In an odd twist of fate, the Green Bay Packers are the winless team in their matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Can the Packers’ offensive line heal quickly enough and get David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins back?
What will the 1-0 Bears look like outside of what can only be described as a splash pad against the 49ers? Read on for a breakdown of the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers matchups, the key injuries, and game predictions from our NFL staff.
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers preview
Jaquan Brisker is already making his presence felt on the Chicago defense. Meanwhile, Eddie Jackson flashed some of the 2018 version of his play a week ago against Trey Lance. What the Bears are, exactly, is a mystery. A look at the roster will tell you they’re a five-win team, but they’ve already knocked one of those off the list. Are they somehow improved, or did the weather play that much of a factor against San Francisco?
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Meanwhile, the Packers struggled to get anything going on offense against Minnesota. Once rookie Christian Watson dropped a wide-open bomb from Aaron Rodgers that would have been a touchdown, everything went wrong. Once Green Bay got down, the Vikings’ defensive front pinned their ears back and teed off on Rodgers. They must avoid that versus the Bears.
Prediction
Betting line (courtesy of Caesars)
Packers -10; Packers -480, Bears +360; O/U 41.5.
Adam Beasley’s prediction
8-8-1 straight-up, 8-9 against the spread in 2022
Packers 31, Bears 17
Dalton Miller’s prediction
9-7-1 straight-up, 8-9 against the spread in 2022
Packers 27, Bears 7
Dallas Robinson’s prediction
9-7-1 straight-up, 6-11 against the spread in 2022
Packers 28, Bears 14
How to watch
- Date/Time
Sunday, Sept. 18, 8.20 p.m. ET - Channel
NBC - Live Stream
Xfinity, DirecTV Now, Dish, Sling, Spectrum, YouTube TV
Matchup and stats
The Chicago Bears have won just four of the last 27 matchups between the two teams since 2009. In total, the two teams have met 204 times dating back to the Roaring Twenties. Green Bay holds the historical advantage 103-95-6.
The Bears won in Week 1, which has falsely given some in the fanbase hopes for the season, especially since the game came against the 49ers, who project as a contender in the NFC West. But the game was played in a monsoon, so we’ll need to see some regular weather games before we feel confident in this team.
Meanwhile, the Vikings dismantled the Packers a week ago. Rodgers “owns” the Bears, so if Green Bay can’t come out of this one with a win, it could say a lot about both teams in 2022.
Chicago Bears 2022 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 19.0 (t-24th)
- Yards: 204 (32nd)
- Yards per play: 2.64 (32nd)
- Passing:Â 105.0 (32nd)
- Rushing:Â 99.0 (18th)
- Defensive scoring: 10 (t-fifth)
- Yards allowed: 331.0 (13th)
- Yards per play allowed: 4.94 (10th)
- Pass defense: 155.0 (third)
- Rush defense: 176.0 (26th)
Green Bay Packers 2022 stats/rankings
- Scoring: 7.0 (31st)
- Yards: 338.0 (19th)
- Yards per play:Â 5.54 (16th)
- Passing: 227.0 (16th)
- Rushing: 111.0 (15th)
- Defensive scoring: 23.0 (t-21st)
- Yards allowed: 395.0 (25th)
- Yards per play allowed:Â 6.48 (27th)
- Pass defense: 269.0 (24th)
- Rush defense:Â 126.0 (21st)
Injuries to know
Chicago Bears
- WR Velus Jones Jr. (hamstring, doubtful)
- WR N’Keal Harry (injured reserve)
- WR Tajae Sharpe (injured reserve)
- CB Tavon Young (injured reserve)
- LB David Moore (injured reserve)
- LB Javin White (injured reserve)
- CB Michael Joseph (injured reserve)
- C Doug Kramer (injured reserve)
- G Dakota Dozier (injured reserve)
Green Bay Packers
- OT David Bakhtiari (knee, questionable)
- OT Elgton Jenkins (knee, questionable)
- WR Allen Lazard (ankle, questionable)
- OG Jon Runyan (concussion, questionable)
- RB Kylin Hill (physically unable to perform)
- S Innis Gaines (injured reserve)
- DT Akial Byers (injured reserve)
- S Vernon Scott (injured reserve)
- WR Malik Taylor (injured reserve)
- K Gabe Brkic (injured reserve)
- WR Osirius Mitchell (injured reserve)
