Packers look to avoid first 0-8 road record in team history

The Packers, 0-7 on the road this season, have one last chance to rid themselves of that goose egg as they take on the New York Jets in the Meadowlands on Sunday at Noon Central Time.

The Packers are 5-8-1 after falling 24-17 at Soldier Field while the Jets are 4-10, losing 29-22 at home to the Houston Texans on Saturday night.

Congrats to both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams on being selected to the Pro Bowl. While that is often a popularity contest, both players are deserving despite a down year for Rodgers.

Speaking of Rodgers, his reputation has taken quite a hit this year, but he has a chance to end the season on a somewhat positive note. One of the debates this week is if Rodgers should sit out these last two games. He is choosing to play, citing leadership. It also gives him an opportunity to develop some chemistry with the young receivers. It’s true that he is risking the possibility of a major injury, but don’t all players do so whenever they step out onto the field? I say let him play and try to end this disappointing season with a few wins.

Sam Darnold is just a rookie, and he often played like one this year, but he has the potential to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league within the next three years. The offense is not very good at all, but the Packers have faced some weak offenses before this season and couldn’t pull out a victory, mainly because their own offense has gone to sleep at critical moments of the game. This is a chance for the defense to come out and play well.

The Jets lead the all-time series 8-4 but the Packers have won the previous two meetings, including a 9-0 road win in 2010. The Packers would go on to win the Super Bowl that season.

Ron Wolf used to be in the Jets’ front office. In fact, the team planned to take Brett Favre in 1991, but the Atlanta Falcons, who had the pick right before the Jets, picked Favre, and the Jets took QB Browning Nagle instead. Both teams ended up disappointed. After one year, the Falcons traded him to Green Bay, and of course, he is now in the Hall of Fame. Ironically, Favre eventually ended up with the Jets for a season after they missed out on drafting him.

Week 1 wins can be deceiving. We know about the Packers’ thrilling comeback win over the Bears, but the Jets had an impressive win as well as they won 48-17 at Detroit on Monday night. The Jets came crashing down to earth after that game, even more than the Packers.

The last time the Packers failed to win on the road during an entire season was in 1958, going 0-6 on the road and 1-10-1 overall. It was a dreadful year for them, but it resulted in the team hiring Vince Lombardi. We all know how that move turned out.

It’s true that losing out would give the Packers a higher draft selection, but there is something about finishing the season on a winning note (albeit against two lousy opponents) despite how disappointing this season has been. Besides, they will have a chance at a quality player no matter where they end up on the draft board. It’s more important that they hit on these picks.

Like I said before, a lot of these players are competing for roster spots next season, so I expect them to come out and play well. Even if Joe Philbin is gone after the season, I’m sure he still wants to coach somewhere, so these are important games for him as well. The season isn’t over yet, and they owe us a good performance whenever they take the field.

We never know what we’re going to get, but I expect the Packers to not only be competitive, but to get a win at the Meadowlands on Sunday. Let’s finish up the season with a pair of wins, starting with the J-E-T-S!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901