For a third straight year, the Packers kick off the regular season on the road. But, this year's opener - now being played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville - will offer the same, neutral-venue impact that helped the Packers coast past the Vikings in Week 1 of last season.
Aaron Rodgers and Co. will avoid one of the loudest environments for visiting offenses for a second-straight season, benefitting from a fan-less Week 3 game during the 2020 pandemic season and, now, the hurricane-induced evacuation from New Orleans.
During the Packers' prime time showings in the Big Easy during the 2008 and 2014 seasons, the offense dealt with ear-piercing noise that played an integral role in not being able to keep pace with Drew Brees and the Saints. On a broader level, consider the Packers' pre-pandemic record under Rodgers in the three of the NFL's most difficult locations to play - New Orleans, Seattle and Minneapolis:
12 losses to just seven wins.
While the shift in game location surely shifts the game's overall odds in Green Bay's favor, keep it mind that it was the Saints that had the final say in which hurricane-protected city would be their Week 1 home. According to CBS Sports, the team did some homework on both the U.S. regions that have treated the Rodgers-led Packers well in the past and the destinations that would draw the fewest Packers fans.
They may have found their best possible option in Jacksonville, located in a state that has been historically unfriendly to Aaron Rodgers (he has just three wins in his seven starts in the state of Florida). We can also expect the Saints to opt for wearing white, forcing Rodgers and the Packers to don their dark green jerseys in the hot, humid conditions.
Almost five years to the day that the Packers narrowly edged the Jaguars in 90-degree Florida temperatures, they'll be faced with the challenging task of downing the Saints - perhaps still in front of the Packer faithful.
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