The Green Bay Packers will be hoping to start their 2024 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on the right foot. They have built the best possible roster they could around Jordan Love, and they’ll be eager to make a serious attempt at capturing the Lombardi trophy this season.
However, they know that their season opener will be anything but easy. Not only are they facing a Philadelphia Eagles squad that is eager to erase their disappointing run of form late last season, but they’re also playing at an unfamiliar backdrop in Brazil.
While the team and their opponents experienced troubles ahead of their first NFL game in South America, some of the players and staff shared their honest thoughts about playing in such an exotic location.
Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles excited to play in front of Brazilian NFL fans
Almost every player interviewed during the leadup to the game expressed their excitement over playing in Sao Paulo. However, the head coaches of both teams best described the energy surrounding the two teams at the moment.
Per Sports Al Dente’s James Brown:
“We all grew up playing on Friday nights under the Friday night lights,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday. “We might not be in Jamestown, New York, Houston, or Cleveland. We are in Brazil.
But it is still going to be Friday night, just like we all grew up playing this game. I got goosebumps really thinking about it.”
“Bom dia!” (“Good morning!”) LaFleur said. Wide receiver Jayden Reed learned “Go, Pack, go” in Portuguese: “Vai, Packers, vai!,” he repeated to the cameras.
“Your country has been great to us. The people have been fantastic,” LaFleur said. “We’re looking forward to making history tomorrow.”
Both squads are considered favorites to make deep playoff runs in the coming season, and this Week 1 duel will be a great measuring stick on how well the teams have developed and gelled as a team through the preseason. Green Bay Packers fans hope that their first Brazilian excursion will end in a win.
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