Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett (Photo: Getty)
By Mark Eckel
If you're a Packers fan, and if you're reading this that's a good possibility you have been celebrating since late Thursday night.
With the Packers 27-18 win over Washington in the rear-view mirror you have a free Sunday to do whatever you want. If that includes watching football here are the games that most affect the Packers.
Chicago at Detroit, Noon (Central), Fox — One of these teams is going to be 0-2, unless in a best-case scenario for the Packers they tie and then they'll both be 0-1-1. This is Bears head coach Ben Johnson's return to Detroit where he appears to be sorely missed. Wonder if he misses the Lions as much as they miss him after his Bears blew a 17-6 lead on Monday Night Football last week. In any event this game is the most interesting for Packers fans because of the implications in the NFC North.
Cleveland at Baltimore, Noon (Central), CBS — If you can't take watching the Bears and Lions, because you just can't stand either team that's understandable. Switch over to get a sneak peak at Cleveland, the Packers next opponent. Head coach Kevin Stefanski's Browns gave Cincinnati all it could handle last week in a one-point loss. Cleveland has its issues on offense, but it plays pretty good defense led by pass rusher Myles Garrett. You can also check out the Ravens and see if cornerback Jaire Alexander bounces back from a brutal debut for the Ravens in the team's loss to Buffalo last week.
Philadelphia at Kansas City, 3:25 p.m. (Central), Fox — This has no real implications for the Packers (unless you're already thinking about battling the Eagles for the NFC's top seed). It is, however, a rematch of last year's Super Bowl and should be a really good game. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes has never started 0-2 in his career. Will this be a first? The Eagles have several new starters on defense and their secondary looked suspect in a win over Dallas. Tune in early just in case someone spits on someone else and gets ejected before the game starts.
Atlanta at Minnesota, 7:20 p.m. (Central), NBC — Back to the NFC North for the Sunday night game where there will be plenty of Falcons fan in Wisconsin and around the country for this one. This game also features two quarterbacks from the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in Atlanta's Michael Pennix and Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy. Last Monday McCarthy, in his first NFL start, beat another member of the Class of '24, Chicago's Caleb Williams. Can he go for 2-for-2? Watch and find out.