Packers, Bears reverse roles in league’s 100th season opener

CHICAGO — The NFL’s oldest rivalry takes on a different look to open the league’s 100th season.

It’s a role reversal for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

A year after new coach Matt Nagy took quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears to Lambeau Field to kick off the season, the script flipped, with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and new coach Matt LaFleur coming to Soldier Field.

“It was always big Chicago against little Green Bay,” Rodgers said. “We’ve held our own over the years and it’s always been a great rivalry.

“It’s one of the special ones in the history of professional sports.”

In Rodgers’ experience the Packers trust, even using a new offense for the first time since he became starter in 2008.

“He’s been there before, he’s got a lot of game reps,” LaFleur said of Rodgers. “The one thing you can always find comfort in is that you know the moment won’t be too big for him. He’s played in a lot of big games.”

Rodgers has been a particular problem for the Bears, beating them in 16 of 21 starts. Last year Rodgers shook off a 20-point deficit in the second-half and a knee injury to lead a 24-23 win over Khalil Mack and the Bears.

Chicago returned the favor in December and ended Green Bay’s five-game series winning streak to clinch the NFC North title en route to a 12-4 record.

Now it’s a matter for Rodgers of using an offense emphasizing more running and deception while facing the NFL’s top defense at intercepting passes (27).

“It’s so new, it’s so different than what we’ve done in the past,” Rodgers said.

The Packers ran less than any team in the NFL last year, and look to get running back Aaron Jones more carries.

“Now we’re throwing new things at them with personnel groupings and motions and alignments and movement and adjustments that they haven’t seen from us,” Rodgers said.

The Bears have revealed nothing offensively after sitting starters in the preseason, including Trubisky.

“He’s mentally grown, he really has,” Nagy said. “That’s what we look for, and now we have to do it on the field.”

The defense also sat out preseason, but inactivity failed to slow Mack in last year’s opener. With no training camp and only five practices after his trade from Oakland, Mack decimated Green Bay’s offense with a strip sack, fumble recovery, and a touchdown return after an interception.

He’s aching to face Green Bay again as the Bears seek their first season-opening win since 2013.

“Oh man, I’m so ready to hit somebody other than my teammate,” Mack said. “You know what I mean?”