Only Jayden Reed’s Helmet Is Tight Before Packers-49ers Playoff Game
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Mostly, it was a typical Thursday for the Green Bay Packers.
“It’s Friday” by Sir Charles Jones played inside the Don Hutson Center, where, with a Saturday playoff game looming against the San Franciso 49ers, it was Friday in their world.
Some mediocre ping pong was being played. Alongside the ping-pong table, a couple receivers and defensive backs engaged in some shadow boxing.
And then there was receiver Jayden Reed, wearing one of those Halloween costume-style Packers helmets. Reed went through the start of practice with his head squeezed inside the helmet, and talked to reporters while wearing it for about a minute.
Why, asked defensive tackle Colby Wooden, firing off the first question of the day.
“Just get a couple laughs today. You know?”
The helmet belongs to the son of Packers running back Aaron Jones.
“He brought it in to practice today,” Reed said. “I threw it on, got in my stance, made a few people laugh. Trying to bring some good spirits around.”
Rather incredibly, the helmet fit. Sort of. He called it an “old-school” helmet reminiscent of that worn by former NFL star Donovan McNabb.
Given what’s at stake on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to the NFC Championship Game, the Packers are incredibly loose. Maybe that comes from being the youngest team to win a playoff game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
Certainly, nobody cares that the Packers under coach Matt LaFleur lost to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in 2019 and in the divisional round in 2021. And they really don’t care that they lost to the 49ers in the 2012 and 2013 playoffs, as well.
Jones and backup offensive tackle Yosh Nijman are the only offensive players who remain from the 2019 team. When the Packers lost to the 49ers at Lambeau Field two years ago, quarterback Jordan Love was a backup and all the receivers and tight ends on the roster were in college.
So, for these Packers, the only history that matters is the history they’re writing.
“Just for us, every game is a new game,” Reed said. “We’ve got to go in and attack it like we have every opponent that we’ve played this year. Although we’re young, whatever the past is, that’s what it is. Now, we’re in the … present. We’ve got to keep going how we’ve been going and attacking it the same way.”
The present Packers will pack a four-game winning streak for their trip to San Francisco. Well, Santa Clara, to be exact. On Sunday, they blew out the Cowboys, who went 12-5 to earn the No. 2 in the NFC seed.
The 49ers also went 12-5 but earned the No. 1 seed. They blew out the Cowboys in the regular season and have a star-studded roster that’s built to win this year’s Super Bowl.
The Packers know all of that and don’t care.
“You’ve just got to enjoy life along the way,” Reed said. “There’s a lot of stuff that we’ve got to lock in and go through during this time. We’ve been through hard times so we’ve got to enjoy the good times, as well. We know when it’s time to lock in. When you’re between the lines, you’ve got to do your job and stay locked in.”
