‘Sunday Night Football’ open thread: Bears at Packers

The NFC North could be hotly contested in 2022, and we get a preview of it tonight on “Sunday Night Football.”

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears had opposite results in Week 1, but it was not the outcome we expected. The Bears shocked the lifeless San Francisco 49ers in the torrential rain start the season 1-0. The Packers, meanwhile, fell flat against the Minnesota Vikings, mustering a mere seven points in their loss to their division rival. Will they have more success against a different NFC North foe?

Justin Fields threw for a pair of touchdowns against the 49ers, albeit for a mere 121 yards and eight completions. Still, weather was a factor, so the Bears passing attack could see an uptick in fairer conditions. For that the happen, however, Fields will need a target to step up. Darnell Mooney had a lone catch last week, and while Dante Pettis led the team with 51 yards, it all came on a single play. Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet need to rebound if they want to add another win to their record.

The Packers are similarly facing receiver problems. Without Davante Adams, Aaron Rodgers never looked comfortable with any of his pass catchers in Week 1. No player topped 50 receiving yards, and Rodgers finished the game without a touchdown pass. The rushing game was problematic too—Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were efficient (9.8 Y/A and 4.5 Y/A, respectively), but Green Bay only gave them a combined 15 carries. We’ll see if Green Bay changes up their playbook to favor their two talented backs.

Will the Bears emerge victorious and catapult themselves to 2-0, or will the Packers bounce back and return to a .500 record?

Here is how to watch tonight’s game:

Date: Sunday, September 18, 2022
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Location: Lambeau Field—Green Bay, WI
TV: NBC
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, & Melissa Stark
Online: NBCSports.com