It sure seems that the NFL likes to give the Packers a tough
start to their season, schedule-wise. For the first time in a few years, it
looks like Green Bay will get a break. After the road game to start the season
against the 49ers, the Packers play 4 in a row at noon and these are against
less-than-stellar opponents. One would be very surprised if the Packers aren’t
6-1 when they go into the dome on October 27 to play the Vikings.
The week after that, they come home to play the Bears on Monday Night Football.
That Packers versus Vikings match up is number one on my list of Packers marquee
games in 2013.
November 4 - Bears @ Packers - When I look at
the Packers 2013 schedule, this is the first marquee home game of the season.
This is the oldest rivalry in the NFL, and even though the Bears are going to
go through a down season, that doesn’t mean anything when they go to play the
Packers. This will be the first time in over a decade that the Bears won’t come
to Green Bay with Lovie Smith as their head coach. Instead, it will be Marc
Trestman calling the shots. Oh, yeah, expect Morgan Burnett to intercept two of
Jay Cutler’s passes and return them for touchdowns.
November 24 - Vikings @ Packers - Another divisional
game and this one is special. This will be the return of Greg Jennings to Green
Bay. This should be interesting. Besides that, I firmly believe there is not a
rivalry in American professional sports, where the rivalry is built on so much
hate. There is nothing these two teams, their players, their coaches, or their
fans, like about the other one. Vikings fans think Packers fans have an
“elitists” mentality, that Packers fans have a “talk to the hand, were above
you” attitude. Which I will not deny is true to a point. To flip that around,
many Packers fans think that Vikings fans have the worst attitude collectively
of any group of fans in sports, which is also true. That mindset towards each
other makes the stakes of this game that much higher.
December 8 - Falcons @ Packers - This is a very
interesting game to me. The Falcons have been inching closer and closer every
year. Then every year, we say “this is their year.” This time, we might really
be correct. Or, it could just be that the Falcons are the new Dallas Cowboys.
Either way, this could be the best game of 2013 across the entire league if
things go according to plan.