The wait is finally over. The NFL regular season kicks off with an exceptional matchup between the visiting Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears on Thursday night. The Bears are currently a field goal favorite, and we’ve all had lots of time to form an opinion on how it’ll play out.
Beyond the game itself, there are plenty of prop opportunities available as well. Here are our favorites.
First Touchdown Scorer
Davante Adams +700
David Montgomery +800
Aaron Jones +900
Any Other Player +900
Tarik Cohen +1100
Allen Robinson +1200
Anthony Miller +1600
Marquez Valdes-Scantling +1700
Mitchell Trubisky +1800
Mike Davis +1900
Other Players In Field +2000 to +17500
The Pick: Aaron Jones +900
The Bears had one of the top defenses in the league a season ago. There has been a change at DC from Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano, but the unit should be stout once again. Shoring up the defense was a huge focus for the Packers in the offseason.
We’re not expecting either team to march up and down the field at will here. For the first TD, we like Jones to cap off a tough drive for Green Bay by hitting paydirt.
Quarterback Passing Yards Head To Head
Aaron Rodgers -170
Mitchell Trubisky +126
The Pick: Aaron Rodgers -170
If a defensive-minded affair comes to fruition, then passing totals could be muted for this game. That said, all of the chatter about the Aaron Rodgers dynamic with new head coach Matt LaFleur is due to be put to bed as quickly as possible.
Rodgers will have zero problem in a new scheme, and LaFleur isn’t going to do anything outlandish to stunt the franchise signal caller. That’ll be demonstrated on the field on Thursday night.
Both Teams To Score X Points
10+ Points -834
15+ Points -170
20+ Points +132
25+ Points +450
30+ Points +850
35+ Points +1600
40+ Points +2000
The Pick: 20+ Points +132
In two meetings last year, these two clubs combined for 47 and 41 points. The Packers took the first one by a score of 24-23, while the Bears returned the favor with a 24-17 victory later in the year. The oddsmakers have placed the total for this game in the same ballpark at 46.5 points.
A mirror image of last year’s Week 1 showdown wouldn’t stun us. We’re looking for both sides to squeak past 20 points.
Outcome Of First Drive
Punt -154
Touchdown +285
Field Goal Attempted +380
Turnover +700
The Pick: Punt -154
Heading in, this game has the makings of a hard-nosed affair which is decided in the final minutes. That being the case, we expect the defense to set the tone from the outset. It wouldn’t surprise us to see a three and out fest for the opening quarter, so a punt seems like the wise choice.
Our Take On The Game Itself
The oddsmakers seem to be right on the money here. Along with the Minnesota Vikings, these two squads should be in a tight race for the division all year. We should get a sense of how close it will be in the season opener. We’re rolling with the Packers plus the points, and an outright upset wouldn’t shock us either.
