We're in the single digits as far as days left until the Chicago Bears open their 2017 season against the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons. Technically speaking, the league season starts on Thursday but that's irrelevant in this context.

In any event, there couldn't have been a tougher matchup on paper for these rebuilding Bears with a placeholder quarterback in Mike Glennon than these very Falcons.

But could the Super Bowl hangover come back to bite the NFC darlings? Is there a weakness the Bears could exploit to pull off the massive early season upset? Perhaps something lies in the wings.

Jeanna Thomas, of SB Nation NFL and The Falcoholic, joined us to discuss expectations for Atlanta this season, Super Bowl hangovers, underrated match-ups to watch out for, and potentially, somehow carve out a fathomable way the Bears could pull off the unthinkable. (Player link here) (Follow her and her great work on Twitter @jeannathomas!)

On this episode of WCG Radio

• Jeanna Thomas hops on WCG Radio to give the lowdown on the Falcons in advance of their Week 1 matchup with Chicago.
• What are the concerns of a Super Bowl hangover? What's the aura surrounding the team?
• How the Falcons are offsetting the loss of Kyle Shanahan. Can we expect a drop off from the offense and Matt Ryan?
• Whether the young Atlanta defense is ready to make the leap as an elite unit.
• Top matchups to watch out for from Julio Jones against anyone, to Grady Jarrett shining on a big stage again.
• Weaknesses the Bears can focus on to pull off the upset. Is there some hidden secret?
• Two or three years from now, who's the better player: Leonard Floyd or Vic Beasley?
• Jeanna's reasonable expectations for the season and her pick for Bears-Falcons.
• BEARS CHECKLIST
• Trubisky-Glennon hoopla
• Strengths and weaknesses
• John Fox's future and goals as head coach
• Breakout players, strugglers, and the best of the best
• Attempting to fill in the loss of Cameron Meredith
• Realistically, how far away are the Bears from contending?
• Statistical predictions for major Bears
• Season predictions, Week 1 NFL picks, Bears-Falcons pick

Robert Zeglinski is the Bears beat writer for the Rock River Times and is an editor for Windy City Gridiron. Andrew Link is a staff writer for Windy City Gridiron. You can follow them on Twitter @RobertZeglinski and @BearsLink82.