Chicago Bears: Players To Watch Against The Packers

The Chicago Bears open the season against their hated rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Here are some players to watch in the game.

Chicago Bears football is here! Week 1 is upon us and the Bears take on their hated rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

There is a bad history for Chicago here. They lost eight games in a row and 13 of their last 14 against Green Bay.

However, both teams are in transition.

The Bears completely overhauled the roster after only winning three games last season. There was an infusion of talent on the team and now the team is stronger and deeper. For the Packers, they now have Jordan Love leading the offense. They traded Hall of Fame quarterback and Chicago Bears killer Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

Now there is a sense of the unknown with both teams. How does each team handle its new situation? Both teams are more evenly matched than they have been for years.

Despite that, expecting the Bears to beat the Packers is difficult. There were so many instances in which they had control of the game only to have the Packers snatch victory away. Last season, there were games that were close throughout, only to see Green Bay pull away late.

Of course, there are certain players who have to play well in order for the Bears to finally win. Here are some to keep an eye on in the game:

Lucas Patrick

Lucas Patrick has to have a good game. He came in last season to be the starting center. However, he suffered a broken thumb on the first day of training camp. He missed the rest of training camp and every preseason game.

He started the season at guard until his thumb completely healed. Then, when he finally got a chance to start at center, he suffered another injury and missed the rest of the season.

This season Patrick was supposed to be a valuable reserve player. He could play all three interior line positions. With Teven Jenkins going onto injured reserve, Cody Whitehair, who moved from right guard to center, stays at right guard.

That means Patrick starts at the position he was initially supposed to play.

Patrick has to have chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields. The center is important for the quarterback. He is the quarterback of the offensive line and he calls the blocking signals.

The Packers are going to go after the Bears up the middle. They will test the interior to see if they can protect Fields. If Patrick struggles with blocking schemes and the Packers are able to rush the middle, it will be a long day for not only Fields but also the running backs.

Yannick Ngakoue

The Chicago Bears struggled to get to the quarterback last season. They ranked last in sacks and quarterback knockdowns.

General manager Ryan Poles made fortifying the defensive line a priority. The two starting defensive ends are different. Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker are newcomers. Trevis Gipson was a surprise cut and Dominique Robinson and another newcomer, Rasheem Green, are the backups.

Ngakoue will be the key to the game. He has a history of wreaking havoc in the opponent’s backfield. He hasn’t had fewer than eight sacks in any season. In the past two seasons, he has 19.5 sacks.

If Ngakoue is able to put pressure on Love early on, then the Packers will have to throw a double-team on him. That means that Walker will have one-on-one opportunities. He could then make noise himself.

The Bears signed Ngakoue just for this reason. Let’s see if he does it right away.

Tyrique Stevenson

The Bears moved up in the second round to select Miami (FL) cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. He is a big-bodied, speedy, and athletic defender.

Stevenson was locked into a battle with another rookie, Terell Smith, for the starting job. He won the battle primarily because of his experience in a pro-style defense in Miami.

There is something to fear with Stevenson, though. Being a rookie there will be some growing pains. However, there might be more with him. He is a gambling defender. He finds himself around the ball, but he hasn’t been able to finish the play.

In the preseason, Stevenson actually had a chance to make four interceptions. He was there and had the opportunity to make the turnover.

It didn’t happen, however. He dropped one of them, and another got into the receiver’s hands for a first down. The third went for a touchdown before he finally got an interception in the final preseason game.

Stevenson is an aggressive defender. With that, there will be a lot of boom or bust plays. With Jaylon Johnson on one side and Kyler Gordon in the slot, the Packers will go after the rookie. Knowing that he is a gambler, Green Bay wants to take advantage and perhaps make some big plays.

Let’s see if Stevenson is more boom than bust against the Packers.

Khalil Herbert

The Chicago Bears led the league in rushing in 2022. That was one of the few bright spots of the season.

The main reason for that, though, was Fields’ 1,143 rushing yards. With struggles along the offensive line and ineffective receivers, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy had to cut the playbook and have Fields run a lot.

The Bears want Fields to make an impact with his arm. He has better targets and a better offensive line. They still want him to make an impact with his legs but with fewer attempts. In 2022, he had 160 rushing attempts.

The bears don’t want a repeat of that. Fewer carries with a bigger impact is what they want.

Now that David Montgomery is with the Detroit Lions, Khalil Herbert is the starting running back. He is a quick and elusive runner. Last season he averaged a very good 5.7 yards per carry.

Now he is the man who gets the first call.

Having an effective running game without Fields carrying it helps the quarterback. If the defense is worried about Herbert, D’Onta Foreman, or Roschon Johnson, then Fields, possibly seeing an eight-man front, can drop back and complete some passes downfield.

If Herbert can continue to break off big runs then Fields will be able to relax a little and make big plays with his arm. If everyone else is covered, he can then take off. Once he gets into the open field no one will stop him.

Hopefully, that will be the case on Sunday.

Justin Fields

Let’s tell the truth — we all want to see what Fields does. He is the main subject of the game. We all want to see what he does with his new toys.

Fields now has tools to work with. He has D.J. Moore as his WR1. Moore will help Fields by being able to catch nearly any ball thrown his way.

Fields also has a healthy Darnell Mooney back. He is the player Fields had the best chemistry with last season. In addition, Chase Claypool had a full offseason to learn the offensive system.

Also, Fields has a big-play, speedy rookie in Tyler Scott. In addition to Cole Kmet at tight end, there is also Robert Tonyan who can make big plays.

We want to see Fields show what he could do with his arm. If he could hit his receivers and continually moves the chains the Green Bay defense will have a long day. As a result, Fields could finally get his first win against the Green Bay Packers.