To Dean from Belmont, MI, I love that song. Based on Mike’s response, I’m not sure he got the reference.
I thought maybe it was an ICP reference. Nope, just Judy Collins.
No international game this season for the Packers, that’s a good thing? What are your takeaways regarding the Packers’ schedule?
Interesting is the word that comes to mind. Obviously, no schedule is gonna be perfect, but the overall layout strikes me as a bit odd. The Packers got their long-awaited Week 1 home opener but not much else. They play Washington four days after the Detroit opener, have the NFL’s earliest bye and face a 13-game gauntlet to the finish line. Whoa, Nelly, indeed.
I’m sure players would rather have the bye a few weeks later but the first Thursday game should be to our advantage. Not only are we home but also both teams have the same amount of rest, and we are the youngest team, right?
Time will tell on the youth front, but I’m not a fan of the early Thursday night game. That’s a whole lot of sitting around before playing the hardest sport in the world twice in five days. As Spoff mentioned on “Unscripted,” it’s a tough break for the Packers not catching that first Thursday “mini-bye” after the actual bye in Week 5. On the bright side, the Packers can do plenty of scouting and game-planning to prepare for both matchups.
Dean from Leavenworth, IN
The first two weeks won’t make or break the Packers’ season! But I do think they will set the tone for the next 16. The first couple games have tended to look more like preseason than regular-season games recently, and I’m curious how you think they might speed up the process to be in-season ready and come out of the gate strong?
I couldn’t tell you, Dean, but I’m sure Matt LaFleur and the coaches will take all the data they’ve gathered over the years and channel it towards a fast start. Again, that five-day stretch is critical not only because it’s the first two weeks of the season but it also represents a quarter of Green Bay’s home slate of regular-season games.
Edward from Sioux Falls, SD
I thought it was an unwritten rule that if you were a visiting team on Thanksgiving that your TNF game on Amazon Prime was the previous game or the next game, so you only had one four-day break during the season. Looks like the NFL found a new way to mess with the Packers.
It is what it is, but I don’t believe going Thursday-to-Thursday is an unwritten rule or anything. It just worked out that way last year with the Lions after Thanksgiving.
I’m sure there will be complainers about the team’s schedule, but there isn’t anything particularly aberrant about the schedule, like three home games or three road games in a row. The schedule won’t matter if the Packers play well, and it won’t matter if they play poorly.
Again, the schedule is the schedule and how things look one year doesn’t necessarily impact the next. Play the games, win as many of ’em as possible and see where that puts you. That’s it.
The Week 5 bye is really early, but I guess having two Thursday night games with mini-byes will help. However, the first Thursday night game is Week 2 against Washington.
I didn’t remember until Spoff told me the Packers started the 2012 season the same way, hosting San Francisco in the opener at Lambeau before welcoming Chicago on Thursday night. Green Bay started 2-2 (thanks Lance Easley) but then ripped off four straight wins to head into the bye 6-2. It is a massive opportunity for the Packers to build early momentum if they capitalize on it.
Chase from Diamond Springs, CA
I don’t know why, but it always feels wrong to play a team twice in three weeks. Really, it’s only two weeks separated. I know each game is its own, but I’ve just never been a fan. Although, I do appreciate that if they’re going to do that, that it happens at the end of the season.
Call me obtuse, but that’s one part of the schedule I don’t really mind. Would it have been cool to kick off the rivalry with the Ben Johnson-led Bears a little sooner? For sure, but now we get two December games against the Packers’ biggest rival who’s also an outdoor, cold-weather team. Strategically, I’m eager to see what adjustments are made in such a short turnaround.
One interesting note about the schedule is that the first two games are against the fourth-down territory leaders. Both Commanders and Lions have consistently gone for it on fourth down. Those will be two games where the defense will have to work hard to get the opponent off the field.
Interesting quirk, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we see more NFL teams going for it on fourth down moving forward. Those first two weeks may just be preparing the Packers for even more aggression in the games that follow.
Dave from Lake Zurich, IL
Dallas may be a big TV draw but I’ve seen that the Steelers and the Packers actually have the largest national following. I don’t understand what the appeal of the Cowboys is.
Branding is a powerful, powerful mechanism. The Cowboys are always in the headlines.
Paul from Farnborough, UK
Dear Wes/Spoff, how’s the schedule worked out for you both on a personal level? Which date did you look for first … “Oh no, working Thanksgiving again.”
Pretty much. I think I’d rather cover a Christmas game at home than eat more turkey in the Ford Field press box.
James from Ottawa, Canada
What do we make of a third straight Thanksgiving game? To me, personally, that’s amazing. As a Canadian, I’ve formed the habit of using vacation time on American Thanksgiving so I can enjoy the parade and football uninterrupted. I feel for you guys and the players/personnel, though, for another consecutive Thanksgiving interrupted by the work grind.
I could do without it, but we have a year from international travel…so I have that going for me, which is…something.