For the first time since 2017, the Green Bay Packers didn’t cross paths with the eventual NFC champion during the regular season or playoffs. That’s a notable shift in a long-running trend - and one that might say more about Green Bay’s position in the NFC hierarchy than it does about scheduling quirks.
The last time the Packers faced the Seattle Seahawks, who are now heading to Super Bowl LX, was back in Week 15 of the 2024 season. Green Bay walked out of Seattle with a 30-13 win - their first victory in the Pacific Northwest since 2008, which, fittingly, was Aaron Rodgers’ first year as a starter.
Fast forward to this season, both teams made the postseason, but their paths quickly diverged. The Packers, entering as the No. 7 seed, bowed out in the Wild Card round.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks, the NFC’s top seed, handled business against division rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles to punch their ticket to the big game.
That win over Seattle in 2024 stands out, not just because of the venue, but because it breaks from a troubling pattern. Since 2011, the Packers are just 2-17 against the team that would go on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl that season. That stat is as jarring as it sounds - and it paints a clear picture of Green Bay’s struggles to stack up against the conference’s elite when it matters most.
Let’s break it down.
From 2018 to 2021, Green Bay managed just one win over an eventual NFC champ - a 2021 regular season victory over the Rams. Outside of that, they went 0-5 in matchups against the Rams, 49ers, and Buccaneers. And that’s not even including the postseason heartbreaks.
The trend stretches back even further. During Mike McCarthy’s later years (2011-2016), the Packers consistently fell short against the NFC’s best. After a regular season win over the Giants in 2011, they lost seven straight games to teams that would go on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl - including playoff losses to the 49ers, Seahawks, and Falcons.
Here’s a closer look at how things have gone:
- 2011: Beat the Giants in the regular season, but lost to them in the Divisional Playoffs.
- 2012: Swept by the 49ers - once in the regular season, again in the playoffs.
- 2014: Lost to Seattle twice, including the infamous NFC Championship collapse in overtime.
- 2015-2016: Losses to Carolina and Atlanta, both regular season and postseason.
- 2019-2020: Two brutal playoff exits - one to the 49ers, one to the Bucs - both by double digits.
- 2022-2024: Losses to the Eagles and 49ers, including a Wild Card defeat to Philly in 2024.
In total, since 2011, the Packers have faced the eventual NFC Super Bowl representative 19 times. They’ve won just twice.
This year, Green Bay went 1-4 against NFC playoff teams. The lone win?
A divisional victory over the Bears - though they also dropped a second game to Chicago, along with losses to the Eagles and Panthers. Due to their third-place finish in 2024, their only NFC West opponent this season was the Arizona Cardinals, who didn’t make the postseason.
Looking ahead, the 2026 schedule brings some intriguing matchups. The Packers will face the New England Patriots - the AFC’s Super Bowl representative - as part of the NFC North’s rotation against the AFC East.
If the Patriots win Super Bowl LX, it would mark the first time since 2013 that Green Bay plays the defending AFC champion the following season. Before that, you’d have to go back to 2009.
Interestingly, Green Bay has fared better against AFC Super Bowl teams than their NFC counterparts. Over the past 12 seasons, the Packers are 4-2 in those matchups, notching wins over the 2014 Patriots, 2019 Chiefs, 2021 Bengals, and 2023 Chiefs. The losses came against the 2015 Broncos and 2018 Patriots - both of whom went on to win the title.
But if the Packers are serious about breaking through and returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010, they’ll need to flip the script against the NFC’s top-tier teams. That means showing they can not only hang with, but beat, the conference’s best - something they haven’t done consistently in over a decade.
The 2026 schedule will offer plenty of opportunities to prove it. On deck are games against 2025 playoff teams like the Panthers, Bears, Rams, Bills, and Patriots. Add in matchups with recent NFC contenders like the Cowboys, Lions, Vikings, and Buccaneers, and there’s no shortage of measuring sticks.
For a team trying to climb back into the NFC elite, these games won’t just be about wins and losses - they’ll be about identity. Can the Packers finally shake the narrative that they can’t beat the best when it counts? 2026 might give us the answer.