The Green Bay Packers’ schedule offers a fresh supply of intriguing storylines and surprises, headlined by marquee divisional games and a theatrical revenge showdown with Aaron Rodgers under the Sunday night lights.
As the season unfolds, emerging storylines will become unearthed.
Shedeur Sanders became the headline story throughout the NFL Draft as he surprisingly slipped into the fifth round. He joins a crowded Cleveland Browns quarterback room featuring Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.
It’s hard to imagine Sanders winning the QB1 job outright at training camp, but it won’t be surprising if he gets his opportunity at some point. The fanbase will quickly become impatient if the Browns make a sluggish start to their campaign, and that switches from possibility to probability after taking a glance at their schedule.
That’s where the Packers come in.
Packers could become the team that forces Browns to give Shedeur Sanders an opportunity
Whether it’s Flacco or Pickett starting in Week 1, Browns fans will soon call for Sanders if the team gets off to a slow start. Now, consider that Cleveland begins the season versus the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, and, yeah, there’s a good chance we’re going to see a quarterback benching.
The Packers get their turn in Week 3. After a grueling start with home games against the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, Green Bay gets its first road contest in Cleveland, a game it can’t afford to lose. Matt LaFleur’s squad will have additional preparation time, having hosted Washington on Thursday Night Football.
Road games are never easy, but it could get ugly for the Browns in a hurry. They could enter the matchup 0-2 and under pressure, and if the Packers get out to an early lead, the calls for a quarterback change will soon become roars.
Whether it’s late in the game or the following week against the Lions, a loss to the Packers could force Sanders into early NFL action.
The brutal stretch doesn’t ease for Cleveland. After the Packers, it gets the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and the likely Aaron Rodgers-led Pittsburgh Steelers. Good luck.
As the old saying goes, if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. What if you have five? There’s a good chance the Browns will have their own quarterback carousel with different starters every week.
It’s not if Sanders plays this season, but when. The rookie had to wait far too long to hear his name called in the draft, but he may face a shorter delay to get on the field. After a brutal early schedule, the Browns may run into the Packers at the wrong time.
It could lead to one of the most must-see moments of the season, with Sanders finally getting an opportunity to prove the other 31 teams wrong.
