The Green Bay Packers will be making the long trip to London to take on the New York Giants in Week 5. Head coach Matt LaFleur has sounded less than enthused about it throughout the week, but Green Bay has known about the trip for quite some time now. The Packers opted not to take their bye week following the overseas game, a choice that teams have exercised in the past. Thankfully for Green Bay, the data seems to be in their favor regarding that decision.
Things got more than dicey against the New England Patriots in Week 4, with Green Bay narrowly escaping in overtime to move to 3-1. Perhaps most perplexing was that the Packers had to scratch and claw against a New England team using third-string quarterback, rookie Bailey Zappe, for most of the game.
Now consider the New York Giants’ situation.
Daniel Jones left Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with an ankle injury, and Tyrod Taylor replaced him. Taylor then suffered a concussion. Jones was cleared to return after Taylor left but played at far less than 100%.
Jones was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, while Taylor did not practice at all. The Giants didn’t sign a quarterback after hosting some tryouts on Tuesday, so Jones could be good to go for Sunday. Even if he is, it’s entirely possible that Jones is not at full strength.
Green Bay will be dodging a bullet against a 3-1 Giants team if that’s the case. New York hasn’t looked all too dominant but has piled up some wins nonetheless.
Instead of opting for a bye, the Packers will host the New York Jets after playing the Giants in London. Zach Wilson is back on the field, but the Jets are far from an overwhelming team. They have some fun pieces on offense, like wide receivers Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson, but they have yet to find a consistent formula that works.
Compared to other teams left on the schedule, the NFL granted the Packers a big favor by giving them the Jets after the London trip.
The Packers have a pair of tough two-game stretches later on. They play at home against the Tennessee Titans before hitting the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. Then there’s another sequence where they host the Los Angeles Rams before playing at the Miami Dolphins the following week. Either of those propositions would’ve been far more difficult than getting the Giants in London followed by the Jets at home.
I’m not suggesting it will be a stroll in the park. It won’t. However, the schedule gurus could’ve made life far more difficult for Green Bay, and they wouldn’t have had anyone but themselves to blame for not opting to take the bye week after the trip across the pond.
Teams that have declined the bye week after an overseas game are 2-3. Two more teams will be added to that sample size this weekend. The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints are in action this weekend after squaring off in London in Week 4.
LaFleur has sounded less than thrilled this week about the trip and has emphasized trying to keep things as normal as possible.
“The preparation’s going to be absolutely critical, especially the mental preparation because you’re going to be out of rhythm in terms of just your schedule, the practice schedule. And you try to keep it as normal as possible, like (as) typical. But, let’s face it, it’s anything but.”
Despite trying to recreate their routine, LaFleur has mentioned that some adjustments have been made and that the coaches are treating the week like they’re playing a Thursday night game.
“We’ve made some adjustments that I’d rather keep in-house. But definitely had to adjust the schedule,” LaFleur said. “I just think it’s such an adjustment that I think a lot of it is who handles this trip the best is going to be able to play to the best of their abilities.”
When asked if this week has been challenging to prepare for, the head coach said, “I’m not going to give you my honest answer. I’d rather refrain.” He cracked a smile while providing the answer, but all the hoopla surrounding the international game may be causing some headaches.
Green Bay can still be thankful that they have both a favorable matchup in London (the Packers are favored by 8.5 points) and then immediately getting the Jets after. If they can emerge at 5-1 through the first six games, even better.
