Good evening, everyone. It’s time for another season of Green Bay Packers football. Last year, the Packers went 13-3 while having the NFL’s top-ranked offense, which was led by head coach Matt LaFleur and QB Aaron Rodgers. Unfortunately, the Packers came one game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field 31-26. Since that game, a lot of things happened. A couple of key contributors to the Packers left for other teams. Center Corey Linsley went to the Los Angeles Chargers, while RB Jamaal Williams went to the Detroit Lions in free agency. In terms of coaching changes, Mike Pettine resigned as Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator Shawn Mennanga was let go. In their respective places, the Packers hired Joe Barry and promoted Maurice Drayton.
There are a few promising rookie players this year for Green Bay, including CB Eric Stokes from Georgia, WR Amari Rodgers from Clemson, center Josh Myers from Ohio State, and RB Kylin Hill from Mississippi State. During the offseason, the Packers traded for Randall Cobb, bringing him back to wear the Green and Gold for at least one more season. Despite the drama that occurred from April until training camp, Aaron Rodgers came back to Green Bay. To be honest, I was expecting Rodgers to be back in Green Bay anyway. I am happy that Aaron Rodgers came back to Green Bay, though I think that this year might be the last one for him in a Packers uniform.
For now, it’s time to focus on Week 1 of the 2021 season. The Packers will be taking on the New Orleans Saints. In a normal situation, the Saints would be hosting this game at the SuperDome. However, because of the damage done to the city by Hurricane Ida, the game was moved to TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL. It’s still a home game for New Orleans, but I am sure that there will be more Packers fans there in Jacksonville. It will be a very hot game with a game time temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit. With the Packers forced to wear their green jerseys, a top priority is to keep the players hydrated. Other than that, here are the keys to winning on Sunday afternoon.
On offense, the key for the Packers is to have a balanced attack to keep things from being predictable. It all starts with the offensive line, which is starting two rookies: center Josh Myers and right guard Royce Newman. With David Bakhtiari out for at least the first 6 weeks of the season, Elgton Jenkins takes his spot at left tackle. Billy Turner will be at right tackle, while the left guard spot will be taken by Lucas Patrick. It is up to these guys to open the holes for the running backs (Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Kylin Hill) to go through and to keep Aaron Rodgers upright. If they are able to do these two things, then the offense should be efficient in scoring and not committing turnovers. Of course, it’s up to the running backs to follow the holes and carry the ball for plenty of yards without fumbling it against the Saints defense. For the passing game, it’s up to Aaron Rodgers to throw accurately to his receivers. It will be up to the receivers (plus the running backs, on occasion) to run their routes and catch every pass without a drop. I feel like Rodgers has plenty of weapons to throw to, including Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, and Randall Cobb (plus rookie Amari Rodgers). With how beaten up the Saints defense is, especially in the secondary, I think that it will be a big game for the offense as a whole. As long as they don’t turn the ball over and not have stalled drives, I think that the Packers will put up at least 35 points on Sunday.
On defense, the key for the Packers is to keep the Saints running game in check. Last year, Alvin Kamara was the top weapon for the Saints. This year, that remains the same with Michael Thomas being out due to injury. Whether it’s a run play or a pass play, Kamara should be a top priority for the Packers defense. There can’t be a repeat of the game last year in which Kamara caught a screen pass and broke a whole bunch of tackles on his way to a touchdown. Whether it’s him or someone else running the ball for the Saints, the Packers defense needs to get the tackle for minimum gain. If the run game is kept in check, then it’s time to get after the quarterback. With Drew Brees retired, the starting QB for the Saints is Jameis Winston. Winston was known as a turnover machine when he was with Tampa Bay. In 2019, he threw for over 5000 yards and 33 touchdowns, but he threw 30 interceptions. If the pass rush (which includes Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark) can pressure him enough, then he should throw a few passes that would easily get picked off by the likes of Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Kevin King, or even rookie CB Eric Stokes. The Packers defense still has to look out for any trick plays involving QB Taysom Hill. As always, third down is key for the Packers on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the Packers need to keep the Saints from winning the first 2 downs and force them into long third down situations. In the red zone, the defense needs to keep the Saints from scoring too many touchdowns. If the Packers defense can do these things, then it should be a comfortable margin of victory for Green Bay (assuming that the offense holds their end of the bargain).
On Special Teams, the key for Green Bay is to not make too many mistakes that can change the game’s outcome. For example, there can’t be a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown that gives the Saints extra momentum. To prevent that from happening, the line needs to make sure that the kick by Mason Crosby goes smoothly without any Saints players getting in the way. For the kick to go smoothly, the snap needs to be done accurately by Hunter Bradley and new punter Corey Bojorquez needs to get a good hold on the ball. Bojorquez replaced JK Scott, who had a tough season last year in terms of deep punts. What also did not help was the fact that the Packers gave up 2 punt return touchdowns last year (one each against the Jaguars and the Eagles). For Bojorquez, his job is to punt the ball deep in Saints territory to give New Orleans bad field position. On the other side, I have hope that the Packers will get a punt return touchdown of their own sometime this season. On kickoffs and punts, the returners need to make the most out of their opportunities, unless the kick is out of bounds or a touchback. In some situations, a fair catch is needed to make sure that the Packers offense gets on the field. As long as the Special Teams unit doesn’t screw up royally, the Packers should be fine in that area.
I am looking forward to the 2021 Packers season. Like in past seasons, I hope that the Packers get all the way to the Super Bowl. It all starts on Sunday afternoon against the Saints. If the Packers do their thing on all sides of the ball, then they should be owners of a 1-0 record to start a 17-game season. Stay tuned for my post-game thoughts regardless of the outcome. Whether or not the Packers win, I hope that there are no further injuries for either team. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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