(670 The Score) Well folks, the Bears are back. They're back again this week, heading up to Green Bay for a Week 2 game against the Packers – life comes at you fast – but after an instantly iconic Week 1 win in the rain, they're also Back. Word on the street is that the Packers are gettable right now, which is absolutely a confidence that will serve Bears fans appropriately and not break their hearts in the cruelest way possible. The Bears' sloppy win over the 49ers may have been A Fun Win, but a road win against Aaron Rodgers would be A Statement Win for Matt Eberflus and the lads. If they're going to pull it off, they're going to need to win some of the bigger one-on-one matchups. Which ones? Great question!
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Bears' edger rushers
I'd argue there wasn't a bigger pleasant surprise last Sunday than how the Bears' edge rushers looked. Rookie Dominique Robinson's stellar debut featured 1.5 sacks, including a nifty move that looked like it was pulled straight out of Robert Quinn's playbook. Imagine that! Trevis Gipson didn't get to the 49ers' Trey Lance, but his five quarterback pressures were sixth-best across the league. As a unit, the Bears' pass rush win rate settled in, according to ESPN, around 41% – putting them squarely in the middle of the pack. All things considered (like, for instance, Trent Williams) that's pretty good! On the other hand, the Packers' offensive line played relatively well too last Sunday – their pass block win rate (60%) had them ranked 15th, but their run block win rate (75%) was third-best. One game is certainly too early to make any grand-scale assumptions, but where's the fun in that? It's a tale as old as time: If Rodgers has the requisite peace and quiet he needs to destroy the Bears' spirit, he probably will. But the Bears handled a future Hall of Fame left tackle and mobile quarterback pretty well last week, so the guess here is that they're up for the challenge.
Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy vs. Packers coach Matt LeFleur
I feel like sometimes the fact that the major architect behind the Bears' new offense spent some very formative years coaching the Packers gets understated. That's kinda weird! Getsy's first game in Chicago came with some mixed reviews. The first half was wildly uninspiring, complete with 1,000 runs on second-and-long paired with 2,000 running back dump-offs. It was like when you play Madden trying to be realistic before realizing that's not what video games are for. The good news is that Getsy brought a little special something called "in-game adjustments" down from Green Bay, and the second half was way more encouraging. While it doesn't take too many dots to connect 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan with Getsy, it's not a stretch to assume that LeFleur is far more familiar with the Bears' offensive coordinator and what he plans to do. Who has the upper hand?! *NBC music blasts* -- find out on Sunday Night Football this week!
Bears TE Cole Kmet vs. whoever covers Cole Kmet
Remember how the most smug corners of Bears Twitter kept loudly talking to you about how no one was talking about Kmet? And that tight ends take time to develop and you can't judge a tight end's development until he's either named an All-Pro or retires? Well, if you can believe it, Kmet began his third NFL season with a zero-catch, zero-yard performance. He was targeted once. It's hard to criticize what a player puts on tape if they stay hidden! (It's a joke but, like, not entirely.) Kmet came into this year -- like last year and actually his rookie year too -- as the supposed game-changing modern receiving tight end. And so far this year -- like last year and actually his rookie year too -- he hasn't been. His blocking looked OK at times though! If Kmet is going to break out, now's the time. Scramble drill touchdown heaves to Dante Pettis are fun but probably aren't a reliable form of points for the Bears. The jury is going to stay out on Bears' players until they put together a couple games in dry weather, but I'm not sure Kmet can afford the slow starts he's gotten off to in his previous two seasons. Feed him!
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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