The first real test is here for the Green Bay Packers, and it comes with no margin for a sluggish opener. They head to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday to face the Minnesota Vikings in a Week 1 matchup that kicks off one of the NFC North’s most interesting early-season storylines.
Green Bay enters with its own quarterback advantage, but the Packers are carrying a few major concerns into this one - especially up front. Minnesota, meanwhile, is coming off a nine-win season built through plenty of quarterback chaos, and now Kyler Murray gives them a fresh direction at the position. That sets up a division game with plenty of familiarity and very little room for error.
The game is set for Sunday, September 13, at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS, with Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt, and Tracy Wolfson on the call.
Injuries and availability could shape a lot of what happens.
For Green Bay, the inactives are DL Warren Brinson, OL Aaron Banks, LB Ty’Ron Hopper, OL Travis Glover, WR J. Michael Sturdivant, and DT Anthony Campbell.
The biggest development is Banks being out, which opens the door for rookie Jager Burton to start at left guard. That makes the Packers’ offensive line a major point of focus against a defense built to stress protections and force mistakes.
There is some encouraging news for Green Bay, though. Left tackle Jordan Morgan, who was on the injury report earlier in the week because of a knee issue, got in two full practices and is available. Zach Bako-Bewele is also set to play even though he was listed as questionable.
Minnesota’s inactive list includes RB Demond Claiborne, CB Zemaiah Vaughn, S Jakobe Thomas, C Nick Samac, T Caleb Tiernan, DL Elijah Williams, and QB J.J. McCarthy as an emergency third quarterback.
The Vikings had no questionable or ruled-out players entering the game, and the only names on the Week 1 injury report - safety Jacob Thomas, safety Jakobe Thomas, and tackle Caleb Tiernan - carried no injury designation. Jakobe Thomas is a healthy scratch.
The Packers’ offensive line against Brian Flores’ pass rush is one of the clearest swing points in the game. Flores has given Green Bay problems before, and this matchup doesn’t get any easier with Dallas Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jalen Redmond coming after the quarterback. With Banks out and Bako-Bewele not fully certain, the Packers have to hold up against disguises, blitzes, and pressure from every angle.
There’s also the Kyler Murray angle on the other side of the ball. Jonathan Gannon, now Green Bay’s defensive coordinator after replacing Jeff Hafley, knows Murray well from their time together in Arizona last fall.
That familiarity runs both ways, of course. Gannon knows Murray’s tendencies, but Murray has also spent time around Gannon’s defense in practice.
The added wrinkle: Gannon reunites with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who is set to make his Packers debut and is looking for a quick start against his former team.
Green Bay’s backfield is another area to watch closely. Josh Jacobs will not play because he remains on the commissioner’s exempt list, which leaves MarShawn Lloyd as the leading candidate to start.
Lloyd is finally healthy after two injury-hit seasons. Kaleb Johnson, a third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers only a year ago, is also in the mix after the Steelers traded him to the Packers for a 2028 sixth-round pick on roster cutdown day.
Johnson averaged just 2.5 yards per carry last season with Pittsburgh, but he could fit better in Matt LaFleur’s system. Chris Brooks could also see a bigger role, especially because he’s the best blocker in the group.
Then there’s the pass rush, which has to function without Micah Parsons. Parsons is on the PUP list and must miss at least four games, so Green Bay needs a group effort early on.
Lukas Van Ness is expected to lead the way and live up to his first-round billing, Barryn Sorrell is a candidate for a second-year jump, and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton could be asked to chip in. The interior matters, too, with Hargrave getting his shot against his former team and Devonte Wyatt trying to pick up where he left off before a season-ending ankle injury in 2025.
Green Bay lost every game without Parsons last year, so the pressure is on the entire front to hold together.
That leaves the prediction, and it’s a tight one: Vikings 23, Packers 20.
The expectation is a close game, but one where Green Bay’s offensive line concerns prove costly and the ground game struggles without Jacobs. That could force Matt LaFleur to Let Jordan Love Cook, and the Packers will need Love operating at a high level to stay in it.
Green Bay’s defense should have chances to bother Minnesota, but containing Justin Jefferson is no easy task, and keeping Murray from extending plays with his legs becomes even harder without Parsons available. It shapes up as a one-score game, even if the hope in Green Bay is that the prediction misses.
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