The road to Super Bowl LVI starts against the Saints in Jacksonville
Another season of Green Bay Packer football is upon us once again, and our beloved Packers play the New Orleans Saints at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville at 3:25 pm Central Time.
First of all, let us send our thoughts, prayers, and well wishes to everyone affected by Hurricane Ida, the reason why the game is being played in Jacksonville instead of the Superdome in New Orleans. We all love the game of football, but human lives always come first.
For the Saints, Drew Brees is retired and will definitely make the Hall of Fame in five years. For this game, Jameis Winston is under center. The Packers faced him before and he is a threat with his arm and his legs. Alvin Kamara will probably get a lot of carries for the Saints. Michael Thomas will not play but the Packers cannot afford to rest on Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, or Lil’Jordan Humphrey. None of these are household names and let’s keep it that way. Joe Barry is the new Defensive Coordinator for the Packers. Let’s see what he has for the Saints in his first game coaching the team.
After all of the drama, Aaron Rodgers is back for season #17 and coming off an MVP campaign. He has Aaron Jones and Davante Adams as part of his weapons, and that is just a start. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is back and if he can put his drops behind him, he can really stretch the field. David Bakhtiari will not be available but the versatile Elgton Jenkins will be there to fill the gap. With the weapons Rodgers has, he should be able to put a lot of points on the board once again.
On special teams, Mason Crosby returns for his 15th season, but he has a new punter and holder, Corey Bojorquez. Hopefully, they can get their chemistry down as far as holding for field goals and extra points, but the team is looking for more consistency when it comes to punting, hopefully, something the Packers don’t have to do a lot of this season.
It’s basically a neutral site for the Packers and Saints but the Packers did play a game in that stadium to open the season before, a 27-23 win over the Jaguars. They also won 37-30 over the Saints at the Superdome last year, but that was when the crowd was less than full capacity. The Saints probably think they can’t catch a break. Maybe not, but the Packers still need to win the game.
Aaron Rodgers is not calling it his “last dance” with the team. Perhaps it’s his last season in Green Bay or maybe not, but if it is, let’s make it a memorable one starting this Sunday.
We don’t know what the future holds. All we know is that it’s game 1 of 17, yes, 17 games this season. We have a long way to go so let’s just enjoy the ride while we can.
We likely won’t have a huge crowd against us in this first game so let’s jump out ahead early and dominate. Let’s get off to a good start to this long season. Wherever you are, get loud and ready to cheer our team to victory. The road to Super Bowl LVI starts now. Get loud Packer fans!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
