The rain has settled and the Chicago Bears are now moving forward, getting ready to take on their bitter rival on Sunday Night Football.
Following a Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers look to rebound against a team they have dominated under the quarterback’s tenure. Meanwhile, the Bears are hoping they have turned a page and can ride the momentum of an unforgettable Week 1 victory.
In an afternoon dubbed “The Rain Game,” the Bears came back in the second half to beat the San Francisco 49ers amidst monsoon conditions. Now, they have a tall task ahead of them: an angered Rodgers at Lambeau Field.
Going into Sunday night, though, the 1-0 Bears are looking to have a serious advantage against the 0-1 Packers. Against Minnesota, the Packers’ offensive line struggled due to missing a pair of key starters, and were eventually down three starters up front. That trend could be continuing.
On Sunday night, the Chicago Bears may see an advantage after the Green Bay Packers made a telling roster move this week.
Green Bay signed undrafted rookie offensive tackle Caleb Jones to the active roster this week, bolstering their depth at a position of need. In Week 1, starting tackles David Bakhtaran and Elgton Jenkins were both inactive due to knee injuries. According to Ian Rapoport, the Packers very well could be without those two again on Sunday night.
Not only that, but the Packers also lost starting guard Jon Runyan during Week 1 due to a concussion. If the Packers are down three starting offensive linemen, the Bears could have a feast up front.
Although Chicago traded Khalil Mack, Ryan Poles has put together a prominent front seven, with many guys who are more suited to rush the passer even on the inside.
Maybe no one had a better week, on the Bears’ defense, than rookie edge rusher Dominique Robinson. In his first start against the 49ers, the rookie tallied seven total tackles including five solo, along with 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss.
But, Robinson isn’t the only one who could feast against Rodgers. The Bears have their single-season franchise record holder, Robert Quinn, back for another season as well. They also have Trevis Gipson, who broke out with 7.0 sacks last season in a reserve role. Let’s also not forget the other starter opposite Quinn, Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was a problem for Trey Lance and company on Sunday.
Green Bay does not have a legitimate alpha wide receiver yet, as they were without Allen Lazard against Minnesota and do not have another bona fide option at the moment. Should Lazard be out, yet again, the Packers very well could be at a serious disadvantage solely due to so many key injuries.
