The defending Super Bowl champion usually plays in the NFL's opening game the next season, but not this year. To kick off the league's 100th season, they opted for a classic rivalry game between two of the NFL's most storied franchises with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears going head-to-head.

These bitter division rivals will meet for a highly anticipated matchup at Soldier Field with big implications for both sides. The Packers might have Aaron Rodgers, but the Bears are being listed as 3.5 point favorites, courtesy of our friends over at BetOnline.ag.

Home-field advantage is often worth around three points, which means oddsmakers would view these teams pretty equally on a neutral field. The Packers beat the Bears in Week 1 last year in a dramatic comeback, and now the Bears are looking to return the season-opening favor.

After a drama-filled 2018 season that spilled into the offseason, the Packers desperately need to start hot. This isn't a must-win game by any means, but the Packers can't afford a slow start overall. Rodgers has been caught up in various feuds all offseason, especially after Bleacher Report's recent expose where he was not portrayed too kindly.

Rodgers needs to go out and prove his critics wrong, and the team should have the energy they were desperately lacking with Mike McCarthy under new coach Matt LaFleur.

This game is also very important for the Bears, as they look to prove they weren't one-hit wonders last season. The Bears won the NFC North last year but were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Eagles. This game will be hyped up endlessly for the next five months or so, and as of right now the Bears are expected to emerge victoriously.

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