Football is back! The 100th NFL season will kick off tomorrow at Soldier Field in Chicago, home of the oldest franchise in the league that has stayed in one spot. The Bears have been playing in the Windy City since 1921, and since the league is celebrating its Centennial, it\u2019s only right that the first game of the season features the oldest rivalry in the league. For the 199th time, Chicago will take on the Green Bay Packers. The Packers lead the rivalry 97-95-6, so the Bears are playing for the chance to notch the all-time record as a dead heat when the 200th game between these foes is played in mid-December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These teams squared off in Week 1 of last season too. Chicago raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead in Matt Nagy\u2019s coaching debut, and it looked like the Bears would cruise from there after going up 20-0 midway through the third quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Bears killer Aaron Rodgers had something to say about that. Rodgers had been hounded and hobbled by Khalil Mack all game long, but he dug deep and made magic happen over the last 20 minutes of the game. He threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead Green Bay to a stunning 24-23 win over Chicago. Anyone who bet the Bears<\/a> on the moneyline had to be furious, but at least Chicago covered the seven-point spread per the NFL betting odds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s Week 1 of the season, so fortunately neither team has any major injuries to star players to report prior to Thursday night\u2019s game. Green Bay is a little more banged up though with seven players on the injury report. WR Equanimeous St. Brown is on the IR, and LB Oren Burks is doubtful. TE Jace Sternberger, WR Darius Shepherd, CB Kevin King, CB Tramon Williams, and CB Ka\u2019dar Hollman are all questionable. The Packers are hoping some of those defensive backs will be able to go or else they could be short-handed in the secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chicago placed TE Dax Raymond and G Blake Blackmar on IR over the weekend, and three players are listed as questionable. DT Bilal Nichols, OT Rashaad Coward, and TE Trey Burton are all game-time decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that there is a new head coach in Green Bay, will the Packers finally commit to the run? That was one of the biggest criticisms of Mike McCarthy\u2019s tenure with the team. All too often, McCarthy would abandon the run early in the game, trusting Aaron Rodgers to make it happen through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Packers do have one of the league\u2019s most efficient running backs in Aaron Jones (5.5 YPC in 2018), but can they really run the ball against this Chicago front seven? If they can, the Packers have a great chance of pulling off an upset per the NFL betting line<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They might have some success on the edges. Left tackle David Bakhtiari has been hailed as one of the best in the NFL at his position, and right tackle Bryan Bulaga is a solid blocker too. Unfortunately, the interior line probably won\u2019t be able to stand up to Chicago\u2019s front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Bears defense has the potential to be the NFL\u2019s best once again this year. The linebacker corps is savage with Mack on the outside and second-year player Roquan Smith inside. Everyone knows how good Mack is after another fantastic season in 2018, but Smith is just scratching the surface of his potential. He has all the tools to be the league\u2019s next great interior linebacker, and his goal will be to make Green Bay one-dimensional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell Trubisky had a breakout 2018 campaign, showcasing why Chicago selected him No. 2 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky became a Pro Bowl quarterback last season, but there is plenty of work to be done if he plans on leading the Bears back to the promised land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Read progression is the biggest thing to watch from Trubisky on Thursday night. Matt Nagy would largely ask his quarterback to make one read and improvise if it wasn\u2019t open in 2018, but he is expected to be a bit more of a pocket passer this season. Trubisky made a lot of things happen when he scrambled, but Chicago learned the downside to that when he was injured after a run against Minnesota late in the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If Trubisky can improve as a pocket passer and successfully progress through his routes to find open receivers, Chicago is in strong position to repeat as NFC North champions. You can currently get the Bears at +200 to win the division per the NFC North betting odds<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Green Bay\u2019s defense should be better than it was last season, but this unit still has a long way to go. The Packers have used their last eight first-round picks on defenders, and the only Pro Bowler of the bunch (Ha Ha Clinton-Dix) is now in Chicago. First round picks Rashan Gary and Darnell Savage Jr. aim to buck that trend, but the player to keep an eye on is LB Za\u2019Darius Smith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is incredible value on Chicago on Thursday night. The Bears are a much more talented team than the Packers, and only the Aaron Rodgers\u2019 mystique is keeping the betting line<\/a> Chicago -3.<\/p>\n\n\n\nINJURY REPORT<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
WHEN GREEN BAY IS ON OFFENSE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
WHEN CHICAGO IS ON OFFENSE<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
PREDICTION<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
BET CHICAGO BEARS -3 -116 OVER GREEN BAY PACKERS<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n