Packers already face must-win game vs Bears in Week 2

The Green Bay Packers have only played one regular season game, but their Week 2 contest vs the Chicago Bears is a must-win.

Green Bay is at the bottom of the NFC North standings alongside the Detroit Lions with both teams at 0-1. The top features the Minnesota Vikings and, surprisingly, the Chicago Bears who upset the San Francisco 49ers last week.

The Packers would face extremely tall odds if they fall to 0-2, as they’d be two games behind the Bears (and likely the Vikings) with 15 left to play. That’s not insurmountable by any means, but the more concerning number should be the percentage of teams who made the playoffs after starting 0-2.

As premature as it sounds, the Green Bay Packers face a must-win game in Week 2 when they host the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.

The NFL expanded to 14 playoff teams in 2020; since then,16 teams started the season 0-2 with none of those teams reaching the playoffs. That’s consistent with the larger trend where 106 of the 118 teams who began the year 0-2 since 2007 have failed to make the postseason.

To make matters worse for Green Bay, they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in Week 3 before hosting the New England Patriots in Week 4. Those two formidable foes could make it even more difficult for the Packers to get in the win column.

Chicago is usually a good opponent for the Packers to right their ship, and it’s difficult to judge how much to take away from their monsoon game victory over San Francisco in Week 1.

However, the Packers need to worry about themselves. Their zone defense struggled against the Vikings, but this is an ideal opponent to run that scheme against. Justin Fields loves to use his legs to create opportunities and he could have huge running lanes if the Packers switch to man coverage. The veteran defensive backs need to work out their communication kinks if they want to shut down a below-average Bears’ offense.

Speaking of offense, Green Bay needs to create some trust between Aaron Rodgers and his young receivers. There are going to be ugly moments–as we saw on the first play from scrimmage when Rodgers hit Christian Watson wide open down the right sideline only for the rookie receiver to drop a walk-in touchdown–but Rodgers can’t lose trust in them. Every game will play a critical role in the offense’s continued development.

With the Packers desperately needing a victory, Chicago might be the perfect opponent. They just need to take care of business.