The Packers are back where they finished last season, and the first test comes fast: Minnesota, on the road, in Week 1.
Green Bay opens the 2026 NFL season against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Sept. 13, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m.
CT. It’s the second year in a row the Packers have started against a division opponent after opening 2025 at home with a win over the Detroit Lions.
Last season, Green Bay went 4-2 against NFC North teams on its way to a third straight playoff trip. But the finish turned ugly.
The Packers dropped four straight before getting blown out by the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round. Now Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love and the rest of the group get an early chance to show whether that late-season fade is behind them.
Sunday’s game will air on CBS, with Jim Nantz on play-by-play, J.J. Watt as analyst and Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sideline. In Milwaukee, the game will be on Channel 58; in Green Bay, Channel 5.
BetMGM lists Minnesota as a 2-point favorite, with the over/under at 46.5. The moneyline has the Packers at +105 and the Vikings at -130. ESPN gives Green Bay a 56.7% chance to win.
On the injury front, Green Bay has a few names worth watching. Offensive linemen Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele were limited participants every day this week.
Banks has been dealing with knee tendinitis, while Bako-Bewele is coming back from offseason knee surgery to repair a partially torn patellar tendon. Defensive tackle Warren Brinson missed practice all week because of a calf injury, which makes him likely to miss the opener.
Linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper, who has been dealing with an Achilles injury, practiced Friday, Sept. 11 for the first time this week.
Minnesota enters the game clean, at least on paper. As of Friday, Sept. 11, the Vikings do not have anyone listed with an injury designation.
After Sunday, Green Bay’s schedule keeps moving quickly. The Packers head to the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 20, then host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday, Sept.
- Their 2026 slate also includes home games against the Bears, Cowboys, Vikings, Panthers, Bills, Dolphins and Texans, plus road trips to Tampa Bay, Detroit, New England, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Chicago.
The bye lands in Week 11.
In Other News...
Packers Needed Backfield Help Fast And Kaleb Johnson Suddenly Matters
The Packers moved quickly to reshape their backfield after placing Josh Jacobs on the commissioners exempt list following misdemeanor charges, and the timing made Kaleb Johnson a lot more relevant in Green Bay than he was just a day earlier. The trade brings in a running back originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, a player whose rookie season was limited but who still drew enough interest to be viewed as a worthwhile add.
For Brian Gutekunst, the appeal appears to be as much about upside as immediate relief. Johnson has already had to adjust to the NFL level, and analysts have pointed to the kind of growth that can come when a young player gets a reset in a new setting. For a Packers team suddenly looking for more stability and depth behind its top options, his arrival at least gives them another name to sort through while the bigger situation around Jacobs plays out. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleurs Josh Jacobs Response Is Putting Packers Under Fire
Josh Jacobs remains on the Packers roster while on the Commissioners Exempt List after pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges, leaving Green Bay in the uncomfortable spot of having to navigate the situation while the leagues review plays out. Matt LaFleur tried to keep his comments limited, calling the matter unfortunate and saying his opinion of Jacobs has not changed, while making clear he would wait for the NFL to finish its investigation before saying more.
LaFleurs restrained response, however, has not gone over smoothly, with public criticism building around the way the Packers are handling a matter that extends well beyond football. For a team trying to keep its focus on the field, the uncertainty around Jacobs has now become part of the larger conversation, and the silence from the sideline is only making the scrutiny louder. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Have Another Reason To Laugh At Minnesota's QB Mess
The quarterback picture in Minnesota has gone from shaky to awkward, and Packers fans have every reason to notice. J.J. McCarthy has been pushed into the emergency quarterback role behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, a reminder that the Vikings are still trying to settle the most important spot on the field after moving on from Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold.
For Green Bay, it only sharpens the contrast inside the NFC North. While the Packers continue to project stability at quarterback, Minnesota is left juggling names and depth-chart labels in a spot where clarity matters most. The division race can change quickly, but this is one more storyline that leaves the Vikings looking like they are already playing catch-up. [Read more 🡒]