1. B.J. Raji vs. Will Montgomery – Raji is back at nose tackle after a year on injured reserve, and Montgomery is a veteran center new to the Bears, taking over for Roberto Garza. Stopping Matt Forte and Chicago's running game starts with Raji plugging the middle when the Packers line up in their base defense.
2. Davante Adams vs. Kyle Fuller – Chicago's second-year cornerback is the Bears' best cover man, and unless he's going to be lined up in the slot against Randall Cobb, which he was last year as the nickel, he'll be outside all game, likely on Adams.
3. Packers linebackers, safeties vs. Martellus Bennett – It could be Sam Barrington, Clay Matthews, Micah Hyde, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or any combination thereof guarding Chicago's big tight end. Bennett had a huge game in Chicago early last season against Green Bay (nine catches, 134 yards), and with the Bears' receivers banged up, he'll be Jay Cutler's favorite downfield target.
4. David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga vs. Jared Allen and Pernell McPhee – With the Bears switching to a 3-4, Allen is now an outside linebacker and McPhee is a key free-agent acquisition for the pass rush. As Aaron Rodgers said this week, he doesn't expect to see Allen dropping into coverage at his new position very much.
5. Packers cornerbacks vs. Jay Cutler – It's no secret the Packers' mastery of Cutler is based on interceptions. Cutler is 1-10 as Chicago's starting QB vs. Green Bay, and he's thrown 22 interceptions in those 10 defeats. Sam Shields, Casey Hayward and Damarious Randall have to be ready to pounce on any risky throws.
Packers.com's Mike Spofford identifies five key matchups in Sunday's Packers-Bears game.
Raji is back at nose tackle after a year on injured reserve, and Montgomery is a veteran center new to the Bears, taking over for Roberto Garza. Stopping Matt Forte and Chicago's running game starts with Raji plugging the middle when the Packers line up in their base defense.
Chicago's second-year cornerback is the Bears' best cover man, and unless he's going to be lined up in the slot against Randall Cobb, which he was last year as the nickel, he'll be outside all game, likely on Adams.
It could be Sam Barrington, Clay Matthews, Micah Hyde, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or any combination thereof guarding Chicago's big tight end. Bennett had a huge game in Chicago early last season against Green Bay (nine catches, 134 yards), and with the Bears' receivers banged up, he'll be Jay Cutler's favorite downfield target.
With the Bears switching to a 3-4, Allen is now an outside linebacker and McPhee is a key free-agent acquisition for the pass rush. As Aaron Rodgers said this week, he doesn't expect to see Allen dropping into coverage at his new position very much.
It's no secret the Packers' mastery of Cutler is based on interceptions. Cutler is 1-10 as Chicago's starting QB vs. Green Bay, and he's thrown 22 interceptions in those 10 defeats. Sam Shields, Casey Hayward and Damarious Randall have to be ready to pounce on any risky throws.
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