While a week three matchup usually doesn’t equate to a full season’s turning point, the 1-1 Green Bay Packers host the 2-0 New Orleans Saints on Sunday in the Lambeau Field opener, and this one just might qualify.
A young team learned a hard lesson last Sunday in Atlanta, coughing up a 24-12, fourth quarter lead, falling 25-24. How Matt LaFleur’s club applies the painful lessons from all three phases could go a long way toward meeting or exceeding expectations come January. I’d argue it’s better to have that happen early rather than later.
It will be a shorthanded offense going up against the stingiest and most dangerous defense so far.