The day is almost upon us. The day that had seemed so far out of reach while gazing at it from the other side of the summer months. This spring and summer had been persistently agonizing for Bears fans, with nothing to satiate their uncontrollable cravings for football, aside from the short-lived Alliance of American Football that had burned out by early April.

Bears fans had to endure the unwarranted onslaught of hot takes being thrown at the team, from predictions of the Bears severely regressing to a below .500 record, to the Bears defense being called mediocre and that their success was tied purely to former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Bears fans had heard it all, but those senseless ramblings amount to nothing now. The lights are about to shine, pads are about to be put on, and football is about to make its much-anticipated return to the sports world.

And for the NFL’s first official regular-season game of 2019, two-storied rivals are rearing to have an intense battle at the revered Soldier Field. Bears. Packers. It’s time. But for the Chicago Bears to reign victorious over the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers, there are a few key components in this game that they need to get right. If they accomplish them, the Bears will defeat a loathed division rival at home to kick off their 100th season. If they don’t, they’ll walk off Soldier Field in shame and start the season with a disappointing 0-1 record.

Here are the three key factors that will decide a Bears win or loss over the Green Bay Packers…

Consistent Pass Rush and Containing Aaron Rodgers

To critically analyze what it would take to defeat the Green Bay Packers, it starts and ends with two-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers. No matter how much you hate him, there is no denying his incredible talent and polish. He makes plays and throws that no one in the NFL is capable of doing. He is an absolute First Ballot Hall of Famer when he retires, and he has had the Bears number for essentially his whole career. So, how can the Bears possibly combat a Hall of Fame quarterback? Simple. Utilize the Bears defense’s greatest weapon: its pass rush.

If Aaron Rodgers has a clean pocket, he will pick apart the Bears incredible secondary with pin-point accurate throws. The Bears need to disrupt the pocket and make Rodgers as uncomfortable as possible every time he drops back to throw. This will minimize the time he has to scan the field and go through his reads, which simultaneously lowers the chance of the play to yield a positive outcome. Along with getting consistent push in the backfield, the Bears need to stay disciplined and contain Rodgers when the play breaks down. Rodgers is a magician when it comes to improvising on the fly, and seems to make miracles on a consistent basis when he escapes contain. The last thing Bears fans want to see is a SportsCenter highlight after the game where Rodgers escapes outside the pocket and fires a 50-yard beauty of a pass to Davante Adams for a touchdown.

Luckily, the Bears have a transcendent pass-rusher at their disposal with Khalil Mack, along with other skilled pass-rushers in Akiem Hicks and Leonard Floyd. The Bears defense is not only talented but also fundamentally sound, so Bears fans should feel reasonably at ease when it comes to this component.

Trubisky’s Confidence and Poise

It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, if not THE most complete. From top to bottom the Bears boast an impressive amount of talent across the board, from a truly outstanding defensive unit to a skillful and versatile offense. In fact, the only true weakness the Bears have is the kicker situation (more on that later), and depth at some positions.

Despite all that, however, the Bears live and die by the hand (or arm) of one man: Mitchell Trubisky. The third-year pro is polarizing to say the least both within the Chicago Bears fandom and the NFL as a whole. Some believe he is a certified bust who will never truly develop any of his strengths or weaknesses and is only being carried by his defense; some others believe he is a very underrated quarterback who was restricted all of his rookie year in a prehistoric John Fox offense, and he showed very encouraging progress in his first year in the offense of head coach Matt Nagy. No matter which side of the heated debate you may fall on, one thing is clear: Trubisky must prove to the NFL world that he is worthy of being the 2nd overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, and that starts on Thursday night.

Last year in a Week One matchup with the Packers, Trubisky excelled early in the game, making quick decisive throws that ended with an opening drive touchdown. As the game progressed and the scripted plays had run dry, Trubisky struggled mightily, repeatedly missing big throws down the stretch and panicking too early in the pocket. With the defense reeling, Trubisky needed to show the grit and willpower to push his team toward a victory, and he failed to do so. And now, he has his chance at redemption. Trubisky needs to be consistent all throughout the game, and not just when running scripted plays. Trubisky needs to make the tough throws when the odds are against him and to calmly escape pressure and make a positive play. He needs to make the routine throws to keep the chains moving, and he needs to make the right decisions when the game is in crunch time and mistakes are fatal.

Trubisky steadily progressed as last season continued on, and the team expects him to truly stand out as a great quarterback. Matt Nagy stated earlier this off-season that if Trubisky was in Offense 101 last year, he’s clearly in 202 this year. Now’s the time to see whether Mitch Trubisky is truly the Bears quarterback for the future.

Kicking Excellence

This will be the story that all NFL media will be talking about: “Have Bears Finally Figured Out Their Kicking Woes?”, “Is Eddy Pineiro Enough To Put Bears Over The Edge?’, “Will The Pressure Be Too Much For Pineiro?”, yada yada yada. Though the NFL media is oversaturated with Bears kicker articles and debates, this predicament is the main worry of Bears fans everywhere.

After the infamous double-doink from the Bears loss to the Eagles in the playoffs last year, Bears fans have nightmares of the same ghastly situation happening again, with a Bears kicker missing a pivotal kick that will lose a game. So Eddy Pineiro, why don’t you do every Chicago fan a favor and just nail every field goal attempt you take Thursday night against the Packers? The only cure for Pineiro-anxiety is for him to put everyone’s minds at ease with a perfect kicking night. He’ll be celebrated in Chicago for the night and everyone can go to sleep with no worries of the Bears kicking woes.

This is the game he has to prove he is the right leg for the job. The pressure on him could not be more intense: opening night, in prime-time, against the Green Bay Packers, at Soldier Field. If he misses even one makeable kick, he will never shake the unease and disdain Chicago has for him. If he performs at a sub-par level, the Bears will already be making phone calls for another kicker to replace him. His job is on the line.

This game could decide if Pineiro will be a Chicago Bear by the end of the season.

Featured Image: Sports Mockery