GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – As the Green Bay Packers (0-1) prepare to face the Chicago Bears (1-0) on Sunday Night Football it’s time to get in the know and ready to go with Dave Schroeder’s “Fast 5 Pack Facts.”
#1 Beating the Bears: Matt LaFleur is a perfect 6-0 against Chicago. The Packers have won 20 of their last 23 against their rivals from the Windy City. Simply put: Aaron Rodgers does own the Bears.
#2 Bouncing Back: The Packers didn’t look very good in their opener. But Rodgers has never started a season 0-2. And LaFleur has only suffered back-to-back losses once in his tenure in Titletown. Green Bay has also won 9 straight home openers. And LaFleur’s squads have averaged 14 points per game more in Week 2 than Week 1.
#3 Week 1 Struggles: The Packers were far from the only NFL heavyweight to struggle in Week 1. There were 6 matchups between teams that made the playoffs last year and those that did not. But the playoff teams went just 1-5. The Eagles were the only success story and they barely beat the Lions by 3 points.
#4 An Anomaly?: The Packers defense refuses to be defined by the opener. They laid an egg giving up 184 receiving yards to Justin Jefferson and allowed 23 pts. But defenders insist that game may prove to be their worst outing all season long. Baltimore native Adrian Amos referenced the vaunted 2000 Ravens defense, telling me he guarantees they had at least one bad outing. I checked and, sure enough, they did. The 2000 Ravens gave up 36 points in Week 2 against Jacksonville.
#5 Get-well Opportunity: While the Bears beat the 49ers last week, they did so by gaining the fewest yards in the entire league (204). This matchup screams “bounce back!” Now it’s just up to the Packers to take care of business. 8 years ago Rodgers spelled out R-E-L-A-X after some early-season struggles. He then went out in the next game and threw for 4 TDs with a nearly-perfect QB rating. That next opponent way back in 2014? The Bears. Of course it was.
Prediction: Packers 21, Bears 10
As always, tune in to Sunday Sports Night Cover 2 at 10:35 pm for the best postgame coverage in town.
