The king of Cheesehead Nation and all he rules in Green Bay has returned with 134 million reasons to play into his late thirties. In case you missed it, and we know you didn’t, Aaron Rodgers played in only six full games last season due to a cringe-worthy broken collarbone. Well, the bone has healed and the Packers are expected to reclaim their seat at the postseason table after posting a dismal 7-9 record in 2017. But now the king is back – All Hail the King!

Green Bay’s first opponent of the 2018 season is the Chicago Bears, a divisional rival that has made great strides in the offseason and recently swung an enormous deal which brought them a defensive stud in Khalil Mack from Oakland. A swarming defense may prove daunting to the Packers in the early going because as good as Rodgers is, every king needs a court, and the future Hall-of-Famer has just one top-tier target to throw to in Davante Adams. Yes, the Packers did well to woo Jimmy Graham into the fold and he will be a big red-zone target that Rodgers will grow to love. However, this 31-year-old edition no longer possesses the elite dexterity and mobility for a man of his size that he did when he toiled in New Orleans for another great quarterback, Drew Brees. Nevertheless, there is no doubt Green Bay upgraded at tight end over last season.

There are a few interesting trends to consider in this matchup. Green Bay is 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the number over their last four meetings with Chicago. In addition, the Bears are 5-11 ATS over their last 16 road contests, 2-9 ATS over their last 11 games in September, and 1-6 ATS over their last seven against NFC opponents. Let’s also not forget that Chicago’s offense last season was truly – offensive! The 2017 Bears were the first NFL team since 1960 to run less than 38 offensive plays in two games during the season. They also led the league in three-and-outs while ranked 29^th in scoring.

Yes, the Chicago brass cleared the decks and brought in a new coaching staff with a new offensive perspective but do we suddenly see a team going from the outhouse to the penthouse in less than a year? The Packers were not world-beaters last season either but when you remove a Hall-of-Fame legend from the mix, a sharp regression is almost expected regardless of the ancillary talent on the roster. This year Rodgers is under center, hopefully for the entire season, but he is definitely barking signals on Sunday night which is why the Packers have to be considered a legitimate favorite at home.

As we evaluate this Sunday night clash, it’s important to take a peek at how the oddsmakers view this game and there is no better online sportsbook in the business than Bovada, so check their review before placing any action. As of this midweek writing, the venerable online sportsbook is hanging the Packers as 7 ½ point betting favorites. That may seem a bit steep considering the upgrades on the Chicago defense but their young quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, struggled with accuracy and fumbles in his rookie campaign which leads us to believe that unless he has a Carson Wentz-like trajectory in his second season then it could be a long evening for the 24-year-old signal caller. We are confident that Rodgers will be loaded for bear after spending most of 2017 on the shelf and it’s as good a time as any to let Chicago know that their time as NFC North champs has not yet come.