Bears are Week 1 favorites at home vs. Packers

Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers fans will always be at odds, especially on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. So when the 2023 NFL schedule was released, it should be no surprise that their Week 1 showdown at Soldier Field sparked bold predictions from both fanbases.

The Bears and Packers will look like very different teams this season. Chicago has undergone a roster makeover with a revamped offensive line and wide receiver corps. Green Bay officially moved on from Aaron Rodgers and will field Jordan Love as their starting quarterback in 2023.

Chicago Bears fans have claimed an advantage largely because of the quarterbacks. Let that sink in for a minute.

Bears fans have been tortured by more than 30 consecutive years of Packers quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers — three decades of Hall-of-Fame play. For the first time in many Bears fans’ lives, there is a sense of confidence that the QB in their uniform is the better player.

Justin Fields burst onto the national scene in 2022 when he nearly broke the single-season rushing record for a quarterback. He finished the year with 1,143 rushing yards (8 touchdowns), and while his passing numbers need improvement, there’s optimism that a second year in the same offense with more talent at wide receiver will lead to it.

That optimism is shared by the experts in Las Vegas, who’ve pegged the Chicago Bears as Week 1 home favorites against the Packers (-2.5).

Indeed, Green Bay fans could argue that home teams usually get a three-point advantage, so a 2.5-point edge could suggest Vegas believes the Packers will pull off the upset.

For now, the Chicago Bears are favorites over the Green Bay Packers. Perhaps it’s foreshadowing the changing of the guard in the NFC North. Bears fans certainly hope so.