Packers at Saints to Kick Off 2021 NFL Season

There will be plenty of intrigue at quarterback for the Packers, with the uncertainty around Aaron Rodgers' future, and the Saints, who must replace Drew Brees.

Bill Huber | May 12, 2021

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s not quite Aaron Rodgers vs. Drew Brees but there will be plenty of quarterback intrigue centered on the Green Bay Packers’ Week 1 matchup at the New Orleans Saints.

Six times from 2005 through 2020, it was Rodgers vs. Brees in a clash of quarterbacking titans and perennial championship contenders. That includes last season, when Rodgers led the Packers to a 37-30 victory at the Superdome. The teams will meet again in the Big Easy to kick off their 2021 seasons. With Brees having retired at the end of last season and the Packers trying to salvage a relationship that has soured with Rodgers, it’s anyone’s guess who will take the first snap when the game starts at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12, on FOX.

Will it be Rodgers vs. former teammate Taysom Hill? Rodgers vs. former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston? Or will it be Jordan Love (or Drew Lock, the betting favorite if it's not Rodgers) behind center for Green Bay?

Rodgers has been Green Bay’s starter for every opener since 2008. Brees had been New Orleans’ starter for every opener since 2006.

The Packers have won six consecutive opening games. For the third consecutive year, they’ll open on the road.

The Saints have won two straight openers since losing five in a row.

In 2011, Green Bay beat New Orleans 42-34 in the opener at Lambeau Field. Rodgers threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns; Brees threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns. In his NFL debut, Randall Cobb caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and returned a kickoff 108 yards for another score.

The 2021 NFL season will kick off with the Mike McCarthy-led Dallas Cowboys at the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, Sept. 9. Here is the full Week 1 schedule.

The full schedule will be released at 7 tonight.

The Green Bay Packers' 17 opponents

In 2020, Green Bay played six games against teams that reached the playoffs. With the addition of a 17th game at Kansas City, the Packers will play 10 such games.

Here are those opponents.

Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Football Team, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks (12-4), Steelers (12-4), Browns (11-5), Rams (10-6), Bears (8-8) and Washington (7-9) made the playoffs.

Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs (14-2), Saints (12-4), Ravens (11-5) and Bears (8-8) made the playoffs.

Published May 12, 2021

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.