The Green Bay Packers’ 2015 schedule was released tonight and with it we now know the day that Brett Favre’s number 4 will join, 3, 14, 15, 66 and 92 as the only numbers retired in Packers’ history. On Thanksgiving night Favre joins Tony Canadeo, Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke and Reggie White as one of the greatest players ever to don the green and gold. The opponent? None other than the Chicago Bears.
Favre owned the Bears during his time in Green Bay, and helped turn the tide in a series that was once all Chicago. Because of Favre and now Aaron Rodgers, the Packers have cut the Bears lead in the series to two with the Bears leading 93-91-6. I was hoping it would be against the Bears but I was hoping it would be earlier in the season. I wonder how they talked Favre into to coming to Wisconsin in November?
The Packers won’t have to wait long to try and exact a little revenge on Seattle when the Seahawks come to town on September 20 for a Sunday Night Football game in the Packers’ home opener. The Packers will stay at home and in prime time the following week when the face the Chiefs on Monday Night Football on September 28. Wow!
They will also play at home on October 11 and 18 against the Rams and Chargers, respectively, which means four out of the first six games are at home with five out of the remaining nine on the road. The Packers will have a week to rest before starting those nine games as their bye comes in week seven.
The Packers start that stretch with a November 1 date with the Broncos in Denver in another Sunday Night Football affair. Rodgers v. Manning in prime time. In addition to the Thanksgiving game the Packers will be in prime time again on Thursday December 3 with a trip to Detroit. The Packers also have four 3:25 starts as well, which could mean even more national coverage. The price of being America’s Team.
Some quirks in the schedule are for one, the Packers only play one game at home in December. They have two November games but close out the season on January 3 against the Vikings in Lambeau.
Secondly, five of the Packers last eight games are NFC North contests, in fact, the Packers will play every team in their division once, including the Lions twice, during an 18 day stretch from November 15 to December 3. That’s crazy!
At first glance it seems that the Packers need to take advantage of the early home games, survive a tough two-game road trip and somehow be peaking by the time that brutal four games in 18 days stretch begins. If the Packers come out of that stretch leading the North the rest of the season will be for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Let the games begin!