The Sconi

There was plenty of optimism surrounding the Green Bay Packers season-opener against the New Orleans Saints in Jacksonville last Sunday, Sept. 12. Then the team that won 13 games a year looked downright awful in a 38-3 loss.

Aaron Rodgers was benched in the fourth quarter as the Packers suffered the worst defeat in a season opener by a team that played in either the AFC or NFC Championship Game the previous season.

“They came ready to play; absolutely embarrassed us today,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

Rodger called it a bad day.  

“It’s just one game. We played bad. I played bad. Offensively, we didn’t execute very well. One game. We’ve got 16 to go,” he said.

Rodgers and the Packers got a chance to redeem themselves when they faced the Detroit Lions in a national-televised game on ESPN. The Lions rallied from 28 points down before losing to the San Francisco 49ers, 41-33. Rodgers completed 15 of 28 for 133 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions before the NFL’s reigning MVP lifted for Jordan Love with 10:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.  \Love, the Packers first-round draft pick in 2020, saw his first regular-season action and completed 5 of 7 passes for 68 yards.

There was ample optimism for a special season including Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who tweeted, “It’s gameday! #GoPackGo.”

The controversies surrounding Rodgers and whether he would play for the Packers were a thing of the past. 

The worst loss of Rodgers’ career as a starter and just the third career game with no touchdown passes and multiple interceptions wasn’t what fans envisioned after a 13-win season a year ago.

“This is a good kick in the you-know-where,” Rodgers said after the game. “Hopefully, get us going in the right direction going back home and playing a division opponent (Detroit).”