The Packers opened the 2026 NFL season with a familiar kind of pain, dropping a 39-22 decision to the Vikings and starting 0-1 after another late-game collapse.
That kind of finish has lingered around Matt LaFleur’s team before, and Sunday did nothing to shake it. Still, buried inside the loss were a handful of performances Green Bay can point to as the season moves forward.
Edgerrin Cooper was everywhere for the Packers. His burst showed up again and again, and he led the team with seven total tackles while also adding a sack. If this game is any preview, Green Bay may have something big on its hands.
Christian Watson also delivered a huge afternoon, and it came right after his new contract extension. He looked every bit like the top target the Packers have been trying to find since Davante Adams left, finishing with six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. It was one of the best games of his career and a clear reminder of what he can do when he’s healthy and featured.
Matthew Golden kept building on the promise he flashed in the playoffs. He caught six passes for 95 yards, both career highs, and gave Green Bay another encouraging sign from the young receiver. The next step is obvious: he’ll be looking for his first career regular-season touchdown catch next week.
Jordan Love had to operate under constant pressure, and the offensive line didn’t make life easy on him. He completed just 50 percent of his passes, lost two fumbles and threw an interception. But he also kept the Packers in the game for long stretches, finishing with 387 passing yards, the second-highest total of his career, and two touchdown passes.
Keisean Nixon had a mixed day in coverage, with a few plays where he got beaten. But he also made his presence felt as a blitzer, notching a tackle for loss and half a sack. He also intercepted Kyler Murray on Minnesota’s opening possession, giving Green Bay an early lift.
Trey Smack had his own storyline. He missed an extra point, and there’s some debate about how that factored into LaFleur’s decision on the failed quarterback sneak late in the fourth quarter. Even so, he still showed off a strong leg, drilling a 59-yard field goal for his first career make and adding two more field goals later.
Jonnu Smith also made a strong first impression in his Packers debut. He caught two passes for 50 yards, highlighted by a 43-yard gain in which he found plenty of space and powered deep into Minnesota territory.
For a team that came away with another ugly loss, the list of positives was still real. The result stung, but several Packers gave Green Bay something to build on.
In Other News...
Packers Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Packers spent much of their Week 1 opener in control before letting a fourth-quarter lead slip away, and the way it unraveled has plenty to do with the details that usually decide September games. Protection was an issue throughout, with the offense allowing 16 pressures and multiple sacks, leaving the quarterback under constant duress and making it hard to sustain drives when the game tightened.
Special teams added to the frustration. Rookie kicker Trey Smack had a mostly steady day by putting through three field goals, but the missed extra point stood out in a one-score game where every point mattered. For Green Bay, the loss did not just show up in the final score - it exposed how thin the margin can be when the pass protection falters and a simple kick gets away. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Hot Seat Talk Just Turned Toward Possible LaFleur Replacements
The Packers Week 1 loss to the Vikings did more than spoil the start of the 2026 season. After Green Bay surrendered a late lead in Minneapolis, the conversation around Matt LaFleur shifted fast from frustration to something bigger, because it fit an uncomfortable pattern that has followed this team through too many finishes. When a game slips away like that, fans do not just ask what went wrong in the fourth quarter - they start wondering whether the bigger problem sits on the sideline.
Marcus Freeman, Brian Flores, Davis Webb, Steve Sarkisian and Sean McDermott have all surfaced as names worth watching if Green Bay ever decides a change is needed. None of that means a move is imminent, but it does show how quickly the discussion around LaFleur has turned from one bad loss to a broader search for answers, with the Packers now facing questions about not just how they finished Sunday, but what direction they might choose if the late-game issues keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Have Seen This Matt LaFleur Problem Before
The Packers opened the season with a frustrating collapse against the Vikings, turning a 22-10 lead late in the third quarter into a loss after being outscored 22-0 in the fourth. For Green Bay, the hard part was not just the finish but how familiar the finish looked, with another late-game slip leaving fans and analysts to question how a game that seemed in hand got away.
Matt LaFleur drew the most heat for a key fourth-quarter sequence, declining a defensive offside penalty and choosing a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 that came up empty and led to a turnover on downs. LaFleur has acknowledged the teams issues closing out games, but this latest setback has only sharpened the criticism, because for Packers supporters it felt less like a one-off and more like a problem they have seen before. [Read more 🡒]