Packers kick off their 100th season against their bitter rivals!
The Green Bay Packers are entering their 100th season in the NFL, and they kick things off on Sunday night as they play host to the Chicago Bears, their oldest and most bitter rivals.
Both teams made headlines these last few weeks with a massive contract given out to one of their star players. The Packers rewarded Aaron Rodgers with a huge deal which will all but guarantee that he will be in Green Bay when he enters his 40s. Meanwhile, the Bears completed a huge trade with the Oakland Raiders and landed outside linebacker Khalil Mack, bolstering a young and improving defense. While Rodgers is energized and ready to go on Sunday, Mack will be in the lineup as well, but he missed training camp while holding out for a new contract with the Raiders and ended up getting traded instead, but signed a huge deal with Chicago.
For the Packers on offense, the return of Rodgers will be a welcome sight for the Green Bay faithful after missing much of last year with a collarbone injury. He will be making his first regular season start at Lambeau Field since he started against the Bears on a Thursday night last year. He also has a new weapon on offense as new GM Brian Gutekunst landed TE Jimmy Graham in free agency. He will be a welcome addition on offense, especially in the red zone. Unfortunately, RB Aaron Jones will be suspended for the first 2 games of the season, but the running game is in decent hands for the time being with Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams. Their whole starting offensive line should be intact for the opener, which is welcome news as they try to keep the pass rushers away from Rodgers, especially Mack. A dynamic offense vs one of the better defenses in the league (at least I think so on both counts) should make this an exciting matchup to watch.
For the Bears, Mitchell Trubisky makes his first start at Lambeau Field, and he has a few new faces around him. The organization knew that the receivers they already had were not going to cut it, so they added Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel in an attempt to bolster the receiving corps. They also have one of the better running back duos in Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. The Packers are expected to have an improved defense under new coordinator Mike Pettine, especially in the secondary. Since teams normally don’t show too much in the preseason as far as strategy, this will be the first real look at the new defense in an actual game. Although I think the defense will get better as the season goes on, this is a great time to show that they will be much better than the defense we saw under their old defensive coordinator, who I will keep nameless as I am sure we had enough of hearing his name throughout the years.
We can never forget about special teams. Mason Crosby is back and still kicking, but we have a new punter in J. K. Scott. He looked good in the preseason, getting good distance and hang time, which will prevent a lot of returns if he keeps that up in the regular season. We obviously want to see him on the field as little as possible except to hold for extra point attempts for Mason Crosby. Return specialist Trevor Davis is back for another year and it is only a matter of time before he takes one back all the way. How great it would be if he does that on Sunday.
The Bears have a rich and storied history, but they have mostly fallen on hard times since the late 1980s, especially against the Packers. In 1992, the Bears won their first matchup vs the Packers with Brett Favre as the starter, going 24 games ahead of the Packers in the all-time series. Since that game, the Bears have gone 13-39 vs the Packers (including that NFC Championship Game loss) to put the series at 96-94-6 in favor of the Packers. This is a franchise that has been beaten down by losing, frustrating the fan base and owner Virginia McCaskey, daughter of the late and legendary George Halas. They are hoping that the addition of offensive-minded Matt Nagy and newly-acquired Khalil Mack signals a turnaround for this franchise.
Speaking of Mack, I understand the disappointment many Packer fans have about the situation. They were in the running for Mack, and as far as I know, they were trying to make a run for him, but the Raiders must have felt the Bears had more to offer, especially since they were projected to finish with a worse record than the Packers the next 2 seasons, which would put the Bears’ picks higher in the Draft. It’s especially frustrating to see Mack land within the division, and to top it off, with their most hated rivals. Rodgers and Mack would have drawn comparisons to when the Packers had Brett Favre and Reggie White together. What a scary thing that would have been for the rest of the league. What’s done is done however, and although this signing can be nothing but an improvement for the Bears, I hardly think that it vaults them into elite status. Look at the Houston Texans and J. J. Watt. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Watt, and I think he is a tremendous player, but the team has never made it out of the second round, even with Watt in the lineup. Mack will grab headlines and put fans in the seats, but I am far from concerned that the team is a threat to win a Super Bowl anytime soon.
The last time the Bears made an offseason splash like the Mack signing is when they traded for Jay Cutler back in 2009. Fittingly, their first regular-season game with Cutler was on a Sunday night at Green Bay. A 21-15 loss and 4 interceptions later, the bloom was off the rose. Even though Cutler would tease the fans with decent performances here and there, he was mostly a disappointment, especially when they faced the Packers. With Cutler, the Bears made only one postseason appearance, and we Packer fans all know how that ended. Will Mack solidify himself as a Hall-of-Famer, be a massive disappointment, or something in between? Only time will tell. Let’s not panic because Mack is in a Bear uniform. Rodgers has made Brian Urlacher look silly before. There’s no reason why he can’t do the same with Mack.
The Packers have Rodgers back, a new season, some new faces in the front office and the coaching staff, and a new attitude. They are poised and highly motivated to have a big year. One game does not make a season, but it would be a huge downer to drop one to the Bears, especially with the Mack signing, which would dominate the headlines if Chicago comes out victorious. Overall though, I think the Packers are the better team, and I believe they will show it under the bright lights on Sunday night. We are back to football. Let’s get it done Packers!
Get Loud Lambeau!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GetLoudLambeau #GregGoshaw @gg901
