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NFL Preview - Chicago at Green Bay
NFL Preview - Chicago at Green Bay The NFL schedule-makers didn't waste any time getting a storied division rivalry on the 2006 docket, pegging the Green Bay Packers to host NFC North foe Chicago at legendary Lambeau Field in Week 1. The Bears are fresh off an 11-5 mark and a division title from a year ago, but haven't won a season-opener since a Dick Jauron-led club opened the 2002 campaign with two straight wins. Head coach Lovie Smith will hope for a similar start to the 2006 campaign, his third in Chicago. Beating Green Bay at Lambeau is a tough task to accomplish, but it didn't seem to matter last season, when the Bears swept the series. Smith, the 2005 AP Coach of the Year, is aiming for a third consecutive victory over Green Bay for the first time since a five-game win streak spanning the 1990-92 seasons. But 2006 is a different year with fresh faces in new places. In order to bolster the quarterback position and add veteran experience behind oft-injured starter Rex Grossman, Brian Griese was inked to a deal in the offseason. In his only regular-season start in 2006, Grossman returned from a broken ankle and led the Bears to a division-clinching win over Green Bay. Before Grossman returned, it was rookie Kyle Orton relishing in all the hype. The Purdue product started the first 14 games of the seaon before Grossman took over in Week 16 against the Packers. Orton went 10-5 in his rookie season, and gave the Bears some healthy competition at QB. Another key position battle is running back, where Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson figure to be battling all season. Jones will start his third straight regular season-opener on Sunday, but Benson will be breathing down his neck. Jones recorded 1,335 rushing yards in 2006 and joined Walter Payton as one of two backs in Bears history to reach 1,300 yards in a season. Benson, Chicago's first-round pick in the 2005 draft, was battling a shoulder injury throughout the preseason but should see significant time versus the Packers' defense. 0 bonus to bet with, bet NFL click here, do not miss the action. Packers veteran quarterback Brett Favre made both the NFL world and new Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy wait to see if he would return this season. After the dust had settled, No. 4 decided to indeed enter his 16th NFL season. In 2005, Favre threw a career-high 29 interceptions, as the Packers endured their worst season since 1991 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Favre, who said during training camp that the 2006 Packers are the most talented group he has been a part of, has started 221 consecutive games -- the most all-time by an NFL QB. He also needs just four TD passes to join Dan Marino (420) as the only players in NFL history with 400. Favre owns 139 career wins and needs 10 more to pass legends John Elway and Marino for the most wins ever by a quarterback. Elway owns 148 wins, while Marino has 147. McCarthy hopes Favre can break those records, and then some, to make life a little easier in his first NFL head coaching stint. A healthy Ahman Green in the backfield will certainly take a load off McCarthy's mind, but only if the Nebraska product can stay healthy for the entire season. In January, McCarthy was named the 14th head coach in team history. McCarthy, who had been the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator for one season, fills the vacancy left when Mike Sherman was fired following a 4-12 2005 campaign. San Francisco also finished 4-12 a year ago, and McCarthy's group was last in the league in yards per game (224.2) and 30th in scoring (14.9 points per game). McCarthy, who also served as the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 2000-04, is now the second-youngest head coach in the NFL, behind the Jets' Eric Mangini. McCarthy spent the 1999 season as Green Bay's quarterbacks coach. While holding that job, the Packers were ranked seventh in the NFL in passing and ninth overall in total offense, but compiled only an 8-8 record under head coach Ray Rhodes. Green Bay is 3-3 over its previous six season-openers. -> Bet NFL click here, 0 bonus to bet with, do not miss the action and the FREE money. SERIES HISTORY Chicago holds an 86-78-6 advantage in the series, which dates back to the 1921 season. The Bears swept the 2005 home-and-home, scoring a 19-7 victory at Soldier Field in Week 13 and a 24-17 triumph at Lambeau Field in Week 16. Green Bay is 0-2 in home games against Chicago since a 34-21 win there in 2003, and the Packers' last win of any kind in the series came at Soldier Field in 2004. As mentioned, the Bears have not won three straight contests at Lambeau since 1990-92. For all their storied history together, the teams have met just once in the postseason, a 33-14 Bears victory in a 1941 NFL Playoff. Smith is 3-1 versus the Packers as a head coach, while McCarthy will be meeting both Smith and the Bears for the first time as a head man. BEARS OFFENSE VS. PACKERS DEFENSE Green Bay will face what figures to be a better Chicago offense in 2006. The Bears' offense was paltry last season, finishing eighth in rushing, 31st in passing and tied for 26th in scoring, and still carried the Bears to a playoff appearance. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson will provide a nice 1-2 punch on the ground, with backup Adrian Peterson watching closely. Jones has rushed for 100 yards in four of six career encounters against Green Bay, and compiled 1,335 rushing yards and nine TDs in 2005. Jones will have every opportunity to remain the starter, but a younger Benson is a No. 1 running back in the making. The two backs will have a more cohesive line to follow this season. Grossman is 2-0 lifetime as a starter against Green Bay, and will rely heavily upon Muhsin Muhammad, who registered 64 catches for four touchdowns in his first season as a Bear in 2005. Muhammad is the team's top returning receiver this season, and will serve as the main target for Grossman. Muhammad needs two more TD catches for 50 in his career. The Bears will go up against a Green Bay defense which shut down opposing quarterbacks for the top ranking in NFL passing defense last season. The Packers' D, finished just 23rd in rushing, however, and tied for 19th in scoring. Stud defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila needs 1 1/2 sacks to join Reggie White as the only Packer defenders with 60 career. His presence on the end, along with Aaron Kampman, will severely test the Bears' offensive tackles. Nick Barnett will lead the linebackers, with rookie A.J. Hawk not too far behind. Hawk has been a bright spot in Packer camp and should learn a lot from Barnett, who has led Green Bay in tackles in each of his first three seasons. Barnett and Hawk will have their hands full with Jones and Benson, while new cornerback Charles Woodson is slated to shut down Muhammad and Co. Al Harris is no slouch in the defensive backfield, and was one of two DBs with at least three sacks and three INTs in '05. PACKERS OFFENSE VS. BEARS DEFENSE Favre remains the focal point of Green Bay's offense, but is coming off a miserable 2005 season. The Southern Miss product, who owns a 21-7 record in his career versus the Bears, threw for 3,881 yards with a career-high 29 picks and 20 TDs in 2006. He also set career-highs with 607 pass attempts and 372 completions. Favre now has a healthy Green in the backfield, and that alone should take a great deal of pressure off of his shoulders. Green will be plowing his way through, perhaps, the top defense from a year ago. Undrafted rookie RB Samkon Gado ended up leading the Pack with 582 rushing yards and six touchdowns in eight games last season after being activated from the practice squad. Chicago's defense was first in scoring, fifth in passing and finished 11th against the run. McCarthy must coordinate a scheme that will break down the heralded D of the Monsters of the Midway - a squad which allowed a league-low 12.2 points per game last year. With wide receiver Javon Walker and his contract issues now in Denver, Donald Driver will seek his third consecutive season with at least 1,200 yards. Tight end Bubba Franks is always a threat, but can also help a struggling offensive line when McCarthy wants to grind it out. But if the Packers want to run the ball, they must find a way to block All-Pro middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. Urlacher, one of the top MLBs in the NFL, is the defending AP Defensive Player of the Year. Urlacher registered five passes defensed, six sacks and 121 tackles last season. His 32.5 career sacks is second in franchise history behind Otis Wilson, who finished his career with 36. Adewale Ogunleye will anchor the defensive line, while Nathan Vasher will lead the secondary. Ogunleye posted his second career 10-sack season in 2005, and Vasher led the team with eight interceptions. Vasher may get at least three on Sunday, depending on which Favre shows up. OVERALL ANALYSIS The Bears/Packers rivalry is one of the best in the NFL and moves into high gear this weekend. Brett Favre will attract the most attention and Bears head coach Lovie Smith is salivating over it. Smith knows that if his Urlacher-led defense can harass Favre all day, turnovers and three-and-outs will follow, much like what occurred during the '05 season. Smith has an edge over McCarthy, who may be feeling pins and needles prior to the 2006 kickoff, his first as a head coach. Expect a big game from the running backs, especially Packers stud Ahman Green, who is returning from an injury-plagued 2005 campaign. Chicago, though, swept the series from Green Bay last season for the first time since 1991. The Bears will be chalking up another "W" if Rex Grossman can revert to his University of Florida form. Despite shocking the NFL with an NFC North title, Smith and the Bears have a lot to prove after bowing out to Carolina in the playoffs. Green Bay is coming off a four-win season, and Chicago will take advantage of their revamped nature with a victory. ->Predicted Outcome: Chicago 24, Green Bay 14, bet now Ecobika -> Sports Betting -> Bet NFL click here, 0 bonus to bet with, do not miss the action and the FREE money.
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