All the talk going into the Chicago Bears opener against Green Bay is about Mitch Trubisky. That’s no surprise. He’s the quarterback and the quarterback is expected to win the game for his team. The defense can only be expected to do so much against Aaron Rodgers who remains a threat even at 35-years old and entering a new offense for the first time in 14 seasons. Yet current events and past indications suggest the focus should be on another member of the Bears offense. That being running back David Montgomery.
The buzz around the rookie out of Iowa State has grown significantly since Ryan Pace traded up to draft him in the 3rd round. His brief but outstanding debut in the preseason offer a glimpse of what he can do both as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. Many experts are already giving him favorable odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. That would make him the first Bear to accomplish it since Anthony Thomas back in 2001.
So why should the Packers be more wary of him than of Trubisky? It comes down to the weaknesses of their defense and what happened the last two times the teams met in 2018.
David Montgomery is poised to gash the Packers
Chicago ran for a combined 239 yards and two touchdowns in the two meetings last year. Green Bay, who loved to celebrate their new secondary, had the 22nd ranked run defense. Something that they didn’t do much to improve this offseason. If anything one could argue it got worse. Defensive end Mike Daniels was cut. While his 2018 grade via Pro Football Focus against the run was just 61.2, this could be attributed to health problems. The previous three years his grades were 83.4, 77.7, and 83.5.
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Then there is the matter of their inside linebackers. Blake Martinez is an adequate but hardly intimidating starter. His running mate for 2019, Oren Burks though? He just suffered a torn pectoral, putting him out for at least a month. That leaves rookie Ty Summers to take his place. A 7th round pick out of Texas Christian, the young man missed seven tackles in the preseason. Considering Montgomery broke more tackles than any running back in college football between 2017 and 2018? This is significant.
Last but not least? Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine hasn’t been known for coaching up good run defenses. Since 2012, his defenses have ranked 26th, 28th, 32nd, 30th, and 22nd in that category. Put simply: any fantasy owner who has Montgomery in their lineup would be wise to give him the start in this game.
