Breaking down the five games that could prove to be the most difficult on the Green Bay Packers’ schedule in 2020, considering the matchup, situation and talent of the opponent.
The list starts with five honorable mentions:
Honorable mention
at Minnesota Vikings, Sept. 13: Opening the season at U.S. Bank Stadium will provide an early and important test for Matt LaFleur’s team.
vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Dec. 6: The Eagles, now the reigning NFC East champions, marched into Lambeau Field and left with a win in Week 5 last year.
at Houston Texans, Oct. 25: One week after playing Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, the Packers have to go back on the road to face Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and the reigning AFC South champion Texans.
at Indianapolis Colts, Nov. 22: New Colts quarterback Philip Rivers carved up the Packers in Los Angeles last year.
at Detroit Lions, Dec. 13: The Packers haven’t played well at Ford Field in recent years, and if Matthew Stafford stays healthy, the Lions could be a tough out all year.
5. vs. Tennessee Titans, Dec. 27
The AFC’s runner-ups in 2019 should present a formidable opponent for what will likely be a bitterly cold primetime showdown at Lambeau Field in late December. The Titans were legitimate road warriors to end last season, beating the Texans in Houston in Week 17 to qualify for the postseason and the Patriots in New England and the Ravens in Baltimore during the first two rounds of the AFC playoffs before giving the Chiefs all they could handle in Kansas City in the conference title game. The Titans can run the football with Derrick Henry, create chunk plays off play-action with Ryan Tannehill and play good defense, all important factors for winning on the road in the cold.
4. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oct. 18
This game lands a little lower on the list than expected simply due to the schedule. The Packers will be coming off a Week 5 bye before traveling to Tampa Bay to play Tom Brady and the upstart Buccaneers. LaFleur will hope his team performs considerably better during a high-profile road game coming out of the bye week than last year, when the Packers got blown by the 49ers in a similar situation. The Bucs have young talent, a veteran coach and a future Hall of Fame quarterback and tight end.
3. at Chicago Bears, Jan. 3
The Bears are probably the worst football team on this five-team list, and it’s worth noting that the Packers have a 9-1 record over their last 10 games at Soldier Field. Still, late-season games in Chicago can be a shocking form of arctic torture. It’s cold, windy, dry and miserable. And unless the Packers run away with a playoff spot, the season finale against the Bears will almost certainly have heavy postseason implications. The Packers will be fighting a long-time rival, the weather conditions and the pressure of the situation in early January at Soldier Field.
2. at New Orleans Saints, Sept. 27
Beating future Hall of Famer Drew Brees in primetime at the Superdome remains one of the most difficult assignments in football. The Packers have lost twice in New Orleans since Aaron Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008, and both games were one-sided thrashings (51-29 in 2008, 44-23 in 2014). The Saints are coming off a 13-3 season and have one of the most talented rosters in football. Can Mike Pettine figure out how to stop Brees and his loaded offense on the fast track in the Superdome? Previous Packers defensive coordinators couldn’t.
1. at San Francisco 49ers, Nov. 5
The 49ers, who beat the Packers by a combined score of 74-28 over two games last year, probably would have topped this list regardless of the layout of the schedule. But the NFL’s schedule makers certainly did the Packers no favors. Matt LaFleur’s team will return home after back-to-back road games (in Tampa Bay and Houston) to play the Minnesota Vikings at home on Nov. 1, and then just four days later they’ll head to San Francisco to play the reigning NFC champs on Thursday Night Football. What a nightmare. The game will be the Packers’ fourth – and third road game – in the span of 19 days. The 49ers look loaded up for another run at the Super Bowl. The rematch of the NFC title game will be the Packers’ biggest test of 2020.
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