Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: John Fox’s debut in rivalry game
In the first of what Fox hopes will be many games against the division-rival Packers, the Bears look to get off to a hot start at home in a game that could set the tone for the remainder of the season. Sure coaching against the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in the AFC West represented tremendous rivalries, but Fox has no idea what he’s getting himself into here. These teams just don’t like one another. After indicating that his team would kick “Chicago’s expletive” last week, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy backtracked a bit. However, he made sure we know just how important this rivalry game is:
“It’s the oldest rivalry in the National Football League. In my opinion, I think it’s the best rivalry game that I’ve played in,” McCarthy said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “So playing down there opening day, it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a big challenge.”
For the Bears, it’s going to be interesting to see how they come out in this one. With the likes of Alshon Jeffery (questionable), Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett, the offense is in a good position to put points on the board. It will be up to first-year coordinator Vic Fangio to help improve what has been a disastrous defense over the past couple seasons. That will surely be tested against Aaron Rodgers and Co.