Chicago Bears: Winning in the trenches key vs. Packers

The Chicago Bears must control the line of scrimmage if they want to head into Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2018 NFL Season.

Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season is upon us, and the Chicago Bears have quite the matchup on-tap versus their division rival Green Bay Packers. The Packers are kicking off the franchise’s 100th anniversary, and the Bears would like nothing more than to spoil the party…just like they did on “Brett Favre Night” on Thanksgiving in 2015.

Beating the Packers in Week 1 is going to require an exceptional performance from both the Bears offensive and defensive lines. Protecting Mitchell Trubisky is obvious, but the Bears need to establish the running game early. The Packers had a solid defensive line in 2017, with Mike Daniels (81.5) and Kenny Clark (87.8) both earning excellent grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Green Bay very rarely spends in free agency, but they did this offseason with the addition of Muhammad Wilkerson. The former New York Jets Pro Bowler has elite physical tools and racked-up double digit sack totals in both 2013 and 2015. He will likely line-up over the Bears right side of the offensive line, meaning Kyle Long and Bobby Massie will have their hands full.

Establishing the run on offense means getting a good push upfront. Jordan Howard is a one-cut runner, but he needs a hole to cut-back into. If the Bears can get movement along the line of scrimmage and give Howard room to run, that will mean a ton to an offense that is still trying to learn to play with one another. Additionally, running the ball and controlling the time of possession isn’t such a bad idea either, particularly with Aaron Rodgers standing on the other sideline.

Defensively, the Bears need to control the line of scrimmage as well. Getting pressure on Rodgers is crucial, so Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Leonard Floyd, and Khalil Mack need to have strong showings. Pressuring and hitting Rodgers will make things easier for the secondary, as they won’t have to cover for so long and be exposed to big-plays down the field.

Stopping Rodgers is a tough task for every defense, but when the Packers have a strong running game going, their offense is nearly impossible to stop. The Bears cannot let the Packers establish the run. Making the Packers a one-dimensional offense makes the task a lot easier for the defense. The defensive line must get penetration and stop running backs Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery in their tracks.

With the addition of Khalil Mack, the Bears front-seven is absolutely stacked. Hiring Harry Hiestand to coach the offensive line should benefit that unit as well. The Bears have invested a lot of resources to both lines, and throughout the season, that needs to be one of their biggest strengths. Teams that win the line of scrimmage usually win the game; let’s hope that’s the case for the Bears this week.

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