GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers' postseason run came to a painful end Saturday. Despite the heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers, some cheeseheads remained optimistic.
A small group of Packers superfans cheered on the green and gold for the final time this season, as Packers quarterback Jordan Love and his teammates trickled into Austin Straubel Airport Sunday morning.
Packers fan Jose Garcia is originally from California. He loved the Packers so much he moved to Wisconsin. Garcia said despite the tough loss, he considers this season a big win.
"I didn't really have much expectations as to what this team was going to be, obviously switching from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love and being such a young team, especially offensively. It was definitely fun watching the offense and the team as a whole come together," Garcia said.
Randy Peterson is also a lifelong Packers fan. Peterson said even with these season's highs and lows, overall the team exceeded his expectations.
"Well, all I can say is we're proud. We followed the roller coaster with everybody else but sort of never lost [the] faith we always felt. You could see little glimpses that things were getting on the right track and it just all came into focus," Peterson said.
Young cheeseheads missed a few hours of sleep to fist-bump passing players and Packers running back Aaron Jones stopped to sign a few souvenirs. Sunday was likely the last appearance for the team this season and fans said overall they’re pleased with this year’s roster.
"Nobody can expect us to even come close to this, making the playoffs with the youngest team in the NFL, a first-year starting quarterback, a lot of unknown players, and a lot of hurt players for the season. Couldn't be more proud of our boys," Billy Blair, a fan, said.
"It's an ending, which is always sad, but what a great beginning for us. Jordan Love is the future," Jenny Blair added.
It's another season in the books for the Green Bay Packers, and though more work is needed to improve on some of the mistakes made, fans are excited for what’s to come.