A pair of rivals go at it Sunday night when the Green Bay Packers (0-1, 0-0 home) host the Chicago Bears (1-0, 0-0 away) in a NFC North Divisional showdown in primetime. Green Bay has dominated the rivalry recently, winning four of the last five contests, including a 35-16 victory last season.
The kickoff for Sunday night’s contest is at 8:20 p.m. EST inside Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Green Bay is a ten-point favorite, and the over/under total is 41.5 points.
What to Know – Chicago Bears
Head coach Matt Eberflus opened up the season picking up a victory over the San Francisco 49ers in his coaching debut. The Bears escaped the home opener with a 19-10 victory at a rain-soaked Soldier Field.
You can’t judge too much by the quarterback play last week given the weather conditions in Chicago, but Justin Fields made some solid plays under center. The second-year quarterback out of Ohio State tossed a pair of touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 28 yards.
Starting running back, David Montgomery was bottled up for 26 yards on 17 carries, adding three receptions for 24 yards. Backup Kahlil Herbert rushed nine times for 45 yards, scoring the Bears’ only rushing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
The passing game took a backseat to the weather, with Fields completing just eight passes. Montgomery caught three of those, while Dante Pettis and Equanimeous St. Brown each hauled in touchdown receptions on their only catches of the day.
What to Know – Green Bay Packers
The Packers would have enjoyed its season opener to have gone a bit differently after losing to the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. The 27-3 was magnified by the fact it was a NFC North contest and the first game for quarterback Aaron Rodgers without Davante Adams since 2014.
Rodgers looked off the whole game, never getting into a rhythm with his new wideout core. The veteran quarterback completed 22-of-34 passes for 195 yards and one interception and looked visibly frustrated on the sideline late in the contest.
Backup running back AJ Dillon out-carried starter Aaron Jones ten to give on the ground. Jones had 49 yards rushing, while Dillion added 45. Dillion scored the Packers’ lone touchdown, a two-yard plunge in the third quarter.
Dillion was the team’s leading receiver, catching five passes for 46 yards out of the backfield. Romeo Doubs added four receptions on five targets for 37 yards, and tight end Robert Tonyan supplied three catches for 36 yards. Ten different pass-catchers caught balls from Rogers in the opener.
The Pick is In
The question heading into Sunday night’s contest is if the Packers’ offense can get back on track. Historically, Rodgers has had his way with the Bears’ defense, sporting a 22-5 career record against Chicago.
Green Bay should look better in front of their home crowd, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bears look in calm conditions. The Packers will win, but ten points is a lot to be handing Chicago in a rivalry game they’ll be prepared for.
The Pick: Chicago Bears +10
