The NFL will likely feature an NFC North rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in the league's Thursday Kickoff Game to open the 2019 season, John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reported on Monday.
According to Ourand, the league is leaning toward having Chicago host the season's first game as a part of its 100th-anniversary celebration on Sept. 5, allowing it to showcase the NFL's oldest rivalry. The Bears and Packers first played in 1921 and have faced each other 198 times since.
If true, the move would mark the first time since 2006 that the Super Bowl champion will not appear in the league's opening game.