It was an opening week to forget for the entire Green Bay Packers organization.
The Packers could not get their offense going Sunday afternoon, losing to their division rival Minnesota Vikings, 23-7.
Despite the tough loss, the Packers remain the favorites to get the last laugh over the Vikings in the long haul and win the NFC North.
NFC North Division Winner Odds
Per DraftKings:
- Packers: +110
- Vikings: +150
- Lions: +750
- Bears: +1100
The Packers are also currently sit at +450 to represent the NFC Conference in the Super Bowl, which is just behind he Buccaneers (+280). Green Bay is +1300 to win the championship.
“Obviously, it wasn’t very good,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said of the Week 1 loss. “That starts with me. I have to have a better plan for the team and get the guys prepared.”
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers also struggled with a young receiving core on Sunday. The worst of it came from Christian Watson, who dropped a sure touchdown on the opening play of the game. From there, things spiraled downward for Green Bay, and hey never could find their footing on offense.
“Obviously, it’d be great to have a 75-yard touchdown to start the game,” Rodgers said. “But drops are going to happen. It’s part of the game. It’s the mental stuff that we just can’t have because we’re hurting ourselves. Whether we’re going the wrong way on a block or missing a protection something or missing a hot [route] or not running the right route [at] the right depth, there was just too many mental mistakes.”
Regardless of how Week 1 played out, the Packers have plenty of time to grow their young offense and to make sure the product is much better on Sunday’s throughout the rest of the year. It helps sort things out when you have a future Hall of Famer like Rodgers under center.
In the end, the Packers will likely be just fine. At least oddsmakers seem to think so.
