Official Week 1 Green Bay vs Chicago Thread

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  • Sunday will mark game No. 197 in the NFL’s oldest rivalry. The Packers hold a 96-94-6 edge in the series, which includes two playoff games (1-1).
  • The division rivals square off in a prime-time contest for the 13th consecutive season, tied with Dallas-New York Giants for longest current streak
  • It is the first time since 2009 that Green Bay has opened the season at Lambeau Field against Chicago.
  • The Packers have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Bears at Lambeau Field, including a 35-14 victory last season in Week 4.
  • Under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers are 18-7 against the Bears during the regular and postseason, including wins in 14 of the last 16 games.
  • In all but one of the 18 wins under McCarthy, Green Bay has scored at least 20 points.
  • Dating back to the 2016 season, Green Bay has won four consecutive games over the Bears, outscoring them 114-67 in those contests.
  • Green Bay has recorded two-plus interceptions in three of the last four games against Chicago, totaling seven over that span.
  • This will be the 17th time in the last 18 years that Green Bay has opened the season against an NFC opponent.
  • Green Bay has won its past five home openers and eight of its past 11 Kickoff Weekend games dating back to 2007.
  • Under McCarthy, the Packers are 8-4 in regular-season openers, including a 5-2 mark at home.
  • Under McCarthy, 10 of the 12 season openers have been decided by eight points or less.
  • The Packers’ eight wins in the opening week of the regular season are tied for the second most in the NFC and the fifth most in the NFL since 2006.
  • In 16 regular-season games against the Bears, LB Clay Matthews has registered 9.5 sacks, the second most he has recorded against any team (10.0 in 15 games vs. Minnesota). Matthews’ three interceptions versus Chicago are two more than he has against another team during the regular season.


WITH THE CALL
NBC will broadcast the game to a national audience. Play-by-play man Al Michaels joins analyst Cris Collinsworth in the booth with Michele Tafoya reporting from the sidelines.

  • Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in four states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 24th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 20th season of broadcasts together. They will surpass Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the season opener against Chicago.
  • Westwood One Sports will air the game on radio across the country. Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jason Taylor (analyst) will call the action, with Scott Graham hosting the pregame and halftime shows.
  • The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (WTMJ feed).
BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER
The Packers have a 53-man roster that is composed of 26 offensive players, 24 defensive players and three specialists.
  • Of the 53 players on Green Bay’s roster, 31 of them (58.5 percent) were draft picks of the Packers. Green Bay has nine players that were drafted in the first round, including seven that were selected by the Packers.
  • Green Bay has 39 players on the roster that were draft picks (73.6 percent), including 22 players that were selected in the first three rounds (41.5 percent).
  • Over a third of the players (18 of 53, 34.0 percent) on Green Bay’s roster entered the league as a sixth-round or seventh-round pick or as an undrafted player.
  • Of the 53 players on the roster, 41 of them (77.4 percent) are 28 years old or younger (as of Sept. 9) and 26 players (49.1 percent) are 24 years old or younger.
  • The Packers have 11 players that have made at least one Pro Bowl, with seven of those players being draft picks of Green Bay (Davante Adams, David Bakhtiari, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Randall Cobb, Mike Daniels, Clay Matthews, Aaron Rodgers).
  • Of the 53 players on the roster, 40 began their pro careers with the Packers (75.5 percent).
  • Over half the roster consists of rookie or first-year players (32 of 53, 60.4 percent).
GREEN BAY'S ROSTER ...

BY AGE (as of Sept. 9)
  • 21-24: 26 players
  • 25-28: 15 players
  • 29-32: 8 players
  • 33-plus: 4 players
BY EXPERIENCE
  • R-1: 14 players
  • 2-3: 18 players
  • 4-5: 5 players
  • 6-9: 11 players
  • 10-plus: 5 players
BY DRAFT ROUND

  • 1st: 9 players
  • 2nd/3rd: 13 players
  • 4th/5th: 13 players
  • 6th/7th: 4 players
  • Undrafted: 14 players
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
Packers vs. Bears:
  • All-time, Regular season: 95-93-6
  • All-time, Postseason: 1-1
  • All-time, in Green Bay: 46-42-4
  • Streaks: The Packers have won 16 of 19 matchups since 2009 and eight of the last nine since Week 17 of the 2013 season.
  • Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 12, 2017; Packers won, 23-16, Soldier Field
COACHES CAPSULES

  • Mike McCarthy: 131-78-1, .626 (incl. 10-8 postseason); 13th NFL season
  • Matt Nagy: 0-0, .000; 1st NFL season
  • Head to Head: 0-0
  • vs. Opponent: McCarthy 18-7 vs. Bears; Nagy 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY ...Is in his 13th year as the Packers’ 14th head coach.
  • Led Green Bay to their eighth consecutive playoff appearance in 2016, tied for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history. Has led the team to nine playoff appearances in the last 11 years (2007, 2009-16).
  • Ranks second in franchise history in total victories, trailing only Curly Lambeau.
  • Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that span; Packers led the league in scoring in 2014.
  • Reached the 100-win plateau faster than any active NFL head coach, needing just 155 games.
  • Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
MATT NAGY ...Is in his first year as the Bears’ 16th head coach.
  • Owns 10 seasons of NFL coaching experience, serving on the Philadelphia Eagles staff from 2008-12 and working with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013-17, including one year (2017) as offensive coordinator.
  • Guided a Chiefs offense that ranked No. 5 in the NFL in total offense with 375.4 yards per game and finished sixth in the league in points per game (25.9) last season.
  • Overall, helped the Chiefs to the postseason four times in his five seasons with the club.
  • Played six seasons at quarterback in the Arena Football League, completing 65.5 percent of his passes for 18,866 yards, 374 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 115.1.

THE PACKERS-BEARS SERIES
  • One of the most storied rivalries in professional sports, no two teams have met on the gridiron more than the Packers and Bears as Sunday marks the 197th matchup.
  • Starting in 1923, the clubs met for 59 straight years until both games in 1982 were canceled as part of a strike-shortened season.
  • Have only met in the postseason twice, with the last meeting coming following the 2010 season. With a berth in Super Bowl XLV on the line, the Packers emerged victorious, 21-14, at Soldier Field.
  • With two wins over the Bears in 2017, Green Bay took and maintained the advantage in the series for the first time since leading 11-10-4 following the 1932 season.
  • Green Bay is 16-4 against Chicago with QB Aaron Rodgers as the starter.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2003-07...Green Bay special teams coordinator Ron Zook was the head coach at the University of Illinois from 2005-11... Chicago defensive backs coach Ed Donatell was the defensive coordinator for the Packers from 2000-03...Donatell was also the defensive backs coach in Denver while Green Bay strength and conditioning assistant Chris Gizzi was on the team (1998-99)...Packers defense – run game coordinator/inside linebackers coach Patrick Graham is from Des Planes, Ill. ...Green Bay defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery played for the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League...Packers WR Geronimo Allison and LB James Crawford played at llinois...Green Bay S Josh Jones and T Jason Spriggs were born in Chicago, Ill. ...Packers T Bryan Bulaga was born in Barrington, Ill. and played at Marian Central Catholic High in Woodstock, Ill. ...Green Bay DL Dean Lowry is from Rockford, Ill. and played at Northwestern from 2012-15...Packers TE Robert Tonyan hails from McHenry, Ill. ...Green Bay personnel executive Lee Gissendaner played wide receiver at Northwestern (1990-93)... Bears assistant offensive line coach Donovan Raiola played for the Wisconsin Badgers from 2002-05...Chicago director of player engagement Lamar Campbell also played for Wisconsin (1994-97)...During Bears general manager Ryan Pace’s tenure working for the Saints from 2001-14, Packers executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball, head coach Mike McCarthy, associate head coach/linebackers Winston Moss, Zook, offense – pass game coordinator Jim Hostler and quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti all served on the New Orleans staff...Packers TE Jimmy Graham played with Bears OL Bradley Sowell in Seattle for one season (2016)...Graham also teamed with Chicago QB Chase Daniel (2010-12) and DL Akiem Hicks (2012-14) in New Orleans...Green Bay CB Tramon Williams spent time with Bears K Cody Parkey and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor in Cleveland...Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, tight ends coach Brian Angelichio and defensive quality control coach Ryan Downard also coached with Tabor for two seasons (2014-15) in Cleveland...Green Bay TE Marcedes Lewis and CB Davon House played with Chicago DB Prince Amukamara and WR Allen Robinson in Jacksonville...Packers TE Lance Kendricks and Bears RB Benny Cunningham spent four years (2013-16) together with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams...Kendricks also played with Chicago OL Eric Cush for one season (2015) in St. Louis...Cignetti and running backs coach Ben Sirmans also coached for the Rams during this time (2012-15)...Green Bay offense – run game coordinator/offensive line coach James Campen played in New Orleans for two seasons (1987-88) while Chicago defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was on the Saints’ coaching staff...Packers secondary coach Jason Simmons was teammates with Chicago quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone on the Houston Texans from 2003-05...Additionally, Fangio served as Simmons’ defensive coordinator for four seasons (2002-05) in Houston...Fangio and Chicago assistant defensive backs coach Roy Anderson coached alongside Pettine and Hostler in Baltimore...Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was the head coach in Miami while Bears TE Dion Sims played for the Dolphins...Philbin also coached at Harvard for two seasons (1997-98) while Bears director of player personnel Josh Lucas played safety for the team...Bears tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride coached with Cignetti and Graham on the New York Giants’ coaching staff for two seasons (2016-17)...Packers K Mason Crosby played at Colorado for one season (2006) while Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was on the coaching staff...Green Bay QB DeShone Kizer and WR Equanimeous St. Brown played at Notre Dame while Chicago offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and Raiola were on the coaching staff... Former college teammates include: Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, P JK Scott and Bears DB Eddie Jackson (Alabama), Green Bay LB Antonio Morrison, Chicago DL Jonathan Bullard and TE Trey Burton (Florida), Packers T Jason Spriggs and Bears RB Jordan Howard (Indiana), Green Bay CB Josh Jackson and Chicago OL James Daniels (Iowa) and Packers WR Randall Cobb and Bears LB Danny Trevathan (Kentucky).
 
Mack is arguably a Top-5 defensive player in the league and I would have loved to have him on the Packers. But Chicago better hope he's the second coming of Reggie White with how much they mortgaged their future for him. On top of praying that Trubisky is a franchise, Top-10ish QB that can elevate the offense in lieu of expensive play-makers. They're a still rebuilding team that doesn't own a 1st round pick until 2021. I'll believe they're an 8-win team when I see it. This could be the move that catapults them into contention in a couple seasons, or it could set their franchise back years.

They don't have enough yet to beat us. Green bay 31 Bears 17
 
Packers start out game slow Mack gets a couple sacks in the first half. Rodgers comes out gunning in second half Packers win 34-24
 
I think this will be a little more low scoring. Bears D is solid. Packer O will take a few games to get going.
I will predict the D plays solid the first game. 260 yards of O for the Bears and 320 for the Pack. Gilbert gets a safety. :)

Packers - 22
Bears - 16
 
Helfrich and Nagy will make a difference with Chicago’s offense. This game will be a lot closer than we think. Not confident with our WR group . 4th quarter FG holds up GB 24-21
 
Chicago's D is actually a little banged up. Ro Smith pulled a hammy after his long hold out. Floyd has a broken finger and a club on his hand. Mack isn't in football shape. We'll see what they do.
 
Packers 31 Bears 27

I'm not sold on our defense being as solid as we hoped. If they play well, the Bears will be 14 or under. I'm not confident. I'm afraid I might be a little optimistic on our offense. I'm seeing Rodgers and his receivers clicking repeatedly. I don't see the long catch/run TD. Just those that work under 20 yards. In the red zone, it will be Rodgers playing catch with our TEs and Allison. You can set the rest off to the side, I believe. I'm hoping the Packers score on their first drive of the game, because they need to get their spirits up early so the Bears can't get a jump on them.
 
Packers 23 Bears 16

Less offense and a lot of ugly FB. Both starting offense's played very little in the preseason. This won't be fun to watch.
 
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