Quaker Valley's Montagnese dominates at WPIAL track and field championships
Jonah Montagnese dominates at the WPIAL track championships despite rain!
The Green Bay Packers have released their full 17-game schedule for the 2026 season, detailing opponents and game order. Key matchups include six games against NFC North rivals and four against the NFC South.
TheĀ Green Bay PackersĀ released their full, 17-game schedule for the 2026 season on Thursday night. We knew the opponents. Matt LaFleurās team will play six games against the NFC North, four games against the NFC South, four games against the AFC East, plus one game each against the second-place finisher from the NFC East, NFC West and AFC South. Now we know the ordering.
Whatās important about a schedule? Players and fans generally care about different things. Most players want to know about Week 1, the bye week and trips to warmer climates. Fans want to know about the big games, important road trips and tough stretches.
Hereās what to know about the 2026 schedule:
The Minnesota Vikings. The Packers will go back on the road to start the 2026 season. The trip to Minneapolis means facing a team that won five straight games to end 2025 and will likely be starting a new quarterback in Kyler Murray. U.S. Stadium will be a loud, energy-filled environment for the Packers to open the season, and Murray's arrival should provide some extra juice to the season opener.
Week 11. The Packers will play 10 games before they get the bye, but they will also get two mini-byes via playing Thursday night home games in Week 3 and Week 8. And while the Week 11 bye will be uncharacteristically short, given a Wednesday night game in Los Angeles in Week 12, the Packers will get another break between Week 12 and 13 (11 days) and even another break between Weeks 16 and Week 17 (10 days). The spacing might work in the Packers' favor late in the year.
The Packers will face six NFC North teams, four NFC South teams, four AFC East teams, and one game each against the second-place finishers from the NFC East, NFC West, and AFC South.
The schedule release is significant for players and fans, as it outlines key matchups, bye weeks, and travel plans for the season.
The specific Week 1 opponent for the Packers in the 2026 season has not yet been disclosed.
The Packers will play a total of 17 games in the 2026 NFL season.
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This is important, as Micah Parsons is likely to miss time to start the regular season. The first four games are certainly manageable, with games against four teams that failed to make the postseason in 2025. The Packers will go on the road three times in the first four weeks, complicating the task if Parsons isn't available. But playing road games early will help later, when the Packers finish with eight home games over the final 13.
The Packers play six primetime games: vs. the Falcons on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 3, vs. the Dallas Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 6, vs. the Carolina Panthers on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 8, at the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Eve in Week 12, vs. the Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 14 and vs. the Houston Texans on "Monday Night Football" in Week 17. Of the six, five are at home. The Packers also play a standalone game against the Chicago Bears on Christmas Day. And FOX will feature the Packers three times as "America's Game of the Week" during the first half of the season. The country will be seeing a lot of the green and gold in 2026.
There are two two-game road trips. The Packers open the season with trips to Minnesota and New York, and then come out of the bye week with trips to Los Angeles and New Orleans. In terms of timing for road trips, it's hard to beat the beginning of the year and after the bye. And neither set of trips should be especially draining for Green Bay, although playing back-to-back road games and then having a short week before the home opener in Week 3 is tough. Remember, the Packers do not have an international game on the schedule in 2026 and will travel among the fewest miles of the 32 NFL teams.
Three stretches figure to be season-defining. How can the Packers navigate the first four games without Micah Parsons? Between Weeks 5 and 9, the Packers face the Bears, Cowboys, Lions, Panthers and Patriots -- five quality football teams entering 2026. Between Weeks 14 and 18, the Packers will play the Bulls, Dolphins, Bears, Texans and Lions -- a tough stretch to finish.
The Packers play four of their five final games at home. In fact, Green Bay will play outdoors during each of its final five games, including a short road trip to Soldier Field on Christmas Day. Among those teams coming to Lambeau Field late in the year are the Dolphins and Texans, two teams located in warm weather.
Kind of. The Packers go to Los Angeles to end November and to New Orleans to start December. But both games will be played indoors in temperature-controlled stadiums. Still, for traveling Packers fans, an opportunity to escape the cold is possible during the early winter.
The Detroit Lions. The Packers will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak in Week 18 games when they face the Lions in the regular season finale for the first time since 2022. More than likely, the season finale will have massive playoff and divisional implications.
Do you think Micah Parsons had an impact on the schedule? He is likely to miss the first four games while recovering from an ACL injury. Who do the Packers face in Week 5 and Week 6? The Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, of course. Welcome back, Micah.
The return of Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis will arrive in Week 15. Hafley joked he wanted the Packers early in the season, with Parsons potentially out. He didn't get his wish.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Important things to know about Packers 2026 schedule