Cautiously believe in Monsters: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

There are easier ways to start a football season – but none quite so special. The NFL’s greatest rivalry: The Green Bay Packers host the Chicago Bears in the fixture’s 197th incarnation. In recent years, it’s an event that has yielded little joy for the men of the Windy City. In the 2017 season, both meetings were characteristically abject beatings for the Bears, who’ve returned from Lambeau Field with the win precisely three times since 2009.

Enter Nagy. Enter Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith. There’s optimism in Chicago for the first time in years. Matt Nagy, the ambitious Chiefs Offensive Coordinator-turned-Bears Head Coach brings an exciting edge to an offense that has long been stale and ineffective. There are now actual wide receivers in the navy and blue, and they’re good ones too. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen return as one of the league’s most formidable halfback pairings, with the potential of the young Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. On the other side of the ball is where the Bears have really been receiving plaudits. The selection of exciting Georgia Bulldogs linebacker and Butkus Award-winner, Roquan Smith, brings yet more exciting young talent to a blossoming defence. The big news, though, came in the form of the acquisition of a certain Khalil Mack. The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, unable to agree terms with the Oakland Raiders joins the defensive line in Chicago, and in doing so becomes the highest-paid player on his side of the ball. It’s a move described by Vic Fangio in his typically excitable manner as “great.”

The new-look Bears head to Green Bay Wisconsin to face the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, himself wrapping-up the accolade of highest-paid player in the league. Forcing the Packers into two 3-and-out drives, the defence proves terrifying early on, giving Trubisky and the Bears the chance to take the ball 82-yards into the end-zone in their first possession. Somewhat under the radar, given Chicago’s defensive acquisitions is Akiem Hicks, the ever-important Bears DE, who forces a fumble early on, which the Packers are fortunate to recover. The home team’s offensive line appear to struggle with Mack and Hicks from the outset, utilising a number of desperate, and not strictly legal techniques to pin the pass rushers away from Aaron Rodgers.

In possession, the Bears start to give us an indication of Matt Nagy’s offensive philosophy for the coming campaign. It’s immediately clear that he has a plan for the exciting Tarik Cohen, who receives hand-offs and short passes from Trubisky, in successful attempts to attack the outsides of Green Bay’s defence. This, combined with the ever-reliable power back, Jordan Howard, produces a more multifaceted running game, that makes Chicago a much-evolved beast for opposing teams. Last year, a defence that could ably stuff the rushing game left the Bears largely toothless. Now, the combination of Cohen and Howard (who is also comfortable receiving passes himself) leaves Nagy able to pepper the Bears playbook with play-action passes, to produce an altogether less-predictable offence. Trubisky, in the early stages is free to do much more on the first two downs. Last year, the Bears, stripped of their receiving corps by injury, were forced largely into a run-run-pass rhythm that was neither productive or sustainable. Now, Trubisky appears free to play through the air on first and second downs, and they look all the better for it. A sack by Robertson-Harris forces Rodgers to exit the field, and Nagy, possibly sensing the opportunity to put Green Bay to the sword as their QB leaves the field on an injury cart, keeps his offense on the field for an unsuccessful conversion on 4th and 8, which doesn’t seem wholly necessary, but the proactive, confident style is welcome.

In a remarkably vindicating victory for Trading Standards, Khalil Mack continues to perform exactly ‘as advertised’. The DE appears to earn his $90m guaranteed salary in just two quarters, and proves to be the sporting incarnation of the phrase ‘does what it says on the tin’. An accidental head injury caused by a collision with Bryce Callahan causes Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan to exit temporarily giving way to rookie Roquan Smith towards the close of the first half. Smith, whose preseason was hampered by prolonged contract negotiations motivated by new on-field rule changes, wasted no time in adding to the growing list of defensive highlights after bringing down backup QB, DeShone Kizer, after he was initially rocked by Mack. Soon after, Mack was able to seal his impressive Bears debut with a defensive touchdown, after Robertson-Harris forces Kizer’s wayward pass into the sixth-year pro’s waiting hands, and a canny 27-yard winding run produces another six points. The Packers, shut-out by a dominant defence, and down 17-0 are booed into half-time.

Things are looking great and we get more of the same in second-half, right?

Not exactly right. Not exactly right in as much as it’s totally wrong. Aaron Rodgers, despite cutting an ungainly figure with an injured knee, returns to the field and the night starts to take an altogether more recognisable form. The Packers’ O-line, are able to keep Rodgers’s pocket largely free of Bears pass rushers, and the veteran QB, albeit moving gingerly, is able to put in a performance that we Bears fans might call typically infuriating. Never one to suffer a loss to his NFC North rivals, the future hall-of-famer leads his team through the second half to comeback from a 17-point deficit, in an outcome that, when you think about it, was almost entirely inevitable.

However, there’s certainly silver-linings in the disappointing result. Aside from the obvious talent on defence, the Bears proved capable of a confident and efficient start, if not an equally-competent finish. Even looking like the eventual victors at halftime is a world and a half away from recent meetings. Some context also goes towards a more sympathetic view of Sunday’s loss. Lambeau Field, roused into a raucous pandemonium by Rodgers’s towel-waving incitement is an infamously difficult venue for visiting teams. Knee injury or ‘no injury’, the Packers QB has lost only 14 regular season games at his team’s home stadium in his decade starting at the helm. Trubisky, coming under some fire again, has been labelled ‘too green’ by fans who are still questioning their team’s decision to trade-up to pick him in the draft. Even as a Trubisky fan, it’s hard to disagree that he’s inexperienced. The second-year QB, possessing capable scrambling abilities seems too eager to make a run himself, when a more experienced head might look for a receiver shaking off his cover for a larger gain. His longer-range passing is still quite ineffective, and the Bears receiving corps was under-utilised in Sunday’s game. It’s important to keep in mind that Trubisky is still a young, developing quarterback. There are valid criticisms to level at him, but equally there’s plenty to be encouraged with. His partnership grounded in mutual respect with HC Matt Nagy can only improve his decision making, which at times was erratic, but also shrewd and calculated. Sunday was only his 13th start in the NFL, up against an opposite number who’s played more downs of ‘situational football’ than any of us have had hot dinners. Trubisky certainly is still inexperienced, but you overcome that by playing football, and that’s exactly what he’ll be allowed to do under Chicago’s new regime. Expect his performances to improve as he’s exposed to more situations like Sunday night.

Despite this, the Bears were still agonisingly close to an opening win on the road at Green Bay. Ultimately losing by a single point, Chicago’s lead could have been protected had Kyle Fuller reeled in an interception that he’ll be aggrieved to have let go.

All in all, an impressive start has been tempered slightly by inexperience and a lack of situational awareness. But make no mistake, things are rosier in the Windy City than they’ve been for long time. The Bears are a young team who will continue to develop together. I ended my State of the Franchise piece by saying there was scope for cautious optimism. Now, I’m (cautiously) hoping to get haunted by those Monsters of the Midway again. Russell Wilson, check under your bed on Monday night…

Bears lose 24 – 23