Friday Cheese Curds: Packers hoping to avoid (New York) jet lag after playing in London

The Green Bay Packers’ path to Super Bowl LVII has been laid before them and it’s very much an unusual one.

Not only are the Packers traveling to London for one of their home games but they rejected receiving their bye week after it. It is a very unusual gesture for a team to do so as they usually would like to extra week to adjust from the long flights and time zone changes.

Speaking of the bye week, if you thought last year’s bye was late you’re in for a bigger surprise this season. Green Bay will have their off week after their 13th game, the last off week on the schedule. Head coach Matt LaFleur is on record preferring the later bye and it makes sense. However given the injuries the Packers endured a year ago, a bye more towards the middle of the schedule might have been more ideal.

The Packers will have to be on their toes after the bye week as they will face the defending champion Los Angeles Rams in a game that very likely will impact home field advantage in the NFC.

As for the rest of the schedule, the other standout is three consecutive road games against the Washington Commanders, the Buffalo Bills, and the Detoit Lions respectively. Buffalo is easily the toughest opponent of the three and mercifully the Packers aren’t bouncing back and forth between coasts either.

In fact, the Packers travel no further west than Minnesota all season.

Well, that is until Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.

Packers rolling dice by declining to take their bye the week after their London game–PackersNews.com (subscription required)

It is definitely a risk but the Packers feel comfortable doing so. Late byes have worked out under LaFleur so it’s probably smart to just demure to his judgement.

NFL schedule-makers create notable rest disadvantage for Packers in 2022–Packers Wire

The Packers play a lot of teams coming off either a bye or longer weeks and that tips the scales a bit given how injured the Packers were a year ago.

Potential payoff awaits Packers within challenging 2022 schedule–Packers.com

That being said, there are some longer rest periods for the Packers later in the season with their mini-bye (playing after the Thursday night game) in Week 11 and the aforementioned regular bye in Week 14. Conditioning is going to be more key than ever.

Toughest NFL schedules of 2022: Jets, Rams, Steelers among teams facing daunting slates–NFL.com

It’s good that the defending champions get one of the tougher slates this go-round. Meanwhile, old friend Davante Adams also faces a tough slate with his new team in Las Vegas.

Deputy: Reckless driver said arrest was on her bucket list—Associated Press

Might want to put something else on your bucket list that isn’t a danger to the general public. I wonder if sleeping in jail is also on the list.