Late in the 2026 season, the Buffalo Bills are headed somewhere that can feel even harsher than Western New York in winter: Green Bay, Wisconsin. Their Week 14 Sunday Night Football matchup with the Packers lands in the stretch run, when teams are trying to secure playoff positioning and keep a Super Bowl push alive.
The Bills and Packers don’t cross paths often - just once every four years - and their last meeting came in 2022, when Buffalo won 27-17. But Green Bay looks plenty different now, and that made for a useful conversation ahead of training camp and the 2026 season with Freddie Boston, the site expert at Lombardi Ave.
One of the biggest Packers talking points is Matt LaFleur’s extension after another early playoff exit in 2025. Boston said the reaction was split, but he called the decision the right one.
“ It undoubtedly divided opinion, but it was the correct call. LaFleur only had a year remaining on his deal, so unless the Packers wanted to make a change, extending him and avoiding a lame-duck year made sense.
And LaFleur deserves the benefit of the doubt. He absolutely needs to get this team beyond just clinching the No. 7 seed and suffering an early playoff exit, no question.
The way they collapsed in big moments last season was concerning, but the positives outweigh the negatives.”
He also pointed to LaFleur’s track record with quarterbacks and his overall win total.
“ LaFleur is phenomenal with quarterbacks. He helped Aaron Rodgers double his MVP count.
Jordan Love has become one of the NFC's top passers under LaFleur's guidance, and Malik Willis turned his career around in Green Bay. Wins are the ultimate currency in the NFL.
LaFleur has a 76-40-1 record in seven seasons, taking the Packers into the playoffs six times. The pressure is on LaFleur to make a deep run, but retaining him was the correct call.”
On the roster-building side, Boston said Green Bay’s best offseason move was shoring up the defensive line around Micah Parsons. The Packers were quiet overall, staying out of the free-agency frenzy and making six draft picks without a first-rounder, but he believes the defensive front needed the attention.
“ After the excitement of the Micah Parsons trade last summer, it has been a relatively quiet offseason. The Packers mostly stayed out of the free agency frenzy and only made six draft picks without a first-rounder.
The best move was to strengthen the defensive line around Parsons. He'll miss around half of the regular season, but even when he returns, the Packers need to avoid becoming too one-dimensional on defense.
It became Parsons-or-bust with the pass rush late last season.”
Boston singled out Javon Hargrave as a major addition, while also mentioning rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan and edge-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton.
“ Javon Hargrave is a brilliant free-agency pickup, especially given the success he's previously enjoyed with Jonathan Gannon. The Packers also drafted defensive tackle Chris McClellan in the third round, who is already turning heads, and edge-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth. Parsons should have more help this season.”
That defensive overhaul also ties into the new coaching setup. Boston said Packers fans were not immediately sold on Jonathan Gannon because of his head-coaching stint in Arizona, but his work as a defensive coordinator has a better reputation.
“ Packers fans didn't love the Gannon hire initially, which is understandable after his tough tenure as the head coach in Arizona. But his resume as a defensive coordinator is far more promising, particularly his work with pass-rushers.
Hargrave enjoyed two of his best seasons under Gannon, as did Josh Sweat in Arizona last year. That should bode well for Lukas Van Ness, Dennis-Sutton, and eventually, Parsons once he's healthy.”
He also noted the departure of Jeff Hafley and the arrival of Bobby Babich, who spent the last two seasons as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.
“ Packers fans will miss Jeff Hafley, who made a big impact and brought great energy to every press conference, but Gannon has the track record to help the defense improve. We haven't seen too much from Babich yet, but that will change at training camp.
Packers fans have seen enough from a few video clips to love him. Babich will bring energy, and his arrival feels like a big one, especially given his experience and ability to communicate.”
If there’s still a soft spot on this Packers team, Boston said it’s the offensive line. Green Bay has addressed other needs, but he pointed to a unit with a lot of questions.
“ The Packers took steps to fix needs along the defensive line and at cornerback, but the offensive line remains a major concern. Aaron Banks had a disastrous debut season in Green Bay.
He is still the starting left guard. Sean Rhyan is unproven at center, having shifted from guard midseason and making seven starts.
He surprisingly landed a new deal in free agency. Anthony Belton had an up-and-down rookie year at right guard.”
He added that the Packers are counting on Jordan Morgan to eventually replace Rasheed Walker at left tackle, while Zach Tom’s health is another key variable after a partially torn patellar tendon.
“ Green Bay is banking on 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan becoming Rasheed Walker's successor at left tackle while hoping star right tackle Zach Tom is fully healthy after recovering from a partially torn patellar tendon. There are questions at all five positions.”
Boston also addressed Christian Watson’s extension, saying the reaction outside Green Bay often misses the full picture.
“ I think there's a gulf in opinion on Christian Watson between Packers fans and non-Packers fans. Many who don't watch the Packers every week will look at Watson's underwhelming numbers or his injury history and draw conclusions.
It's understandable, and Watson's massive extension probably caught many by surprise. But there's missing context just by looking at the numbers.”
He said Watson’s injury issues have changed, and that his value goes well beyond the box score.
“ For starters, many of Watson's recurring soft-tissue injury issues are in the past thanks to the work he put in with specialists. As for his impact on the field, it goes far beyond his statistics (although that improved dramatically last season).
Watson's presence on the field changes the calculus for the entire offense. He has a truly rare combination of size, athleticism, and speed, making him a dangerous deep threat.
His 17.5 yards per reception, which ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season, highlight this.”
In Other News...
Bills Roster Squeeze Could Put A Surprise Name On The Bubble
With training camp still ahead, the Bills are already facing the kind of roster math that comes with a new coaching staff and a few fresh personnel ideas. Two recent projections of the initial 53-man roster under Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard show how much can shift when scheme changes meet a crowded depth chart, with familiar names, recent additions and special teams value all carrying extra weight as the team tries to sort out its first version of the roster.
The biggest intrigue is less about the obvious starters than the pressure points at the edges, where a couple of spots could swing on camp performance and how the staff wants to build the back end of the roster. Edge rusher, receiver and fullback all look unsettled, and even a return for Tre'Davious White is part of the conversation in one projection, which is a reminder that these early roster forecasts are really more about reading the tea leaves than making final calls. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over Christian Benford
Christian Benford has spent his Bills career doing the kind of work that usually earns trust inside a building, even if it does not always translate into national buzz. Since arriving as a 2022 draft pick, he has been a steady starter in Buffalos secondary, limiting damage and giving the defense a reliable presence on the outside. His numbers back up the eye test, too, from a career average of 10.8 yards per catch allowed to a 2025 season in which he held opposing quarterbacks to a career-best 54.4% completion rate.
Benfords production has already drawn some recognition, including Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2024, but the broader conversation still seems to lag behind what he has actually done. A big part of that is the way Buffalos defense is viewed as a whole, which can blur the work of players who consistently hold up their end. So when the leagues latest cornerback discussion came around, Bills fans had every reason to feel like one of their most dependable defenders was once again being treated like an afterthought. [Read more 🡒]
Bills May Have Found An Overlooked Answer For A Crucial Defensive Spot
Buffalos move from a 4-3 look to a 3-4 multiple defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard has created a fresh opening in the middle of the field, and the Bills have already added a veteran body to help sort it out. The one-year signing gives the team another linebacker with experience in aggressive schemes, the kind of fit that can matter when a defense is being reshaped and every role has to be earned again.
The bigger question is whether he can do enough to stick once camp gets going. He is expected to compete for a rotational inside linebacker job while also helping on special teams, but he arrives with roster-bubble status and faces a crowded path as younger linebackers push for spots of their own. For Buffalo, the appeal is obvious: a low-cost chance to find a useful piece in a defense that is still being built on the fly. [Read more 🡒]