The Chicago Bears are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won 12 games and captured the NFC North division title before ultimately suffering a heartbreaking Wild Card Round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But now, heading into 2019, the Bears seem prepared to take that next step, as their offense seems to have improved and their dominant defense still remains.

The Bears will open up their regular season against the hated NFC North division rival Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on Thursday night, an awesome way to start the year, indeed.

The Packers should also be better than the 6-9-1 disaster they were in 2018, so this will be a terrific matchup.

Chicago is known for its defense, but for the first time in quite a while, the Bears actually have some legitimate talent on the offensive side of the ball.

Mitchell Trubisky is an improving young quarterback, Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis, and rookie David Montgomery comprise what should be a very good backfield, and Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel seem prepared to take a step forward as the Bears' 1-2 wide receiver tandem.

But then there is second-year wide out Anthony Miller, who got off to a great start last season but then tailed off in the second half due to injuries and for simply falling out of favor.

Miller has been dealing with a pesky ankle injury, but he is not listed on the injury report, so he appears to be full steam ahead for the season opener.

While Robinson is the clear No. 1, Gabriel's hold on the No. 2 receiver role does not seem entirely safe. While Gabriel is certainly a solid wide out, Miller is lurking and seems to have an opportunity to step in and assert himself as one of Trubisky's top targets.

Expect him to do just that in Week 1.

With tight end Trey Burton listed as questionable due to a strained groin, Miller may end up seeing considerable action, as Trubisky could be one target down without his tight end.

Yes, Robinson will still get the bulk of the targets, and Trubisky will look Gabriel's way, as well, but let's remember how big of a part of the Bears' offense Miller was in the first half of 2018.

On the season overall, he hauled in 33 receptions for 423 yards and seven touchdowns, but he only caught four passes in December.

Prior to that, Miller was a regular target of Trubisky's, with his best outing coming on Nov. 11 when he snared five balls for 122 yards and a score.

This kid was also a monster at Memphis, closing out his collegiate career by registering 96 catches for 1,462 yards and 18 touchdowns during his junior campaign, so we know Miller can play.

It just seems to be a matter of him staying healthy.

The Bears drafted Miller in the second round last year for a reason. They have high hopes for the 24-year-old, and they will surely do whatever they can to try and make him a significant part of the offense moving forward.

So, look for Miller to be a rather key cog in Chicago's aerial attack against Green Bay on Thursday evening, particularly with Burton potentially being sidelined.