Bears vs. Packers Week 2 matchup preview and current betting lines
Can you feel the déjà vu with these NFL Week 2 odds? Last season, the Green Bay Packers were blown out 38-3 against the Saints in Week 1, the sky was falling, and they were still an 11.5-point favorite at home on Monday night against Detroit, one of its NFC North whipping boys. Green Bay won 35-17 and went on to claim the No. 1 seed.
In 2022, the Packers had an ugly 23-7 loss in Minnesota to start the season, the sky is falling on Aaron Rodgers again, and Green Bay is still a 10-point favorite at home on Sunday night against Chicago, one of its other NFC North whipping boys.
Are the Bears going to fall to their hated rivals again? Last season, Chicago lost 45-30 on Sunday Night Football in Green Bay in Week 14, a familiar rerun. Rodgers is 12-2 at home against the Bears, and he only threw two passes in one of those losses (2013) before he was injured. When he finishes the game, Rodgers has defeated the Bears by at least two touchdowns in 70% of his night starts at home.
But what if this year was different? What if the loss of Davante Adams is too much for the offense to overcome, and while the Bears struggled in bad weather against San Francisco, they still came away with the win.
If things are going to look different in the NFC North this year, this game is Chicago’s chance.
Players to watch in the Bears vs. Packers game
Chicago Bears
Equanimous St. Brown: With the Bears looking for receivers, St. Brown could have his revenge game here after catching a touchdown in his Chicago debut and equaling the total he had in 37 games with the Packers in 2018-21. No one saw St. Brown finishing with 10 more yards than top receiver Darnell Mooney in Week 1.
Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson: After dropping a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of his career, Watson did not make his first catch until four minutes remained in the game. His last effort, a 25-yard grab on the final snap of the game, was in garbage time. Can the rookie build some trust with Rodgers?
Our Best NFL Bets for the Bears vs. Packers game
We have two NFL Week 2 predictions we really like for this game as these rivals meet in prime time again.
Bears vs. Packers Spread/Total Pick: Packers -6.5 and Under 45.5 Points (+155)
The Bears vs. Packers spread opened at Packers -9.5 and has climbed to the dreaded Packers -10 mark. Why dread? Since 2001, 10-point favorites only cover 43.9% of the time compared to 48.0% for 3-point favorites and 48.5% for 7-point favorites. It is a tougher number to achieve because it usually requires winning by at least 13 or 14 points and most game scripts try to avoid margins of 11 or 12 points.
This is why we like our NFL bet of the week to be a spread/total pick from a sportsbook like BetMGM. We can get fair odds (+155) on the Packers only needing to cover a 6.5-point spread and for the under 45.5 points to hit instead of under 42.5.
With this pick, we are hedging a bit on Green Bay still being able to dominate the Bears at home, but maybe by a lesser margin than the spread needs. No receiver but secondary back A.J. Dillon having 40 receiving yards in Minnesota was a bad start to the post-Davante era, but we feel confident enough that Rodgers will figure something out.
As for the Bears, that was still an ugly offensive game despite the win. Justin Fields gained 51 of his 121 passing yards on a broken play for a touchdown to Dante Pettis. The Packers are going to suddenly look much better on defense when Justin Jefferson isn’t on the field this week.
As nice as it would be to say this will mark a new era in Chicago football, the busted offense in Week 1 combined with the team’s little brother syndrome when facing Green Bay has us looking at the Packers rebounding here. Just tease it a bit to Packers -6.5 and under 45.5 points.
Please be sure to check our NFL picks page for more betting information.
bet on NFL with betmgmAnytime Touchdown Scorer: Aaron Jones (-102)
The Packers need to get the ball in the hands of Aaron Jones more often after five carries and three catches in Week 1. Coincidentally enough, Jones only had five carries and three catches in his last matchup with the Bears, but he still scored two touchdowns in that game. He has scored a touchdown in five out of nine career games against Chicago.
A.J. Dillon was getting more touches than Jones in Week 1 and very well could be the top back in Green Bay this year, but he also was stuffed on a key fourth-and-goal at the 1 in the first half.
Jones has scored at least 10 touchdowns in three straight seasons. With Davante Adams no longer there to get the short throws in the end zone, Adams is a viable option as a receiver and runner. He also has the best odds of scoring a touchdown for Green Bay in this game, so you should trust that he does it as the team looks for a good evening after a bad opener.
Bet on NFL with caesars >Frequently asked questions about the Chicago vs. Green Bay game in week 2
The game is being played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The NFL sure does love scheduling this game in prime time. These teams will have met 17 seasons in a row in prime time, including 15 straight during the Aaron Rodgers era. Green Bay is 10-4 in those games with seven wins by double digits.
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