Not to be dramatic, but knowing that the Green Bay Packers take the field tomorrow makes me feel some type of way that is hard to even put into words. With the year that we’ve had so far, I’m convinced that the minute I see Aaron Rodgers do that little hop-skip thing he does when he runs out of that tunnel, all of my problems will be irrelevant. Or maybe just until the end of the game.

Either way, I’d crack a cold one to that.

While the 2020 season kicked off Thursday night with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs beating Dashawn Watson and the Houston Texans 34-20, nothing beats a Sunday full of football. Especially when the first game of the day is an NFC North matchup.

As we all know Rodgers to be the type of guy that doesn’t let anything really get to him, I am hoping that after all of this talk about Jordan Love and the coverage from the media lately regarding the situation, that it may light a little fire underneath him. I am confident that Rodgers will perform accordingly to what we are all used too, but something about watching him play with a chip on his shoulder is electric.

This game will be a battle for sure, but I think Green Bay will pull through stronger to end week 1. While Green Bay saw some success in the playoffs, so did Minnesota. Green Bay’s downfall (I’m sorry to open old wounds), was the fact that they couldn’t stop San Francisco’s running game; even as obvious to stop as it seemed to someone who was watching the game with two fully functioning eyes. It will be interesting to see how the defense will stack up against top offenses this year, but as for the Vikings, if the Pack are able to keep Dalvin Cook from running all game and moving the chains, that’ll be a huge victory within itself. Along with the fact that both Preston and Za’Darius Smith are healthy and will dominate the defensive line per usual, I don’t see the Packers having too many issues being a force against the Vikings offense.

That brings me to my next point, our run game. We could go on and on about Aaron Jones and what we expect to see from him, but I want to talk a little more about who stands alongside Jones. This might be a bold assumption with it being so early in the season with no preseason preview, but I think Jamaal Williams will be an absolute force to be reckoned with.

In an interview with Pat McAfee, Rodgers mentions Williams as another standout player that he thinks could be the potential Breakout Player of 2020.

In general, I think it is safe to say that the expectations for the Packers run game is a higher level considering who we have in our back pocket.

Beyond that, I am anxious to see what the Packers bring to the table this year. I personally think it could go either way; but that is just me being biased and trying not to get my hopes up – being a Packer fan your whole life, you learn to deal with these types of things. Finshing up last year at 13-3, I want to be able to say we can attain that again this year, but I am going to go closer to the middle and say that we could go 10-6. While I want nothing more than to attain the same record or better as last season, I want to aim low and avoid heartbreak – if even possible.

Someone told me not too long ago, “Always under promise, and over deliver.” I think this season is going to be one where the Packers are going to execute high levels of improvement in places that we don’t really expect, and it’s going to pay off in the long run. Add that to the things we are already doing well, and boom. I don’t think I need to explain myself further.

Cheers, my fellow Cheeseheads. It’s almost Packer Sunday.

Final #Packers Injury Report

How to Watch

What: Green Bay Packers (0-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-0)
When: Sunday, Sept. 13 at 12 p.m. CT
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Referee: Bill Vinovich
TV Channels: FOX, DirecTV (Channel 712)
Radio: ESPN Radio, Packers Radio Network, Sirius Satellite Radio (XM Streaming 811 WTMJ feed)
Live Streams: fuboTV (try it free), Packers mobile app and on packers.com (via iPhones and iPads using the Safari browser, available to in-market fans only)