The Chicago Bears are two days away from kicking off their centennial season with a classic rivalry game against the Packers.
After sitting out the preseason, the Bears starters are gearing up for their first game action since the heartbreaking loss in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Bears are chasing greatness. They’re looking to establish a lasting legacy in what’s perhaps the team’s most anticipated season in a long time.
But to do that, they have beat the team that has long given them fits. Here are five storylines to watch as the Bears host the Packers.
Can Bears avoid season-opening letdown?
The regular-season opener has a sense of deja vu as the Bears open the season against the Packers for the second straight season. But this time has a few important differences.
The Bears are entering this game as reigning NFC North champions following a 12-4 season in which things seemed to click. Also, this game will be at Soldier Field, which will be filled with Bears faithful. We all remember when the Bears jumped out to a 20-0 lead at Lambeau Field last season before Aaron Rodgers led the Packers back to an improbable 24-23 victory.
Sure, this defense still has Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith. Only now, both of those players have an entire training camp under their belt. And despite a new defensive coordinator in Chuck Pagano, this defense might not regress much.
Then there’s the Bears offense, which is looking to break out in its second season in Matt Nagy’s scheme — though that all depends on the success of third-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
How Trubisky looks in second year in Matt Nagy’s offense
All eyes will be on Trubisky as he transitions into his second season in Nagy’s offense.
After sitting out for all but one series of the preseason, in which he didn’t attempt a single pass, many are waiting to see if the young quarterback is ready for his next challenge.
The success of the Bears offense rests on Trubisky’s ability to grow into a more consistent quarterback. He’s come a long way since last week’s season opener, in which he looked good on scripted plays and uncomfortable elsewhere.
The last time we saw Trubisky, he executed what could have and should have been a game-winning drive in a wild-card playoff game.
Is that the same Trubisky that we’ll see on Thursday? Or will we get the Trubisky who struggled during training camp?
How will Eddy Pineiro handle the pressure of his debut?
The Bears kicker competition that dominated the offseason has come to an end as Pineiro, the last man standing, gets his shot.
Nine kickers later, he won the starting job after an encouraging preseason in which he connected on 8-of-9 field goals, including a 58-yarder, as well as all but one extra point — although both of Pineiro’s missed kicks happened at Soldier Field.
How will Bears defense handle Aaron Rodgers and new Packers offense?
Rodgers has long been the Bears nemesis. In the season opener last year, of course, he orchestrated the game-winning comeback after the Packers trailed 20-0.
So the question remains: Can the Bears defense stop him?
These aren’t the Bears of recent memory. This is a team that had a taste of success and shows no sign of wanting to relinquish it anytime soon.
The Bears showed that they could stop Rodgers last season in Week 15, when they held him without a touchdown, forced an interception and limited him to a 68.9 passer rating.
Chicago returns 10 of its defensive starters, but it also has a new defensive coordinator, Chuck Pagano, who will have to game plan against one of the game’s best.
What will David Montgomery’s role be?
After getting a taste of what Montgomery can bring to the offense, the Bear shelved the rookie running back after his first preseason game in an action that spoke louder than words.
The wait is almost over for Bears fans to catch a glimpse of what Montgomery can do in a regular-season game.
Throughout training camp and that lone preseason game, Montgomery showed good balance after contact and the ability to break tackles, as well as his versatility in the passing game, which is sure to open up the offense.
While Montgomery sits third on the depth chart behind Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis, that could change quickly.
