A year ago the season opener between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers was, properly, hyped as an early test of two of the NFC’s best teams.
As important as that game was, this year’s game, also the season opener, means more.
After the 49ers beat the Packers in the Divisional round of the playoffs and embarrassed the Packers’ defense, the offseason in Green Bay has seemingly been dedicated to stopping the 49ers.
The defensive coaches studied the read-option employed by 49ers and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, going so far as getting tips from college coaches that are more accustomed to dealing with the scheme.
In the April draft, the Packers’ first pick was Datone Jones, an athletic defensive end that could be a key to stifling the read-option’s running lanes both up the middle and outside.
The Packers also dedicated themselves to building a running game, drafting two running backs early in the draft. The move finally committed real resources to establishing a running game, which could help the pass happy Packers become more methodical, as well as less predictable.
“I feel good about where we are offensively,” McCarthy said. “We had a plan that we’ve had some time to work. There’s some things, no different than any team in the league, that you haven’t done them just because you want to save them for the first couple of weeks.”
Saving them, that is, for the 49ers.
The 49ers had changes in the offseason, too. The team added cornerback Nnamdi Asomgha, nose tackle Glenn Dorsey, kicker Phil Dawson and drafted Eric Reed to replace Dashon Goldson, who headed to Tampa Bay in free agency.
“Watching San Francisco in the preseason, the opinion of the staff is that they haven’t really showed much,” McCarthy said. “They’ve loss some players and added some players. We’ll focus on those individuals.”
The Packers don’t have to wait long to see if all that offseason work was worth it. The Week 1 matchup will provide an immediate grade. A win, and the Packers will have passed a major test on the road to establishing themselves again as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Lose and it’s back to the drawing board with 16 weeks to get it right before the playoffs.
Regardless of the outcome Sunday, the Packers will have an excellent chance to be improved on both sides of the ball this season. Psychologically, knocking off the reigning NFC Champions would build early momentum for a team that struggled to find itself a season ago.
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