcode as the guys they were supposed to be defending, whether near the line of scrimmage or downfield. Especially with the youth of this team on offense, and whether or not the defense could actually win a game, the defense must contain Chicago QB Justin Fields who can and will run at any time and change the complexion of the game. Chicago management also gave Fields a bona fide receiving threat in DJ Moore who will probably give the Packers secondary fits.
The Prediction
At the time of this writing, the oddsmakers have basically made the game a toss-up (Bears -1). In other words, they really don't have special insights to offer either. The over-under was 43-1/2 points, which seems about right for this game under these circumstances.
Whether the Packers continue their dominance of Da Bearz ... we'll see.
While we wouldn't be surprised to see Chicago pull out a close one, we think the Pack will come out on top .. in a close one.
We're calling it Packers 21 - Bears 20.
Go Pack Go!!!
