Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

The Packers and Bears may be rivals, but this has been one of the most lopsided rivalries in history of late. Since 2009, Aaron Rodgers’s second season as a starter, the Packers have gone a ridiculous 25-4 against the Bears (including playoffs). Things haven't gone much better for Chicago when looking at the spread, with Green Bay holding a 22-7 advantage over that same span.

Of course, the key word in that previous sentence was "Rodgers". Rodgers absolutely owned the Bears, something which he was not afraid to let their fans know:

With Rodgers now in New York, can the Bears finally flip the script on their longtime rivals? There's plenty of optimism in Chicago this season that the answer is “yes”.

Justin Fields finished his second season strong in 2022, particularly as a runner. What he did over his final 10 games is pretty much unheard of at the QB position. Fields ran for 94.9 yards per game and 8.08 yards per rush attempt, and he added seven rushing TDs. That propelled him to an outstanding fantasy season, but it's worth noting that his team managed to win just one of those final 10 contests.

His passing remains a work in progress, but Fields has a good chance to develop this season. Chicago was able to trade for a legit No. 1 WR in D.J. Moore this offseason, and they also worked on beefing up the offensive line. The Bears signed Nate Davis at guard and spent the No. 10 overall pick on Darnell Wright at tackle, giving them a completely revamped right side.

And don’t forget that Fields was a prolific passer in college. He tallied just under 5,400 passing yards and 63 TDs in 22 games at Ohio State. He did benefit from playing with some of the best pass-catchers in the NCAA, but Fields was much more polished than someone like Jalen Hurts at the same stage. It would not be shocking to see a breakout for Fields in Year 3.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) passes the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during their preseason football game on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Photo Credit: Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Packers will turn things over to Jordan Love, who has been patiently waiting for his chance in Green Bay. After riding the bench the past few seasons behind Rodgers, Love turned in a solid preseason. He completed 63.6% of his passes for 300 yards with three TDs and zero picks.

Could Love be a solid NFL QB? Sure. Is he going to be as good as Rodgers? Almost certainly not.

That’s the point that I keep coming back to. The Packers still had Rodgers on the roster last year, the guy who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021, and they simply weren’t that good. Green Bay won just eight games in 2022, and with a chance to clinch a playoff spot in the final week, they laid an egg against the Lions.

This year’s team isn't that different from last year’s, only with Love at QB instead of Rodgers. I’m not sure how it’s possible to get overly excited with any major additions this offseason.

The Packers are giving Love very little to work with. They rank dead last in WR spending for the upcoming season, relying heavily on their rookies and second-year players.

Overall, Fantasy Life ranks the Packers’ group of pass-catchers as the seventh-worst in the league.

Green Bay does have an excellent running back in Aaron Jones, but the team insists on platooning him with the much less effective AJ Dillon. And it’s not like the Packers are saving all their money for defense either, as they rank 21st in spending on that side of the ball.

So I'll ask again: Where is the supposed 2023 progression coming from?

People have been excited by what they’ve seen from Love during the preseason, but that should be expected against backup defenders. He could look very different when opponents put their best players on the field.

I’ve been very high on the Bears all offseason, and I see no reason to stop backing them now. I like Chicago to start things off with a home victory against the Packers, something they haven’t done since 2018.