Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears Pick

Outlook for Thursday Night Kickoff

The NFL season kicks off the 2019 season on Thursday night with one of the biggest rivalries in football when the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers. Both teams have high hopes this season with the Bears coming off a playoff appearance last season and the Packers, who were a disappointment last season but opened their pocketbooks in the off-season to bring in some players to help the defense. The Packers opened last season hosting the Bears beating them 24-23 and then late in the season in the Windy City the Bears won 24-17. The Packers had won five straight facing the Bears before their last season loss to them. Three of the previous four games between these bitter rivals have been decided by seven points or less including both games last season.

Last season the Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North mainly behind a defense that ranked 3rd in the league. Their scoring defense ranked first in the league only giving up an average of 17.7 ppg. The Packers finished at 6-9-1, and they head into this season with a new head coach in Matt LaFleur. The Rodgers and Mike McCarthy marriage was not working, and the play-calling was terrible last season, which is why Green Bay made the big change.

How the Public is Betting the Packers/Bears Game

The line has not changed that much since the Bears opened as 3.5-point favorites and now are 3-point favorites and the total has remained the same at 46.

Injury Concerns

Packers:

Green Bay has a few players that are questionable for Week 1 in LB Rashan Gary, CB Kevin King, and LB Oren Burks.

Bears:

Chicago has a couple of offensive weapons that are a question mark for this game in WR Anthony Miller and TE Trey Burton.

When the Packers Have the Ball

You know it all starts with Aaron Rodgers for the Packers, but new head coach Matt LaFleur has stated he will look to establish the run and to do that he needs Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams to step up. They run behind a legit offensive line, but they will also face a Bears’ run defense that was the top-ranked until in the NFL last season. Williams led the Pack in rushing yards in the two games facing the Bears, but only totaled 103 total yards. The Green Bay WR corps does not have the big names and were young last season but have another season under their belt. Rodgers passed for 286 yards and 274 yards in the two games facing Chicago last season.

When the Bears Have the Ball

Mitchell Trubisky comes into his 3rd season as the Bears starting QB, and while their defense leads the team, he has a lot of pressure on him this season. The team has a decent, at best WR corps, and RB David Montgomery, who the team traded up for to take in the 3rd round of the last NFL Draft, is slated as the starting RB. Trubisky has talent, but is there enough talent around him? Big question. Khalil Mack had 12.5 sacks and was the leader of the defense last season and the D this season maybe just like their team’s starting QB in having pressure. The Bears do not look like a team, on paper, that can light up the scoreboard and give the defense a big rest. Because of that Mack and company have to be solid on every drive and that is especially the case in this game facing a guy names Rodgers.

Betting Trends

As stated before the last few games, with the exception of one, have been tight between these division rivals. The Bears are only giving three points, and they are at home where they have an ATS record of 16-5-1 in their last 22 games at Soldier Field. On top of that, the Packers have not been a great betting team on the road, in a little under a season and a half, only going 2-7-1 ATS in their last ten road games. Rodgers can light it up, and the Bears have the D, so you would think the O/U bet would be a tough one. Still, there have been a lot of shootouts in the last several seasons between these teams. Point of fact, in the previous five games between these teams in Chicago the total has gone over the posted total every time, and in the last five games between them, overall, the total has gone over.

Weather Report

Thursday night in the Windy City the Bears would probably not mind some bad weather to play into their defensive scheme. However, the forecast is supposed to be very nice in Chicago with a kickoff temperature of 67 degrees and clear with wind only at six mph.