It’s the dawn of a new day in Green Bay, whether the town likes it or not. After more than 30 years of excellence at the position, Jordan Love is now the franchise quarterback for the Packers. The jury is still out whether Love is actually good.
Nonetheless, when the Vikings step onto the playing surface on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, it will be the first time they face the Packers when their No. 1 quarterback is neither hall of famer Brett Favre nor future hall of famer Aaron Rodgers.
“What’s it been, like, 30 years?” fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins said with a laugh this week at TCO Performance Center. “You’re used to No. 4 and No. 12, and now it’s No. 10.”
It’s safe to assume the Vikings have been envious of how much stability the Packers have had at the position over the past few decades. It’s been remarkable.
This is the first time since 1992 — not taking into account serious injuries — that either Favre or Rodgers wasn’t the franchise quarterback in Green Bay.
As successful as the Packers were in that span, winning the Super Bowl twice in the process, it was usually a mixed bag of results against the Vikings. Looking at the border battle, Favre finished with a 17-14 record, while Rodgers finished with a 17-11-1 record.
The fact the Vikings don’t have to worry about Favre or Rodgers anymore isn’t lost on them heading into this weekend.
As a centerpiece of the rivalry matchup nowadays, Cousins has long operated under the guise that if the Vikings were going to beat the Packers, he was going to have to at least match the production of Rodgers.
There should be more margin for error going up against Love, considering his struggles as of late.
Not that the Vikings are taking anything for granted heading into the game against the Packers.
Asked this week about no longer having to game plan for Rodgers, as much as head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted it’s been a little bit different watching film in preparation, he praised the way Love has been willing to take deep shots downfield. That has resulted in some chunk yardage via explosive plays or defensive pass interference.
“We have to be ready for it,” O’Connell said. “He’s also got athletic ability to get out of the pocket and change the game with his legs.”
As somebody who didn’t get to play against Rodgers too much in his career, safety Cam Bynum knows it’s going to be much different not having to deal with him.
“At the end of the day everybody is capable, and we have a lot of respect for Jordan and what he can do,” Bynum said. “It’s still going to be a battle.”
