Sunday afternoon is the dawn of a new era for the Green Bay Packers. It will be the official start of the Jordan Love era, as he will be taking his place as the team’s new starting quarterback in place of Aaron Rodgers.
Love will be facing off against the franchise’s biggest rival, the Chicago Bears. There is nothing like setting the tone in a season against a divisional foe, as the winner of this game will get an early leg up on the competition.
What can we expect to see in the Week 1 matchup? Here are five bold predictions for the Packers and Bears in the season opener.
5. Bears’ Run Defense Shows Improvement
The Bears spent a ton of money this offseason looking to improve their defensive front. Chicago signed linebacker T.J. Edwards early in free agency and then doubled down, agreeing to a record-setting deal with linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Those additions were made to improve what was an abysmal run defense in 2022. The Bears were 31st in rushing yards allowed, last in touchdowns and 27th in yards per carry. They are counting on their newest additions to make an immediate impact and in Week 1, they will.
The Packers struggled to consistently open running lanes during the preseason. Teams are going to be loading up the box early in the season to see what Jordan Love is made of, which will clog running lanes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
They will get off to as slow start this season, as the Packers will only must 80 rushing yards in the game.
