5 Bold Predictions for Chicago Bears' Week 1 Matchup
After months of waiting, the 2015 regular season will get underway for the Chicago Bears this Sunday when they square off against the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears and Packers have met 190 times before, and the Bears hold a 93-91-6 all-time record in the series. Sunday will be the 32nd time the Bears and Packers have opened up the regular season against each other, but it will only be the third time Chicago has opened the regular season at home against Green Bay.
Chicago's 54 opening day victories are the most in NFL history, but the Bears are going to need to play a stellar game on both sides of the football on Sunday in order to beat the Packers.
The Bears will need strong performances from key players like quarterback Jay Cutler, outside linebacker Jared Allen and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, but they will also need to be strong along the offensive line and apply pressure to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The days leading up to the start of Week 1 are always filled with bold predictions on who will have a strong game, who will struggle and which team will come away with a victory in the regular-season opener.
What are our bold predictions for Chicago's Week 1 matchup with the Green Bay Packers?
OLB Jared Allen Will Look Like His Old Self
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Allen was once one of the league's most feared pass-rushers, but the NFL's active sacks leader looked like a shell of his former self in his first season with the Bears last year.
Allen struggled with a bout of pneumonia early in the 2014 season, but according to Pro Football Focus, he played a total of 910 snaps on defense last year. He finished 2014 with a career-low 5.5 sacks, but according to Pro Football Focus, he registered 20 quarterback hits, 32 quarterback hurries and finished the season with a plus-5.4 overall grade.
After the Bears hired Vic Fangio as their defensive coordinator earlier this offseason, Allen looked to be a player without a position in Fangio's 3-4 defense. Allen has spent his entire career playing 4-3 defensive end out of a three-point stance, but he will be playing outside linebacker in Fangio's system this year.
He has embraced the move to the outside, and he looked comfortable dropping back in coverage during the preseason. Allen is ready to put last year behind him, and he is focused on the opener against Green Bay.
"It's Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers here in Chicago," Allen said, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. "If you can't get excited for that game, you're in the wrong business."
Even though Allen will be playing a different position against Green Bay on Sunday for the first time in his career, he admitted his new position is very similar to his old position.
"You still have to understand you're either going to get a run block, pass block, and your key is going to tell you you have to do something," he said, per the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell. "So it's how fast do you recognize that key? How fast to do react to that key and get in the right areas? And then let your ability take over."
A lot of Green Bay's focus on offense will come down to stopping Chicago's top pass-rusher Pernell McPhee, which could open up some opportunities for Allen to get after the quarterback.
Allen is not expected to go out in Week 1 and record five sacks, but if he plays on Sunday like he did in the preseason, he has a chance to look like the Allen of old against the Packers.
WR Alshon Jeffery Will Play and Make an Impact
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Jeffery was expected to cement himself as the team's No. 1 wide receiver this offseason after the Bears traded Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets in March, but a calf injury forced him to miss the entire preseason.
Earlier this week, Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported that Jeffery was leaning toward sitting out Week 1 against the Packers because of a potential contract dispute, but Jeffery refuted that claim on Wednesday.
“My contract situation has nothing to do with it. It’ll take care of itself,” Jeffery said, per WGNRadio.com's Adam Hoge. “I wasn’t at practice because I’ve been injured. If you’ve ever had a calf injury, any of you guys, you would know.”
According to Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald, Jeffery returned to practice on Wednesday, and head coach John Fox was encouraged by what he saw from the former Pro Bowl receiver.
"I thought it went well," Fox said, per LeGere. "Our training staff felt he did well. We'll see how he feels overnight, but it was encouraging to see him out there running routes."
Jeffery caught just 24 passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns in his rookie season in 2012, but he burst onto the scene in 2013 by catching 89 passes for 1,421 yards with seven touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season, and he backed up his Pro Bowl season by catching 85 passes for 1,133 yards with 10 touchdowns last year.
The former South Carolina Gamecock has tremendous hands and is a force in the red zone. Even though Jeffery missed the preseason because of his calf injury, Fox believes Jeffery could play on Sunday if healthy.
"He's got to be healthy," Fox said, per LeGere. "He hasn't been out here for some time [but] based on what I saw today, mentally he's on top of it, and physically he looks like he's gaining ground."
Even though he is still recovering from a nagging injury, Jeffery could make an impact on Sunday if he is in the lineup. If he is not at 100 percent, he can still make an impact by drawing double coverage to his side of the field, but if he is close to 100 percent, he could be a big part of Chicago's red-zone offense because of his strong hands and size (6'3", 216 pounds).
Chicago's Offensive Line Will Not Allow a Sack
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Chicago has struggled to find consistency along the offensive line since Cutler's arrival in 2009, and the team is set to have a starting offensive line this Sunday that looks much different than any offensive line it used in the preseason.
Jordan Mills started all 16 games at right tackle in 2013 and 13 games in 2014, but the Bears waived the former fifth-round pick last week, per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
With Mills out of the picture, the Bears have been using Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long at right tackle in practice, per Hoge. Chicago has not said whether or not Long will be starting at right tackle on Sunday, but guard Matt Slauson thinks Long can be successful there.
"Kyle's just such a freak," Slauson said, per the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer. "He's one of the best, if not the best athlete on our line. So that helps. He can easily handle it physically. And I know he can handle it mentally too. We just have to make sure we're communicating well."
The Bears released their unofficial depth chart earlier this week and did not list Long as the starter at right tackle, but the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs believes that will change.
Even though Long has never played the position at the NFL level, he should be an upgrade over Mills because of his rare combination of strength and athleticism.
With Long anchoring the right side at tackle, former New York Jet and Minnesota Viking Vladimir Ducasse is expected to start at right guard. Ducasse has struggled up to this point in his career as a starter, but the Bears appear to be high on the former second-round pick.
The left side of the line will feature Jermon Bushrod at tackle and Slauson at guard, and veteran Will Montgomery will anchor the middle of the line at center. Bushrod has had his ups and downs at left tackle since joining the Bears in 2013, but he is a savvy veteran who relies on solid technique in pass protection.
Slauson is one of the league's most underrated guards because of his physicality, and Montgomery has experience playing in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's offense from his time spent in Denver.
The Packers have two elite pass-rushers in linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, but if Chicago's offensive line can limit their impact on the outside, they have a chance to keep Cutler clean all afternoon.
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Chicago's Secondary Will Hold QB Aaron Rodgers Under 300 Passing Yards
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Rodgers is one of the league's best quarterbacks, and he has dominated the Bears in his career.
In 14 regular-season games against Chicago, Rodgers has completed 293 of his 425 passing attempts for 3,448 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In his last three games against the Bears, Rodgers has thrown for 935 yards with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Rodgers has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his last three contests against the Bears, and he threw six touchdown passes against Chicago in Week 10 last season.
Even though he has been lights out against the Bears throughout much of his career, Chicago's secondary could slow him down this Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Chicago added veteran safety Antrel Rolle and veteran cornerback Alan Ball in free agency this offseason to help improve the secondary, and both will be counted on to slow down Green Bay's passing game.
Ball missed part of the offseason because of ankle surgery, per Dickerson, but he impressed the coaching staff enough in limited opportunities to push for a starting job on the outside opposite of second-year man Kyle Fuller.
The former University of Illinois standout has good size (6'2", 195 lbs) for the position, and he is not afraid to play physical at the line of scrimmage.
Rolle will pair up with rookie Adrian Amos at the safety position in the opener, and both safeties have good coverage skills. Rolle is an experienced veteran who can play up in the box against the run or drop back in coverage, while Amos is a rangy safety who spent part of his career at Penn State as a cornerback.
One reason why Chicago has a chance to limit Rodgers' production on Sunday is because of the injuries the Packers have at the wide receiver position.
Jordy Nelson has been one of Rodgers' top targets in the passing game since entering the league in 2008, but the former Kansas State receiver tore his ACL in the second preseason game and will miss the entire 2015 season, per NFL.com's Chris Wesseling.
In addition to Nelson's injury, Randall Cobb has been dealing with a shoulder injury, but he did return to practice on Wednesday.
“Obviously, I’m going to be dealing with a lot of pain, but that’s part of it,” Cobb said, per Packers.com's Mike Spofford. “I’m just going to work through this week and try to get ready. I have to be out there for my teammates.”
To help make up for Nelson's loss, the Packers signed veteran receiver James Jones earlier this week, per WISN.com. Jones was cut by the Oakland Raiders in May and cut again by the New York Giants last week.
Jones was productive for the Packers during his seven years with the team between 2007 and 2013, but he struggled to create separation last year with the Raiders and did not look like the same player.
Rodgers has done a terrific job throughout his career of making those around him better, but the Bears have a chance to limit his production Sunday because of the Packers' injuries at the wide receiver position and Chicago's new additions in the secondary.
QB Jay Cutler Will Play Mistake-Free Football
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To say that Cutler has struggled against the Packers in his career would be an understatement.
In 10 regular-season games against Green Bay as a member of the Bears, Cutler holds a 1-9 record and has completed 180 of his 318 passes for 2,192 yards with 13 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
He was picked off twice in each contest against the Packers last season, and he has thrown four interceptions in a game against Green Bay twice in his career. Even though he has struggled with turnovers in his career, Cutler played relatively mistake-free football throughout training camp and the preseason in new offensive coordinator Adam Gase's system.
In three preseason games, Cutler completed 25 of his 33 passing attempts for 209 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy thinks Cutler has looked like a different player.
"Watching tape from last year and watching Jay perform in the preseason; I think there is definitely some change in the pre-snap disciplines and mannerisms," McCarthy said, per Dickerson. "He looks like he's comfortable in what Adam is having him do. I think it's a good fit."
Chicago's offense was very pass-oriented under former head coach Marc Trestman the previous two seasons, but Gase's offense places a bigger emphasis on the running game.
The offense was without Jeffery and fellow receivers Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson during part of the preseason, and Fox thought Cutler still played well without his top receiving options.
"The good news is, I don't think we've turned it over a bunch. We have moved the ball. Jay has been efficient," Fox said earlier this offseason, per Dickerson.
Every year there is a new story out about how Cutler looks like a changed man in Chicago's offense, but given how he performed during training camp and the preseason, there is a good chance the veteran quarterback plays mistake-free football against the Packers this Sunday.
Statistical information and measurables courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Record information provided by the Chicago Bears via email.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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