For the past several years, the Green Bay Packers have always enjoyed a huge advantage over the Chicago Bears at every offensive position. Wide receiver was one of the biggest. However, the upcoming opener might be the first time in at least a decade where that won’t be the case. The Bears already had reasons to feel good about their group, with three proven targets in D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, and Darnell Mooney. Things have since taken a dark turn for the Packers as gametime looms.
They were already hit by the unfortunate news that Christian Watson, their breakout rookie from last season, suffered a hamstring injury and is out for the game. That is bad enough. However, their other proven option isn’t doing great either. Romeo Doubs is dealing with a hamstring problem of his own. While expectations are he will play, reports indicate he will log limited snaps. That means Jordan Love won’t have his two most experienced receivers at full strength in his second career start.
The Chicago Bears can’t let this opportunity slip away.
Green Bay will be leaning on several rookies to pick up the slack in this game. Second round picks Jayden Reed and Luke Musgrave will be central factors, as will 3rd round pick Tucker Kraft and 5th round pick Dontayvion Wicks. Asking them to excel against a talented and experienced Bears secondary feels like too much. The Packers know they have to make life easier for Love by doing the obvious. They will run the football a lot in this game. Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are still a formidable duo. If they can get going, Love can find success with play action.
There aren’t many excuses left. Aaron Rodgers is gone. The Packers’ offense is missing their best receiver and one of their top corners. The Chicago Bears are at home and much more talented than they were last season. This is a game they can and should win. If they can’t pull it off now, it’s clear some of the core members on this team aren’t what the organization needs to finally flip the rivalry back in its favor. A lot of questions will be answered by how they perform.
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