The National Football League season will kick off this weekend, and the first Sunday Night Football matchup will be the newest installment of the league’s oldest rivalry. The Green Bay Packers will host the Chicago Bears on primetime. Both organizations have made changes during the offseason, but none with more pizzazz than the Bears signing All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack. How will the Packers offensive line block the Bears pass rushers? Find out in week one key to victory.
Week One Key to Victory: Packers Offensive Line vs. Bears Pass Rushers
Packers Offensive Line
The Green Bay Packers boast one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. The line’s best players are Left Tackle David Bakhtiari and Right Tackle Bryan Bulaga. The middle is not as strong with the Right Guard spot being the weakest link.
Pass Protection
Last season, Bakhtiari received the highest grade amongst Left Tackles in pass protection per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Bulaga did the same in 2016, his last healthy season per PFF. Both men will be tested on Sunday night with the collection of pass rushers the Bears have at their disposal. According to PFF, Bakhtiari allowed only one sack and 12 total pressures on 455 pass protection snaps.
Run Blocking
In the Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy era, the green and gold have not had much success running the ball. In part because of the legendary quarterback, in part, because the offensive line was not always good, and in part, because they have not always had good running backs. However, this past season, two gems exploded onto the scene, Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. The linemen were excited about playing more run snaps, last season. The Packers will use their power run game to keep the Bears pass rushers at bay and move the ball down the field.
Bears Pass Rushers
The Chicago Bears are coming to Lambeau Field with an array of pass rushers, a defensive coordinator loved by his players and a team who believes they can take a step forward. “The Bears ranked 10th in total defense in 2017 and ninth in points per game, and did that without a Pro Bowler on their roster,” says JJ Stankevitz for NBCSports.com adding, “This defense overcame season-ending injuries to two veteran captains in linebacker Jerrell Freeman and safety Quintin Demps within the first three weeks of 2017; outside linebackers Willie Young and Leonard Floyd were lost to injury later in the season.”
Outside Pressure
This defense will have a healthy Leonard Floyd (four and a half sacks), Sam Acho (three), Akiem Hicks (eight and a half), and of course, newly acquired superstar Khalil Mack (10.5). Mack gives Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio a lot of flexibility in his 3-4-scheme due to his ability to play both defensive end and outside linebacker.
Inside Pressure
Eddie Goldman had four and a half sacks in 2015 and has eight and a half career sacks playing defensive tackle. He will bring pressure from inside the Bears defensive line. The Bears interior linemen are the weak link of the team’s front seven. If they blitz, it will be inside blitz to neutralize Rodgers’ ability to step up in the pocket. Otherwise, the pressure will come from the outside linebackers and defensive ends.
Conclusion
The newest chapter in the NFL’s greatest rivalry should be a lot more fun and entertaining than the recent matchups these two franchises have given us. Defensively, the Bears are coming off a great season, and they added, one of the elite defensive players to their roster. In the end, this is a quarterback-driven game, and Green Bay still has the best one.
Green Bay 27, Chicago – 17
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