Just One Game? Sure, But History Shows Week 1 Is Huge
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers were steamrolled by the New Orleans Saints 38-3 in the opening game to the 2021 season. They went 13-4 and earned homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, anyway.
The 2018 team opened the season with a 24-23 victory over the Chicago Bears, a legendary game at Lambeau Field in which an injured Aaron Rodgers rallied the team from a 20-0 deficit. For coach Mike McCarthy, it went from the thrill of victory to the agony of getting fired as that team wound up 6-9-1.
So, while it’s true that Sunday’s season-opening game at the Chicago Bears is just one game, history shows its significance.
According to the NFL:
- The 57 Super Bowl winners went 46-10-1 in Week 1.
- Since 2002, 52.7 percent of Week 1 winners reached the playoffs.
- Also since 2002, just 24.7 percent of Week 1 losers reached the playoffs.
- Last year, the 14 teams that qualified for the playoffs went 10-4 on Kickoff Weekend.
From 2015 through 2020, the Packers won all six season-opening games. They lost the last two, though, including 23-7 at the Minnesota Vikings last year.
“I ain’t even thought about the last two openers. I’m focused on Chicago,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. “I’m focused on getting a win. This year is a new year, new team, new everything. I’m excited to go out there on Sunday and for us to play our best ball and for us to get a win up there on Sunday.”
In a change, coach Matt LaFleur played most of his starters during the preseason. That was partially due to the franchise-shifting change at quarterback, with Jordan Love replacing Rodgers and inheriting the youngest group of receivers and tight ends in the NFL. More than that, LaFleur hopes the three exhibitions and joint practices against the Bengals and Patriots will give his team a jump-start in combating any early-season growing pains.
“I think that’ll be the game the jitters come out, being anxious, going against somebody else,” cornerback Rasul Douglas said. “The preseason was cool, but now it counts. Now it matters, record-wise. So, yeah, we’re all excited to go. We’ve got to find a way to calm ourselves down and stay afloat. But we’re all excited.”
The Packers have the third-highest Kickoff Weekend winning percentage of all-time, their mark of .586 trailing only the Denver Broncos (.645) and Dallas Cowboys (.629).
Green Bay has exited September with a winning record each of the last eight years.
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