It is Week 1 of the NFL season and the Bears are opening up their season against the Packers…hell yeah.
Finally, it’s time for the Bears to get out there and let the league know — especially the NFC North — that they’re coming to fuck shit up. It’s time for Matt Nagy to show off his high-level offense. It’s time for Mitchell Trubisky to truly step up and become the Bears franchise QB.
And…it’s time for Khalil Mack to sack the hell out of Aaron Rodgers. Sorry, Bryan Bulaga, you’re not stopping the Mack.
Here’s my preview of the 197th meeting between Da Bears and the Cheeseheads.
What this game means: There’s no denying how important this game is for both teams. For the Bears, it’s the beginning of the Matt Nagy era – a new era of hope (hate using that word as a Bears fan). For the Packers, it’s a team finding their identity after having its first losing season in 8 years and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008. As one era begins in Chicago with Nagy, there’s no question Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat as he leads the Packers into the 2018-19 season. A win for either side will set the tone for their season and for the NFC North.
The New Look Bears offense: Ryan Pace did not fuck around with the offense this offseason after signing the likes of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton, as well as trading up in the draft to take Anthony Miller out of Memphis. Add in the offensive mind of Matt Nagy and the Bears have a complete 180° from their 2017 offense under Dowell Loggains (YIKES). While the Bears shielded their true playbook throughout the preseason, all eyes will be on how the offense will perform against their historic rival – even if it is early in the season. Which gets to my next point…
Trubisky Time: After a mediocre rookie season under the John Fox regime, Mitchell Trubisky is looking to take huuuuuuge step this year in his team’s new offense. There’s no doubt he has a bevy of offensive weapons at his disposal, including what should be a reliable run game to back him up and open up the pass in Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Another key element for 10 God is having a solid defense returning its starting core and adding Khalil Mack – thanks again, Ryan Pace. But, with all these new additions comes an added level of pressure for Tru to perform and this first game gives the 24-year-old an opportunity to shut up all the doubters and the haters.
52 and 58: As I said above, the Bears are returning a solid core of defensive starters from their 10th-ranked defense of last season. Since there will be a lot of familiarity on the defensive side of the ball, there are two guys who everyone will be paying attention to…2018 first round pick Roquan Smith (58) and newly-signed phenom, Khalil Mack (52). There’s no question that Mack can have an immediate impact being a perennial Hall of Famer and former defensive MVP, but everyone will be curious how big of an impact he’ll have after only being in the Bears defensive scheme for a little over a week. Luckily for the Bears, many experts who are way smarter than me say pass rusher is one of the easier defensive positions to learn in a new scheme. The bigger curiosity lies in Smith, who held out of training camp for 29 days, didn’t play in the preseason and dealt with a soft tissue hamstring issue right off the bat. However, I’ve written how I think this dude will be the next linebacking GOAT and he will surely benefit from the Khalil Mack signing, as he’ll be able to run freely from sideline to sideline while the Pack pay attention to the Mack – my high school English teacher would be proud of that rhyme.
My Prediction: Bears 28, Packers 13 — I think Swaggy Nagy, The Baby Faced Assassin and The Mack will come in hot to Green Bay and smack the Packers in the mouth, setting the tone for a new era and the return of the Monsters of the Midway. @ me about it, let’s talk.
Bears Record: I didn’t make a post to predict the Bears season record, so I’m throwing it in here: 11-5. I’m dead serious. After the Khalil Mack trade, who knows what the hell’s gonna happen this season?! But these guys are going 11-5. Mark my goddamn words.
Follow me on Twitter @ekurbyun Sunday night to see what I’m saying about the Bears-Packers game. Follow me on Instagram just cause, man.
I leave you with this sick hype video the Bears production team released for the season. Let’s. Fucking. Go. #BeObsessed
It's not a mindset. It's an obsession.#BeObsessed | #DaBears https://t.co/cpFyVBrVl5
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 6, 2018
#ForTheBrand
Featured Image: Chicago Bears Twitter