Will Packers Beat Vikings? Green Bay’s Final Record? Here Are Our Predictions

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Finally. Football season is here.

The Green Bay Packers will kick off the 2026 NFL season on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Will the Packers win or lose? Will this be a winning season – maybe even a Super Bowl season – or yet another disappointing season?

We lead off with our Packers-Vikings game prediction. All the other predictions are for the season.

Will Packers Beat Vikings?

Bill Huber: Vikings 34, Packers 31. I keep getting stuck on the fact that the Packers don’t have any proven pass-rush production off the edge and their cornerbacks are mediocre Keisean Nixon and rookie Brandon Cisse. Sure, Kyler Murray isn’t a great quarterback, but he’s also never had this abundance of riches at receiver.

Jordan Love will have a big game, too, but it’s going to be easier for Murray to move the ball than it will be for Love.

Jacob Westendorf: Packers 27, Vikings 21. Minnesota is breaking in a new quarterback; the Packers are not. Despite the questions along the offensive line, coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love have navigated Brian Flores’ pressure packages in the past, and I anticipate they’ll be able to do so again.

Who Will Lead Packers in Receptions, Yards, Touchdowns?

Bill: Matthew Golden in receptions, Christian Watson in yards, Tucker Kraft in touchdowns. All Matthew Golden does is get open, so that should add up to a lot of catches. If he stays healthy and keeps averaging 17 yards per catch, Watson should be the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams. And someone’s got to score all those touchdown that had been going to Josh Jacobs; big Tucker Kraft seems like the logical beneficiary.

Jacob: Tucker Kraft in receptions, Christian Watson in yards and Jayden Reed in touchdowns. There will be a lot of focus on the passing game this season and the yearly question of who emerges as the “No. 1,” but this is still a group that will be largely productive by committee. Tucker Kraft should be a focal point, Watson is the big-play guy, and Reed’s quickness in the red zone should allow him to rack up touchdowns.

Who Will Lead Packers in Rushing?

Bill: MarShawn Lloyd. This is a tough one. It’s tempting to go with Josh Jacobs. Even if he misses the first six games of the season, it’s possible none of the Packers’ backs will have a large head-start. But I’ll go with Lloyd. The Packers have stuck with him through two seasons of injuries because they must see the potential of him being an impact player.

Jacob: Josh Jacobs. Even with the uncertainty hanging over his head regarding a potential NFL suspension, the Packers have leaned on him early and often during his two years in Green Bay. With the inexperience in the backfield without Jacobs, I anticipate LaFleur will lean on his passing game.

Who Will Lead Packers in Sacks?

Bill: Micah Parsons. Of players on the current roster, Devonte Wyatt led the Packers last season with four sacks. Even if Parsons misses the first six games, he should at least double that number.

Jacob: Micah Parsons. He’s one of the best players in the sport. He should be a man on a mission whenever he returns from his torn ACL injury. The Packers will likely be a pass rush by committee in his absence, so I don’t anticipate any of the other rushers having too much of a head-start.

Who Will Be Biggest Breakout Player?

Bill: Matthew Golden. I’ll echo everything that Jacob said below. As much as everyone focused on Golden’s speed after he was drafted last year, it’s the route-running ability and hands that have continually impressed. He’s going to have a big season and might replace Romeo Doubs as a go-to player on third down.

Jacob: Matthew Golden. Golden put together another excellent training camp and looks poised to be the one to take on a lion’s share of the 100-plus targets that went out the door with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Golden is talented and has the “it” factor that players like Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson used to possess.

Who Will Be Biggest Disappointment?

Bill: Lukas Van Ness. Until Micah Parsons returns, it’s going to be up to Van Ness to lead the charge. Knowing Parsons would miss the start of the season, the Packers still opted to trade Rashan Gary, not draft an edge player until the fourth round and not sign a veteran. They seemingly are all in on Van Ness. Based on what, exactly?

Van Ness has 8.5 sacks in three seasons, yet they still flipped the switch on his fifth-year option. Van Ness isn’t a bad player, but is he good enough to help the defense win games like Sunday’s at Minnesota?

Jacob: Offensive Line: This is a group that collectively has a lot of investment in it. Outside of Jacob Monk, every starter has been given a second contract or was selected with a first-round pick.

Unfortunately for the Packers, that investment has not paid off to date. This group has more questions than answers. Some self-inflicted wounds such as insisting on rotating players has not helped their cause, either.

If the Packers cannot get healthy (and stay healthy) are continue their musical-chairs approach, they will have trouble finding continuity again. If you’re not good enough up front, your team is dead on arrival.

Who Will Win NFL MVP (and Will Jordan Love Be in Race)?

Bill: Matthew Stafford. Yeah, Week 1 happened. The Packers also were rolled in the 2021 opener but Aaron Rodgers won NFL MVP. The Rams have the best roster in the NFL and they’re going to win a lot of games. With Puka Nacua and Davante Adams leading the way, Stafford once again will put up ridiculous numbers.

Without Josh Jacobs poaching so many red-zone touchdowns, Jordan Love will have a big-time season but will he get enough help from his friends to get to the 11-plus wins needed to really be in the MVP conversation?

Jacob: Bo Nix. The MVP award is given to the quarterback who is usually on the best team. I anticipate the Broncos being the top team in the AFC, which helps Nix edge out other candidates like Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.

Jordan Love will be in the race with some votes given to him on the fringe of the ballot but, due to his team’s, record he will not be a serious contender.

NFC North Winner

Bill: Bears. I certainly get the arguments against Chicago. Regression is real. The Bears won a lot of close games and forced a lot of turnovers last season. Those things often are tough to replicate.

The Packers dominated the turnover table year after year when Dom Capers coordinated a defense that featured Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. The Bears, obviously, don’t have anyone like them in the secondary.

What can be replicated is winning close games, especially when you have a really good coach, a rising quarterback and quality skill-position players with room to grow. The Bears have those things.

Jacob: Lions. The discussion point surrounding this division is that there are four good teams and anyone could win it.

I do think that is possible if the ball bounces the right way for any of the four teams. I also think each team has fatal flaws that have not been focused on. Green Bay’s offensive line is in a tough spot. Chicago’s defense has potential to be the worst in the NFL. Minnesota’s coaching staff is a little overrated – and so is their new quarterback – with a less talented roster than what they had a season ago.

So, I defer to the Lions, who have flaws, but also have the easiest schedule in the division.

Super Bowl Winner

Bill: Los Angeles Rams. Yeah, I’ll take the boring pick. The Rams have an MVP quarterback with Matthew Stafford and added an MVP pass rusher with Myles Garrett. I have no idea what Aaron Donald will be coming out of retirement, but he might only need to be the cherry on top of the sundae.

Jacob: Denver Broncos. Had Bo Nix not injured his ankle last season, the Broncos might be the defending Super Bowl champions. They added some explosiveness to their offense with receiver Jaylen Waddle. Their defense is salty, led by their pass rush and Patrick Surtain II. The thought here is they emerge from a tough AFC playoffs and knock off the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.

Packers Record (And When Season Will End)

Bill: 8-9. I’ll write more about this on the way to Minneapolis for the game, but the reasoning follows what I wrote about in the game prediction. Where will the pass rush come from without Micah Parsons?

Combine a potentially shaky offensive line, an uncertain running game and the lack of depth at some positions, and the burden might be too much against a challenging schedule.

Jacob: 8-9. Coming off their mini-playoff run in 2023, the Packers have been a trendy pick to win the Super Bowl since 2024. That was Jordan Love’s second season as the starter. They’ve underachieved in both seasons since then due to injuries and other factors.

Last season’s ending felt like what should have been the end of an era. The Packers’ brass felt otherwise but, until further notice, I don’t believe the Packers are trustworthy. In a division with four flawed teams, I’m giving the nod to the Lions as the division winner largely due to their schedule.

The Packers, meanwhile, will miss the postseason and face a plethora of questions going into 2027.

Part 1 of our weekly series starts with the positive.

Here’s why the Packers will beat the Vikings. ⬇️https://t.co/f3dcU1LYe0
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 12, 2026

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