Chicago Bears: What to Watch for in Week 2 vs Green Bay Packers

Can the Chicago Bears front seven affect Rodgers’ play?

One of the best things about last week’s victory was how the Chicago Bears’ defense played. The defense kept the Bears in the game during the first half. The Niners consistently had good field position but could only find the end zone once.

The Bears’ defense kept coming up with big plays to limit the Niners. While they only had two sacks as San Francisco did, they continually put pressure on Lance. That made him make bad decisions or rush the clock in his head.

This week, the Bears face a Packers offensive line that is dealing with injuries. Tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) and guard Elgton Jenkins (knee/pectoral) are both limited in practice. Guard Jon Runyan is in the league’s concussion protocol.

This gives the Bears a chance to really dominate Green Bay’s line. If they can pressure Rodgers who, as mentioned before, is still trying to introduce himself to his receivers on the field, into speeding up his decisions it could possibly be another game in which he and his receivers still aren’t on the same page.

The Minnesota Vikings harassed Rodgers throughout the game. They sacked him four times and kept him from throwing any touchdown passes. Additionally, they forced him to fumble and lose the ball.

If the Bears can keep the pressure on Rodgers they may be able to have a big game. However, it isn’t enough to just pressure him. Rodgers does a great job of moving around and buying time. The Bears need to contain him. They cannot let him move and look for the defensive breakdown. They have to force him to throw before he wants.

One positive the Bears have this season is that they now have younger and more athletic players. Last season, they were one of the oldest teams in the NFL. In contrast, they are now one of the youngest teams in the league, with 28 players in their rookie or second season. These young players could keep up better and not slow down as the game progresses.

If the front seven can do a good job of harassing Rodgers we could see an even bigger upset than we saw in Week 1.