The Chicago Bears are set to kick off the NFL’s centennial season against an old foe, the Green Bay Packers.
Given the impressive season that the Bears had in 2018, there’s an expectation that they’re going to take care of business at Soldier Field on Thursday night.
The last time that these two teams met, the Bears made Aaron Rodgers’ life miserable en route to a 24-17 victory, which also secured Chicago an NFC North title.
But apparently some experts don’t have faith in the reigning division champions, as the percentage of experts polled are 50-50 on this game, according to NFL Pick Watch.
The Bears are returning most of their starters, and the pieces are in place for the Bears to once again be formidable on defense, even while adjusting to new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano.
Then there’s the offense, which is entering its second season in Matt Nagy’s system. Mitch Trubisky is expected to take another step forward with a plethora of offensive weapons, including Tarik Cohen, Allen Robinson and rookie David Montgomery.
The Packers, on the other hand, aren’t returning to the same consistency as Chicago. They’re learning a new offense and trying to understand a new dynamic between new coach Matt LaFleur and Rodgers.
While recent memory has shown us that Aaron Rodgers is essentially a “Bear-killer,” these aren’t the Bears of the past decade. But ultimately, until the Bears prove they can beat the Packers consistently, it’s not surprising that many expect the Packers to prevail.
