Sky live preview: The Chicago Bears host Green Bay Packers
Monday 14 September 2015 10:21, UK
The Green Bay Packers begin their quest for a fifth Super Bowl in franchise history when they face NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 3 HD.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers reached the NFC Championship Game last season but came up short when they surrendered a two-score lead to the Seattle Seahawks with four minutes to play.
The Packers begin their 2015 campaign against a new-look Bears team, with John Fox as head coach and Ryan Pace calling the shots as general manager.
Star wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been traded to the New York Jets but quarterback Jay Cutler returns and will make his 12th appearance against Green Bay as Chicago's quarterback.
The Packers have traditionally had Cutler's number, winning 10 of the previous 11 games he has started for the Bears against them and forcing him into 22 interceptions, an average of two per game.
Fox's appointment as head coach signalled a shift away from the high-flying aerial attack orchestrated by his predecessor Marc Trestman and the Packers have taken note of the Bears' philosophical shift in the preseason.
"You can tell on film that John Fox has been doing a great job with him [Cutler]," said cornerback Casey Hayward, referring to Chicago's new head coach. "I think they only had one turnover in the preseason."
Green Bay suffered a huge blow in the preseason when Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Former Packers receiver James Jones was resigned after a year in Oakland to help fill the void while Randall Cobb, who had 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014, and second-year player Devante Adams will be asked to assume greater roles.
Cobb has struggled with a shoulder injury picked up in the third preseason game but appears on track to play while starting safety Morgan Burnett is a doubt with a calf injury.
For the Bears, top receivers Alshon Jeffrey, Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson are all on track to play after practicing on a limited basis on Friday.
Jeffrey is the biggest concern as he continues his recovery from a calf injury, but Fox said he "he looked pretty good at what he did."
As division rivals these teams met twice last season with the Packers routing the Bears on both occasions, 38-17 at Soldier Field and 55-14 at Lambeau Field.
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The Bears' owners, the McCaskey family, made their displeasure regarding those results public at the end of last season and Fox is well aware a repeat in his first competitive game in charge would not be received kindly.
"I think that's fairly common knowledge," Fox said. "Obviously when the matriarch of our organization [Virginia McCaskey] comes out and is not real happy with the way things have gone, I think some of that is probably relative to the two games against our opponents this Sunday. That message is pretty loud and clear."
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