Winners, Losers Following Reveal of Packers’ Schedule

There are winners and losers in every facet of life, and the Green Bay Packers’ schedule for the 2026 season is no exception. From Matt LaFleur and Micah Parsons to hot-cocoa vendors and your wallet, here are the winners and losers for Green Bay.

Winner: Matt LaFleur, Generally

The Packers went 0-5 without Micah Parsons last season. He’s a great player, and it’s hard to win without great players.

A worst-case scenario would have been the Packers playing three of their NFC North rivals during the first quarter of the season, including Round 1 in their rivalry against the Bears.

Having to play the Vikings in Minneapolis to start the season might not be ideal, but the next three games are at the Jets, home against the Falcons and at the Buccaneers. None of those three teams finished with a winning record last season. That gives the Packers a chance to be in a good spot for Parsons’ return.

On top of that, a back-loaded home schedule puts the Packers in position to finish strong.

Loser: Matt LaFleur, Twice vs. Lions

Nothing matters more to a coach than the health of his football team. The balancing act between maximizing time on the practice field with making sure players are fresh and ready to go for gameday is a constant juggling act.

The Packers and Lions, as usual, will be two of the top contenders in the powerful NFC North. For Week 7 at Detroit, the Packers will be coming off a Sunday night home game against Dallas while the Lions will be coming off their bye. That’s an incredible disparity in favor of Detroit.

The teams will meet again in Week 18 in a game that could determine which team wins the NFC North and which team will miss the playoffs. The Lions will be coming off a Sunday game at Chicago and Green Bay coming off a Monday night game at home against Houston. Once again, the Lions will have the rest advantage.

Also, when the Bears host the Packers on Christmas in Week 16, Chicago will have a one-day rest advantage.

Loser: Thursday Night Opener

Generally speaking, Thursday night games are an inferior product. For the players, they haven’t bounced back physically from the previous Sunday. For the coaches, there isn’t enough time to thoroughly prepare.

So, the fans filling Lambeau Field for the home opener against Atlanta in Week 3 might have to settle for less-than-elite football.

Moreover, fans will be coming from work and school on Thursday and then have to head home for work and school on Friday, meaning an abbreviated experience for what should be a celebration of football.

Winner: Micah Parsons

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) talks with his former teammates after the tie at Dallas last year. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When he spoke to reporters at the end of the season, Micah Parsons anticipated missing the first three or four games of the season. If he hits that timeline in his comeback from a torn ACL, that would put him back on the field for the Week 5 showdown against the Bears and the Week 6 game against his former team, the Cowboys.

Loser: Workplace Productivity

The Packers will play six primetime games this season, with five of those at Lambeau Field. Those games are Thursday night vs. Atlanta in Week 3, Sunday night vs. Dallas in Week 6, Thursday night vs. Carolina in Week 8, Thanksgiving Eve at Los Angeles in Week 12, Sunday night vs. Buffalo in Week 14 and Monday night vs. Houston in Week 17.

That’s going to be a lot of sleepy-eyed fans headed to work. Make sure the break room is fully stocked with coffee and energy drinks.

Winner: Fresh Legs Because of “Bye”

Coming on the heels of two Thursday night games and a Wednesday game, the Packers will have the advantage vs. their opponents with three mini-byes (Week 4 at Tampa Bay, Week 9 at New England and Week 13 at New Orleans). They won’t have the advantage over the Rams in Week 12 and the Texans in Week 17, but they’ll have additional rest for those games, too.

The best players are fresh players. The Packers should have fresh legs, especially for some stretch-run games.

Loser: Players Because of “Bye”

A bye week gives the players an opportunity to truly get away and get better not just physically but mentally. The Packers don’t really have a bye this year. Their Week 11 bye allowed the NFL to put the Packers on TV the day before Thanksgiving.

Because of it, they’ll have a few extra days after playing Minnesota and a few extra days before playing New Orleans, but they won’t have an opportunity to find a warm, sunny beach and totally get away.

Winner: Fox

With all of those primetime games, the Packers-Bears showdown in Week 5 – Micah Parsons’ potential return to the lineup – will air on Fox.

Loser: Maybe Your Wallet

The Packers will play two games on Prime Video (Falcons and Panthers on Thursday nights) and two on Netflix (huge games against the Rams on Thanksgiving Eve and Bears on Christmas). If you live in the Packers’ TV market, which consists of Green Bay and Milwaukee, the game will air on a traditional TV channel. If you are a Packers fan living elsewhere – and Lord knows there are millions of them – you’re out of luck unless you want to pay.

Holiday or no holiday, the NFL doesn’t care about you. It does care about your money.

Winner: Hot Chocolate Vendors

Fans stand for the national anthem before last year's home game against Baltimore. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The final stretch to the season is going to be brutal. Or brrrrrutal.

Week 14 is a Sunday night home game against the Bills. It’s going to be cold. Week 15 is a home game against the Dolphins. It’s going to be cold. Week 16 is on Christmas in Chicago. It’s going to be cold. Week 17 is a Monday night home game against the Texans. It’s going to be cold. Week 18 is a home game against the Lions. It’s going to be cold.

The teams might not sell as much beer, but they might make up for it in hot cocoa.

The hot-chocolate quip aside, the Packers have not been as good as they need to be in cold-weather games, especially on the renowned Frozen Tundra.

The Packers are 11-2 in December home games under Matt LaFleur. That’s spectacular but, after starting 9-0, they’re 2-2 – including last year’s blowout loss to the Ravens. In January, including the playoffs, they are only 5-4.

“Having four out of five at the end of the year, especially with the conditions that we get up here in Green Bay, could be a big advantage for us,” LaFleur told Packers.com’s Larry McCarren.

The fate of the season might depend on it.

Loser: Routine

Everyone loves to settle into a routine. There will be no routine for the Packers this year, though. With games on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, only seven times will the Packers have a Sunday game followed by a Sunday game. There isn’t a single instance in which they play on the same day at the same time in consecutive weeks (back-to-back Sunday noon games, for instance).

After the bye, the Packers will play Wednesday night at the Rams, Sunday at noon against the Saints, Sunday night against the Bills, Sunday at noon against the Dolphins, Friday at noon against the Bears, Monday night against the Texans and a TBA against the Lions.

“It’s probably the most unique schedule in regards to how many days you have off in between games that we’ve ever experienced,” LaFleur said.

On the bright side, LaFleur will need his team to wake up with its “piss hot” only six times.

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