Packers to host Washington Football Team for first matchup since name change

The Green Bay Packers will take on the Washington Football Team Sunday at Lambeau Field. The Packers have won five consecutive home games against Washington.

But head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t think it will be an easy victory, he said.

“I think this is a really good football team that we’re about to play. I know there’s 60 minutes to a game, but they were beating (Kansas City) 13-10 at the half. Just look at their roster, there’s talent up and down on both sides of the ball,” he said.

Washington has a formidable defensive line, LaFleur said.

“One of the misleading stats that everybody looks at is the number of sacks. They affect the quarterback time and time again, so we’re going to have to do a great job up front,” he said.

Still, Washington has given up more points than any team in the league, and Green Bay will be the heavy favorite Sunday.

LaFleur has lots of confidence in Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he told reporters this week. And Rodgers might get some extra support soon. Left tackle David Bakhtiari returned to practice this week after tearing his ACL last season.

“I think it’s something we’ll just take day by day,” LaFleur said of Bakhtiari’s return to the field.

Green Bay is dealing with several other injuries, especially on defense. Corners Kevin King and Jaire Alexander both missed last weekend’s matchup against the Chicago Bears. Linebacker Preston Smith left the game with an oblique injury.

The Packers are coming off a convincing win against their division rivals. Green Bay leads the NFC North.

It’s the first meeting since Washington’s name change

Sunday will mark the first matchup between the teams since Washington dropped its racist name and logo.

The teams last met in December 2019, when protesters gathered outside Lambeau Field to speak out against Washington’s branding. It was the third such demonstration at the stadium. Protesters pointed out that American Indian mascots can negatively impact Native American youth.

FedEx pays millions of dollars annually for naming rights to Washington’s stadium. The company threatened to pull out of the deal if the team didn’t change its name, according to the New York Times.

The team finally abandoned its name and logo last year with plans to adopt new ones before next football season.

“I do believe it’s better late than never, and it’s a march I guess, so one step at a time as we keep moving forward,” Oneida Chairman Tehassi Hill said after the Washington team announced it would change its name.

Earlier this year, Cleveland’s baseball team announced it would change its name to the Guardians.