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Packers will open 2021 regular season on the road at New Orleans Saints

There will be no shortage of quarterback intrigue in the two teams’ opening game.

By Evan "Tex" Western
Green Bay Packers v New Orleans Saints Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

What will happen with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers between now and week one? And how will the New Orleans Saints choose to move on from the now-retired Drew Brees?

Those questions will be prominent storylines across football media in the coming months, but they should hit a fever pitch in the days leading up to week one. That is because the Packers and Saints are now scheduled to play at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in week one of the 2021 season.

The NFL will release its full schedule Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM Central, but the league gave its network partners a preview of the week one schedule early and allowed them to break some news of their own this morning. FOX announced the Packers-Saints game, which will be the network’s “Game of the Week” and will kick off at 3:25 PM Central on Sunday, September 12th.

The Saints have two leading contenders to take over the starting job from Brees: Jameis Winston and former Packer Taysom Hill. Hill signed a four-year, $140 million contract this offseason, but every year of that deal is voidable as it was primarily a move to unload some of his substantial salary cap number for 2021 into future years. New Orleans also drafted former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book in the fourth round and has one-time Broncos starter Trevor Siemian on the roster as well.

After winning Super Bowl XXXI there after the 1996 season, the Packers struggled at the Superdome over the next two decades, losing three straight games there from 2002 to 2014. However, the Packers finally got back in the win column in the Bayou last September, beating the Saints 37-30 in an exciting week three matchup that featured a huge day from wide receiver Allen Lazard. Lazard caught six passes for 146 yards and a score that day, while a touchdown catch by Robert Tonyan with two minutes to go provided the final margin of victory.

Stay tuned for more schedule leaks and reports throughout the day today and for the Packers’ complete schedule just after 7:00 CT.

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