The Green Bay Packers just don’t lose at home. Now, of course this is not completely true, but their homefield advantage is phenomenal and is definitely up there with some of the best stadiums in the NFL. The Packers have a 27-6 win/loss record since 2019 when Matt LaFleur became the head coach. With the Packers having their home opener against the Saints today, it got me thinking: what makes Lambeau Field so advantageous?
The Fans At Lambeau
The Packers boast one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports. The fans are extremely loyal and show up for every game! Some Packers fans have waited fifty years on the season ticket waiting list. That being said, Packers fans always sell out Lambeau Field.
Fans of the Green and Gold are kinda on the winsome side of things, but they know how to be loud when it counts. The loudness can be quite intimidating for the opposing teams and can lead to false starts and delay of game penalties. If only they can figure how when to properly do the wave.
The fans of the Packers are also different from other teams because of the size of Green Bay. Green Bay is the smallest city that hosts a professional sports team in all of sports. Because of this, the fans have been known to run into players while shopping and just living their daily lives. With this comes a sense of connection between player and fan. This connection makes it mean more for the players when playing at home. They are playing for more than just themselves – they are playing for their community.
The Lambeau Mystique
Lambeau Field is iconic and with its history can carry quite the aura. This can energize the players and the coaches alike. There have been many times where players, and even head coach Matt LaFleur, have commented on how much they love playing at Lambeau. Just this past week, Matt LaFleur said, “There’s no better place to play in the National Football League. I think this is the best venue in all of sports.”
So why is it one of the best venues in all of sports? Because Lambeau Field has a college game day field. They have some of the best tailgating and pregame activities, which can ignite passion in the fans and inspire the players to be their best.
All of this and we haven’t even mentioned how the legacy and history can impact the game. When it comes to the players for Green Bay, the legacy can truly inspire them. That legacy can add the right amount of pressure on the players to perform to keep that legacy alive.
The fans and the Lambeau Mystique aren’t the only things that make this stadium’s home field different. The weather can have an impact too.
The Frozen Tundra
The Packers have a significant amount of their games played in the cold. In the past Aaron Rodgers has talked about how the cold can affect both the Packers and the opposing teams, but the Packers having lived there know how to mentally ignore the uncomfortable nature of the cold while the opposing players can’t last as long. The Packers win approximately 72% of their games that are played in freezing temperatures.
Lately though, the Packers haven’t fared as well in cold weather games, particularly cold weather games that are also an elimination game. If those elimination games are removed, the Packers are quite dominant at home in the cold.
So will the home field advantage continue? It didn’t last year when the Packers were just 5-4 at home, but was that just blip in a the long history of success at home or is it a sign of things to come?
I hope not.
Oh, by the way, this is Jordan Love’s first start at home.
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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