GREEN BAY Wis. — Green Bay Packers fans anxiously awaited the first home game at Lambeau Field; in the end they weren’t disappointed.
Jordan Love, along with one of the youngest NFL rosters, made his official regular season home opener debut on Sunday. The Packers took on the Saints at Lambeau Field.Packers fans were pumped this weekend.
“We always come here and we just have a fantastic time interacting with people. It’s just a friendly atmosphere. It’s fantastic,” Packers fan Kim Nelson said.
Fans enjoyed the familiar beats from polka bands and the iconic sight of green and gold crowds. Not to mention, plenty of people were grilling brats.
Even a tiny chihuahua named Vinnie James donned a mini cheesehead Sunday.
“We’re doing it all-Wisconsin: Tailgating with brats and sauerkraut and beer. That’s about as classic as it gets,” Packers fan Jacob Carlson said.
Packers fan Greg Baumhover said his family made a special trip back to Green Bay just to see this game.
“We’re up here from Florida to be able to see the first game. That’s exciting. We’re born and raised in Wisconsin, but now live in Florida,” Baumhover said.
Some fans traveled a lot farther. Francis Hajek made the trip to Lambeau from the Czech Republic.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable. I don’t have words to describe. You read about this and you can see this in American movies — you know this tailgate,” Hajek said.
Atmosphere aside, fans said they were thrilled to see the young Green Bay players in their first home game — especially Love.
“Love’s future looks bright, and it looks good. Hopefully, the offense can all grow together. I think that was kind of the goal. They have a lot of young receivers and a lot of young tight ends so it’s looking good,” Packers fan Chris Goetz said.
Goetz also said Sunday’s come-from-behind win over the Saints feels great. Love rallied Green Bay from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit in his first career home start — a comeback that began after New Orleans lost quarterback Derek Carr to a shoulder injury — and the Packers stunned the Saints 18-17 on Sunday.
Goetz has his eyes set on an even bigger game already.
“I jokingly asked in the car on the way here how early I could place my Super Bowl bets for his third year,” Goetz said.