Allen Park — No one is surprised the rebuilding Detroit Lions lost their season opener, but expectations are considerably higher for the Green Bay Packers in 2021, fresh off a 13-3 season and a narrow defeat in the NFC championship game.
And while the New Orleans Saints are far from pushovers, the team was entering its first game of the post-Drew Brees era without injured No. 1 receiver Michael Thomas and was playing a home game in Jacksonville because they remain displaced by Hurricane Ida.
All added up, the Packers entered the contest as a 3½-point favorite.