Dhruv Koul shares his in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the Packers-Bears opener at Soldier Field to kick off the 2019 NFL season. Follow him on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
CHICAGO — We finally made it. After seven, brutally long months without football, the NFL has returned with the Chicago Bears hosting the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field tonight to kick off the 2019 season (and the Bears’ and NFL’s 100th seasons).
I shared the following thought thread on Twitter last night in anticipation of the game, as I had a bunch of things I was keeping my eyes on during this game (click the tweet to take you to Twitter to see the full thread):
The anticipation for this game and this Bears’ season has been a fever pitch all summer, ever since the Bears’ 2018 season ended abruptly against Philadelphia in January.
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In the end, the Bears lost in shocking fashion, as the offense couldn’t do anything (literally anything) against the Packers’ defense. Brutal start to a season that had so much promise coming in, and still somewhat does, despite the sting of tonight. But a terrible, terrible way to begin the season at home.
I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations below. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Thoughts and Observations
PRE-GAME
1. The Trey Burton saga leading up to this game has been strange, to say the least. From missing the playoff game against his former team in the Eagles last January, to having sports hernia surgery, to once again coming down with a groin injury, it’s been a rough series of events for the Bears’ tight end. Burton had been questionable to play all week, and eventually, was ruled out with the groin injury.
Expect plenty of action for Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker, along with Bradley Sowell getting some of the blocking responsibilities (at least) as well.
2. Outside of Mitch Trubisky and David Montgomery, the player I’m most interested in watching is Cordarrelle Patterson. We KNOW Matt Nagy has devised a special package of plays for Patterson’s diverse skill-sets. I can’t wait to see what he’s come up with. Nagy didn’t show anything in the preseason, and for good reason. This will be fun.
FIRST HALF
3. The Bears’ defense swarmed the Packers on their first defensive possession of the season. Roquan Smith with two tackles, including a run-stuff at the LOS, showcasing his speed. Roy Robertson-Harris, who I touted as a key DL contributor in preseason, sacked Aaron Rodgers on third down.
On offense, however, the Bears got off to a lousy start. A pitch to Tarik Cohen was fumbled, but the Packers bailed Chicago out with a defensive hold. And then:
4. The first points of the 2019 NFL season belong to … Eddy Pineiro! He nailed a 38-yard field goal right down the middle of the uprights to put the Bears up 3-0.
5. Through on quarter, both offenses are kind of stuck. The Bears are moving the ball a bit — David Montgomery has been excellent, and the Bears have benefited from a couple Packer penalties. Trubisky has attempted a couple passes and been a mixed bag, but the Bears haven’t attacked deep much yet. Meanwhile, Rodgers has looked bad so far — inaccurate and jumpy. Let’s hope it continues. Bears lead 3-0 after one quarter.
6. The Packers just went down the field in four plays to take a 7-3 lead. Rodgers with a deep ball to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and three plays later, Jimmy Graham won a jump ball against Deon Bush. The Packers went no-huddle on that drive and had the Bears pretty confused. Some nice throws from Rodgers.
On the Bears’ next drive, Trubisky made up for a terrible pass on the previous drive with a couple nice plays, but the offense stalled near mid-field.
7. The Bears’ offensive line is having a rough night tonight. They are missing blocks and causing traffic in front of Trubisky. He is locking on receivers and the Packers’ defenders are squatting on all routes. They’ve been very close to multiple INTs tonight. They’re comfortable playing zone back there. Not looking good for the offense tonight.
8. That was about as bad a first half on offense as the Bears could’ve imagined. Matt Nagy, Trubisky, the offensive line, everyone have been bad. The only bright spots so far have been David Montgomery and Allen Robinson, but the Bears got away from the running game in the latter part of the second quarter. They’d be wise to go back to it in the next half.
On defense, they’ve been solid, despite obvious differences coming from Pagano’s scheme vs. Fangio’s. Buster Skrine, Roquan Smith and Roy Robertson-Harris have been sensational so far. They need to keep it up, but they need real help from the offense, too.
SECOND HALF
9. The Bears have two straight three-and-outs on offense to begin the second half. They are a discombobulated mess right now. This is a brutal look for the reigning Coach of the Year as well.
10. Matt Nagy passed on a 51-yard field goal try to go for it on 4th-and-10!!! And Trubisky tried to escape the pocket and got tackled well short of the sticks. I am stunned by that play call. There is no plan.
11. First and 40. I have no other words.
12. Ensuing drive, Bears have no answer for Rodgers’ rollouts and the Packers increase their lead to a touchdown. A bad illegal contact penalty on Kyle Fuller kept things going. But the defense really held on as long as they could. That could wrap up the game, though.
13. After a strong final drive by Trubisky and Allen Robinson (what a star he is, huh?) to put the Bears in position to tie the game, Trubisky lofted a pass to the end zone that was picked off … by Adrian Amos. Surprised? I mean, of course. Why not?
14. Unacceptable. Stunning. Terrible loss. Chicago has a ton of things to figure out on offense before next week against someone who knows them REALLY well.
15. The Bears will have a min-bye next week, heading to Denver to take on the Broncos and new head coach Vic Fangio. How excited do you think Fangio is to game plan against this offense? If Mike Pettine shut them down, what do you think Fangio will do in that altitude? Broncos pull away as the gassed Bears’ defense slows down late, Chicago falls to 0-2, and we all melt in panic.
Early prediction: Broncos 22, Bears 9.
