The NFC North is in unfamiliar territory entering Week 2’s Sunday night game between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. The Bears are tied with the Minnesota Vikings for first place in the division. The Packers, meanwhile, are tied for last with the Detroit Lions.
Sure, it’s only one week. And the Packers were in a similar place last year this time. Green Bay lost 38-3 to the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 opener. They responded the next week with a 35-17 drubbing of the Detroit Lions.
The Bears outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, 19-10, in monsoon-like conditions in their opener at Soldier Field. If nothing else, Chicago proved they’re a mentally tough team that’s well coached and fundamentally sound. But there weren’t enough highlights from the Bears’ win to spark much confidence that they’ll defeat the Packers Sunday night, even with how bad Aaron Rodgers and his wide receivers looked.
Bears-Packers Week 2 betting odds
According to Bet MGM, the Packers are favored to win the game by 10 points. That’s a huge number, especially considering the juice teams usually bring to division rivalry games. But, facts are facts. Green Bay has dominated the Bears in recent years, winning 11 of the last 12 matchups. Rodgers’ dominance of Chicago’s defense is undisputed, too. He has a passer rating of 109.2 with 6,549 yards, 61 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 27 games against the Bears.
So, yeah, it’s easy to understand why the Packers are heavily favored. They began the 2022 season as one of the NFC’s favorites for the Super Bowl. Chicago, meanwhile, was routinely ranked in the bottom five teams in the league in power rankings during the preseason.
The outlook for the NFC North in 2022 will be flipped upside down if the Chicago Bears somehow pull off an upset. Make sure you tune in.
