Fans provide energy for Packers in 1st game back

After the Green Bay Packers’ abysmal showing against the New Orleans Saints in week one, the team was eager to return home and have full support of the green and gold faithful at Lambeau Field for the first time since early 2020.

The Packers looked much more like the team fans expected to see coming into the season in their 35-17 win over the Detroit Lions on Monday night. The 77,240 fans in attendance made their presence felt, and the team took notice.

Head coach Matt LaFleur opened his press conference talking about the fans.

“It was great to be back in Lambeau,” said LaFleur. “Definitely felt the fans’ presence. It was long overdue. I think we can all attest to that.”

The last time Lambeau Field was at full capacity was for the NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 12, 2020. That Green Bay season ended the following week in San Francisco before limited fans were in attendance for the entire 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Players had a difficult time adjusting to playing in nearly empty stadiums, often saying they needed to bring extra energy to the field. Big plays didn’t bring out a buzz from the crowd like in years past, and many players admitted that playing in 2020 wasn’t nearly as fun.

While things aren’t exactly how they were in 2019 or years before that, there was definitely some extra energy at Lambeau on Monday.

When asked about the atmosphere, quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ face lit up.

“It’s special. It’s what you miss for an entire year without this type of atmosphere,” said Rodgers. “You miss everything from the intro with the people holding their phones up, or lights or whatever it was, to the fly-over. Yeah, It’s special. There’s nothing like that feeling — ‘Jump Around’ in the fourth quarter when you’re ahead. ‘Roll Out The Barrel’ and beer races. With the crowd, it’s way different.”

After a shaky first half, the Packers established dominance over the Lions in the third quarter. Like has happened so many times in the past, in the blink of an eye, the Packers had taken complete control of the game — with the fans loving every minute of it.

With the game out of reach soon after, the anxiety level of the fans went down, and the energy level of the fans continued to rise. Fans were on their feet for much of the second half, even as rain began to fall and the rain ponchos were brought out.

Songs played over the stadium were sung along to and fans reacted more with some of the games, hype videos and other game day features the Packers displayed on the scoreboards.

Even with a win well in hand, many fans remained in the stands until the final whistle, soaking up the team’s first win of the season. Many of the fans who left their seats early could still be found in the parking lots an hour-plus after the game wrapped up, even despite having heavy rain move through the area right after the game.

“It was fun,” said running back Aaron Jones of having fans back. “It’s special playing here in front of a packed crowd. The fans really bring the juice, and they give us the extra added energy we need. Last year, we had to bring our own juice, and you get out there and it’s kind of like they brought the juice for you. I love playing in front of a packed Lambeau crowd, running out of that tunnel to 80,000.”

The win over the Lions marked the ninth consecutive victory for the Packers in home openers, yet another sign of just how much the fans mean to the team. Since 2007, the Packers are 14-1 in their first games of the season at Lambeau Field.

sports@newmedia-wi.com