Five Storylines I’m Watching Most In Packers’ Opening Showdown At Vikings

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Thank God It’s Friday, and thank God it’s almost football season.

After months of talk, the Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2026 NFL season at the rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. It’s a huge game.

“Division games count double. They mean more,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. Upping the ante is the outsized importance of Week 1 games.

Here are five storylines that will help determine the outcome.

Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love vs. Brian Flores

Going against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who is the most aggressive play-caller in the NFL, is a challenge in any game. Complicating matters for the Packers, Flores had all offseason to conjure up a fresh batch of blitzes and other unscouted looks to keep the Packers on their toes.

“These guys pressure, they pressure a lot and there are a lot of different looks,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said this week. “They’re very aggressive so, obviously, playing in their stadium, communication’s going to be huge. We got to make sure we’re on the same page, and that’s what they feed off of.

“They do a nice job making it hard on offenses and cutting guys loose and things like that. So, we’re just going to have to be on top of it from a pass-protection standpoint. In the run game, they do a nice job mixing up their fronts, so again, we’re just going to have to do a really good job communicating in a tough environment.”

Coach Matt LaFleur has had success against Flores’ defenses. Tossing aside last year’s 16-3 verdict with Clayton Tune at quarterback, the Packers scored 23, 25, 29 and 33 points in the previous four matchups.

Just like Flores, LaFleur has had plenty of time to get ready for this game, prepare for the Vikings’ strengths and devise ways to attack their vulnerabilities.

On Sunday, it will be up to quarterback Jordan Love to let it rip. His line-of-scrimmage acumen has been hyped. Now, it has to show up in a big game.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman (51) sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love in 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

MarShawn Lloyd’s “Debut”

For all intents and purposes, MarShawn Lloyd will be making his NFL debut on Sunday. A third-round pick in 2024, his only career game was almost exactly two years ago when he carried the ball six times against the Colts.

At this point, it’s probably safe to say there are more questions about Lloyd’s ability than his availability. His offseason work allowed him to participate in every practice from Day 1 of OTAs to the final day of training camp. Yes, there will be bumps and bruises, but the soft-tissue issues might be behind him.

Now, it’s time for the payoff. Can Lloyd turn 0-yard runs into 2-yard gains? Can he turn 3-yard runs into explosive gains? Can he make a defender miss on a checkdown or screen? Can he block a blitzing linebacker?

Those are the real questions entering the first game of what might be an extended run as the starting running back in place of Josh Jacobs.

“Just stay where your feet are, be in the present, those type of things,” he said of advice from Jacobs. “He’s talked to us a lot. Have fun with it. Don’t try to do too much. Don’t try to make the big play. Just be yourself. Yourself is what got you here, so just continue to do that.”

The Pass Rush

In case you were unaware, starting with the Denver game in which he suffered a torn ACL, the Packers went 0-5 without Micah Parsons last season.

The Packers did almost nothing to replace his pass rush. Their main acquisitions were signing 33-year-old defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had 3.5 sacks for the Vikings last season, and using a fourth-round pick on Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Can Green Bay do anything to make Kyler Murray the least bit uncomfortable in the pocket on key plays? The X-factor for the Packers might be defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who should have a clear feel for what makes Murray uncomfortable from their three years together in Arizona.

The Vikings, however, aren’t a bunch of dunces. Coach Kevin O’Connell is one of the best quarterback whisperers and offensive minds in the game. He’ll presumably have the Vikings prepared for at least some of Gannon’s bag of blitzing tricks.

“Gannon, he’s always, as a coordinator, been a really tough guy to go up against,” O’Connell said on Wednesday. “He’s going to do some things that make life hard, especially knowing the unscouted nature of very, very limited information of what the Green Bay Packers version of J.G.’s defense is going to be.”

Can Anyone Stop Justin Jefferson?

Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson (18) is tackled by Green Bay Packers safety Kitan Oladapo in Week 18 last year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Especially at home, Justin Jefferson has made a lot of good cornerbacks look silly over the years. Jaire Alexander among them. Jefferson leads the NFL with 8,480 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2020. The last time he had a good quarterback, 2024 with Sam Darnold, he caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Packers don’t have any cornerbacks as good as in-his-prime Alexander. On Sunday, they’ll line up with Keisean Nixon and rookie Brandon Cisse.

“He’s an elite receiver, one of the best in the league,” Cisse said. “You know, it probably doesn’t get too much better than him, if any, at all. So, you got to make sure that you’re prepared and, obviously, he’s a heck of a talent. So, we’ll see where it goes.”

It’s not just Jefferson. The Vikings might have the best receiver trio in the NFL with Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings. With the potential of a suspect pass rush, can Cisse, Nixon and Javon Bullard keep up?

Steady Smack

Between field goals and extra points, rookie kicker Trey Smack was a perfect 16-of-16 in the three preseason games.

However, special teams coordinator Cam Achord knows the reality.

“I think anytime you make all your kicks, you’ve got a little more confidence, right? So I think that’s a good thing,” he said this week. “I do think at some point, whether it’s Week 1, Week 18, whatever it may be, he’s going to miss. And I think what’s good about him is you saw on his college tape, his college film, he didn’t let one miss lead into another and it spiraled downhill. I think that’s the really good thing about his demeanor.”

Smack struggled at practice but was good when it mattered. He followed a strong Family Night with a perfect preseason. There was some pressure in those moments with fans in the stands. But he hasn’t faced anything like he’s about to face at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Can he block out the deafening noise and the heat of the moment to make kicks when it matters?

From yesterday (when there were three days until the opener), here are three must-win matchups for the Packers for Sunday's opener at the Vikings. ⬇️https://t.co/oyMZ3ZBCc1
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 11, 2026

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