The regular season is finally here and the Packers get their campaign started by traveling to Brazil to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night. Here are five things to watch as two playoff teams from 2023 collide.

Is there any rust for Love and co?

The quality of play tends to be quite poor league wide in the early weeks compared to the latter stages of the regular season, with players shaking off the rust after a long time away from playing meaningful football.

Green Bay’s starters, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, did not get much of an opportunity to feel their way back into live action.

Jordan Love and the first team offense played just three snaps in the preseason opener, and in fairness, they did not show any signs of rust, with the Packers quarterback whipping a 65-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks and essentially saying “peace” to the preseason.

But playing in the regular season opener against a talented Eagles team will be a different ballgame, especially in an unusual situation, playing overseas on a Friday night.

It would be understandable if there is some sloppiness from the Packers, but at the end of the season, this result will count the same one way or another, and whichever team is able to hit the ground running quicker may well come out on top in this game.

Let Hafley cook

Friday night will present the first outing for coordinator Jeff Hafley and his new-look 4-3 defense after an offseason of hype.

Packers fans probably wanted and expected to be more reserved in their optimism around the new DC, having been burned plenty of times in the past, but it has been so incredibly easy to fall for Hafley.

The way he talks about football is intoxicating and makes anyone listening ready to run through a brick wall, and from the glimpses revealed in preseason action, it is clear there has already been a change in attitude from Green Bay’s defense.

Every defensive coach talks about wanting his players to aggressively pursue and rally to the football, but Hafley’s defense has walked the walk so far.

Philly’s offense will provide a great test, and strong tackling will be paramount to prevent Eagles QB Jalen Hurts from turning scrambles into huge plays. Is Hafley’s unit up to the task?

Josh Jacobs

The Packers underwent significant changes to their backfield this offseason, with Aaron Jones and (eventually via injured reserve) A.J. Dillon both out, and former rushing champion Josh Jacobs coming in.

Jones was never used as a bell cow back, but the reason for that is still TBD, and we will find out in short order.

Was it injury issues which dissuaded head coach Matt LaFleur from leaning on Jones more, unconvinced that he could hold up physically throughout the season if he was asked to handle a heavier workload? Or is simply a philosophy of LaFleur to have a split backfield?

Jacobs is much sturdier than Jones, and has experience carrying the vast majority of the load. Both LaFleur and Jacobs himself have spoken repeatedly about getting him more involved in the passing game than he was in Las Vegas, indicating Jacobs can be a true three down back.

With backups MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson both listed as ‘questionable’ on the final injury report, logic would dictate the Packers ride Jacobs all game.

But if he is disappearing for whole drives at a time – like often happened with Jones – while Lloyd and/or Wilson come in, it could be an indication LaFleur truly believes in a ‘running back by committee’ approach.

Regardless, the prospect of seeing Jacobs don the green and gold in a real game for the first time, and finding out how he will be deployed in this offense, is an exciting prospect and something to really look forward to in Friday’s game.

Middle of the field defense

A season ago, the Packers defense allowed the most targets in the NFL over the middle. Of course, Joe Barry was running the show in 2023, but there is still potential for the Eagles to focus on that part of the field.

Hafley’s defense deploys a lot more man and one-high coverage than Barry’s. This can put a lot of stress on the linebackers in coverage, leaving them susceptible to crossing routes over the middle. This is also an area new Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore likes to attack.

Conversely, Philadelphia is not blessed with top tier off-ball linebackers and were dealt another blow as Devin White will miss Friday’s game.

The Packers could look to target that weakness and feed the ball to Jayden Reed in the slot, as well as tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft over the middle.

Home game for who?

The Eagles are technically the home team on Friday night, but there is expected to be a massive contingent of Packers fans in the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo.

There is sure to be a raucous atmosphere inside the stadium, but if it turns out to be essentially a home crowd for Green Bay, it could make a big difference to the outcome of the game.

However, a similar benefit was squandered by the Packers when they lost to the Giants in London two years ago in front of a sea of green.

Unlike the Eagles, the Packers players and coaches have offered up a positive outlook on the trip to Brazil, with LaFleur calling the opportunity a “privilege”. Perhaps this will help the team feed off the energy in the stadium and put on a show.