OK folks, here we go. The Packers 2009 schedule is out, so let the debates begin. My first take is I don’t like playing three of the last five games on the road. December and January usually gives the Packers a big home field advantage, but only games against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night Dec. 7 and against the Seattle Seahawks Dec. 27 are at home for the Packers this year, the Packers close out the season Jan 3 in Arizona.
The upside is the Packers play six of their first ten at home, which gives them a chance to build some momentum before hitting December and January, which is nice. The Packers first four opponents, in my mind anyway, are easy wins. In order the Packers play at home against the Bears and Cincinnati Bengals and on the road at St. Louis and on Monday night Oct. 5 at Minnesota. Four and oh and away we go.
The bye week is week five, which I think is a good thing. After all the rigors of training camp and preseason, I think the early bye might actually be better than having it in mid-season. It’s so hard to predict, but I think I like the early bye, at least I like it with this schedule.
The Packers come out of the bye with a sure win against the Lions, which seems to be awfully early in the year for the Lions to visit Lambeau. The NFL usually provides us this fodder late in the year. The the Packers sandwich a home game Nov. 1 against the Vikes with road games at Cleveland Oct. 25 and Tampa Bay Nov. 8. All three of those look like winnable games. Cleveland is a big question mark right now and I guess, so is Tampa Bay. I think the Bucs will be taking a big step back without Jon Gruden as coach and I think the Browns might be better with Eric Mangini as coach, so no predictions there.
The Packers then get a nice three-of-four stretch at home with games against Dallas and San Francisco (Nov. 15 and Nov. 22, respectively), a trip to Detroit on Thanksgiving and then the big Monday night game against the Ravens. The Packers will have 10 full days of rest to get ready for that one. I’m this far and I don’t see anything that terribly daunting. But traveling to Chicago, Pittsburgh and Arizona in the last four weeks is a little different story. The Bear games doesn’t necessarily scare me, at Pittsburgh in December, forget about it. If the Cardinals are in the hunt I’m not real confident about that game either. The Packers have never fared well in the desert it seems. Of course, the Cardinals may be a one year wonder, too, we don’t know.
At first glance, even with the road games in December, I like the Packers 2009 schedule and I think it gives them a chance for success early and gaining momentum is key in the NFL. The only games that really worry me I guess are the Monday night game in Minnesota, the home game against the Cowboys (I’m sick of losing to those you-know-whats), and at Chicago and at Pittsburgh.
All-in-all, I think if the Packers sweep the Vikings in those two games in the first seven weeks, the Vikings will be done and the door is wide open. It just seems all our tough games are at home other than Pittsburgh and Arizona, which bodes well for any team. Confidence is high, I think the Packers got a break from the NFL this year. Six nationally televised games is not too shabby. Of course that could be even more. The Packers-Steelers game already looks like a prime candidate to be moved to national TV. Maybe even the game at Chicago now that Jay Cutler is the Bears’ latest quarterback disaster.
I like it.