The NFL, celebrating its 100th season in existence, will open the 2019 campaign with one of its longest-running rivalries. The league announced Monday that the upcoming season will kick off when the Green Bay Packers visit the Chicago Bears for a Thursday night matchup on Sept. 5:

The Packers are beginning a new era under first-year head coach Matt LaFleur, who replaced longtime coach Mike McCarthy in January. Green Bay went just 7-9 last season, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row, the first time that has happened since Aaron Rodgers took over as the team's full-time starter in 2008. The team finished 14th in points scored and 22nd in points against last season.

The Packers, normally averse to major roster changes, have been extremely active this offseason. Edge rushers Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith signed big-money contracts with the green and gold in the opening days of free agency, while standout safety Adrian Amos, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bears, also inked a lucrative long-term contract with Green Bay. Franchise stalwarts like linebacker Clay Matthews and wide receiver Randall Cobb left the team, too.

The Bears, meanwhile, come off a season in which they finished 12-4 under first-year coach Matt Nagy, establishing themselves as one of the league's most promising young teams. They fell 16-15 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs, despite outgaining the defending champions by 56 total yards, winning the turnover battle 0-2, and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky throwing for 303 yards – his fourth-highest total of the season.

Chicago has been relatively quiet in free agency thus far. Its most notable acquisitions to date are safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, formerly of the Packers, and versatile playmaker Cordarelle Patterson, who made an impact at both wide receiver and running back for the New England Patriots last season.