The Green Bay Packers kick off the 2026 season with an away at Minnesota on Sept. 13.
Packers’ offense vs. Vikings’ defense
Green Bay’s offense is going with a less-is-more approach this season in the passing game.
Jordan Love is going to be the quarterback, and he is fully established as the face of the franchise at this point of his career.
Around him, he should have his full arsenal of weapons ready for Week 1 with Tucker Kraft set to make his triumphant return from a torn ACL that sidelined him for the second half of the 2025 season.
He’ll also be flanked by veteran Jonnu Smith, who the Packers signed at the end of training camp to be their secondary tight end. Smith is a veteran who played for Matt LaFleur with the Titans in 2018 when LaFleur was the offensive coordinator.
At receiver is where the Packers have made the most changes. Last year, the Packers rotated up to seven guys at a time into the lineup depending on personnel packages and what LaFleur wanted to do in a given series.
Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks both left during the offseason. That cleared the way for a wide receiver trio of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden to take a majority of the snaps.
The rest of the receiving corps is either inexperienced or primarily in Green Bay for special teams.
Skyy Moore is a return man. Bo Melton is a special teams’ ace. J. Michael Sturdivant made the team out of camp as an undrafted free agent.
This will be the Watson, Golden, Reed and Kraft show for the foreseeable future.
In the run game, the Packers are in transition. Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list stemming from two misdemeanor charges he recently received. Jacobs is likely to receive a suspension at some point from the league office but will not be available for the first game in Minnesota. When he will be available is anyone’s guess at this point.
The Packers, to this point, have shown no inclination that they’re going to release Jacobs as a result of these charges, but in his absence, they’ll be relying on some unknowns.
Marshawn Lloyd made it through camp healthy, and now he’s going to be the team’s top runner on the depth chart. Lloyd has plenty of talent; he just has not been available. He’s been active for one game through two seasons.
Behind him, Chris Brooks is the team’s primary blocking back. He has limited experience running the ball.
The Packers traded for Kaleb Johnson, a former third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers before the end of training camp, but it will likely take some time for him to get up to speed.
On the offensive line, the Packers are in a bit of a conundrum.
Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele are both uncertain if they’re able to play the entirety of a game. Anthony Belton, who entered camp penciled in as the starting right guard, was benched in favor of Jacob Monk.
If Bako-Bewele misses time during the game or cannot suit up, Belton is likely to be the right tackle. If Banks has to miss time or is forced to rotate, fifth round rookie Jager Burton is likely the next man up to play left guard.
After a season of struggling to maintain any semblance of continuity on the offensive line, the Packers look to be in flux there once again. The only sure things at the moment, are both guys playing new positions. Jordan Morgan is starting at left tackle for the first time in his career. Sean Rhyan moved to center last year and will be the starter there.
Minnesota’s defense is also undergoing some transition.
Harrison Smith, a longtime standout at safety is not currently on the roster. While he’s not officially retired, it seems unlikely he’d be able to suit up in time to join the Vikings for Sunday’s game.
Up front, Minnesota lost both of its starting defensive tackles from a season ago, one of whom ended up in Green Bay. Javon Hargrave will be on the other sideline.
They traded Jonathan Greenard away from their edge rushing unit, which leaves Andrew Van Ginkel as their primary rusher getting after the quarterback. This will be a big year for former first round pick Dallas Turner, who had a strong preseason and needs to break out for the Vikings to get some return on their investment.
What the Vikings lack in personnel, they make up for in schematics. Brian Flores is one of the top defensive coordinators in all of football, and the Vikings paid him as such during the offseason. He will challenge the Packers’ protection schemes with his complex blitz packages.
Packers’ defense vs. Vikings’ offense
The Green Bay defense that you see now will not be the one that you see in two months.
There is one big piece missing from the front, as Micah Parsons will miss at least the first month of the season as he rehabs from a torn ACL. In his absence, the Packers are relying on an inexperienced group of rushers. Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox, Barryn Sorrell and Dani Dennis-Sutton are the top four guys that are tasked with getting after the quarterback from the edge.
Sorrell and Cox had big games in last year’s glorified preseason finale against the Vikings.
The interior of Green Bay’s defensive line might have been the biggest question mark coming into training camp. Now, it looks like a strength. The Packers kept seven defensive tackles and had another one claimed on waivers after he was released.
The primary players up front are going to be Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt. Wyatt missed the last month of last season with an ankle injury but will be good to go in Week 1. His new running mate is Hargrave, who came to Green Bay this offseason on a two-year deal to give Green Bay’s interior defensive line a boost. How the rest of the room fits around those guys remains to be seen, but the Packers have plenty of options there.
At cornerback, rookie Brandon Cisse appears set to start. Who is playing across from him is likely Keisean Nixon, but Nixon was rotating with Carrington Valentine and Benjamin St. Juste during training camp. This will be a big spot to keep an eye on with Minnesota’s offense boasting one of the best receivers in football.
Justin Jefferson is back in Minnesota, and he’s bringing a new quarterback with him. JJ McCarthy has been benched after losing a training camp competition to offseason acquisition Kyler Murray.
Murray is the biggest change in Minnesota’s offense, but he still has a good group of weapons around him. Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and TJ Hockenson form one of the top trios of pass catchers in the sport.
Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones will spearhead Minnesota’s run game again as well.
Special Teams
Could there perhaps be a light at the end of the tunnel that has been dismal special teams play for Green Bay?
It’s probably too early to say that after just getting through the preseason, but there were plenty of signs of life for the Packers in their exhibition slate. The return game had flashes of brilliance, and rookie kicker Trey Smack was perfect on field goals and extra points.
Daniel Whelan remains one of the best punters in football and should be a key cog in Smack’s development as a vital part of the field goal operation.
In the return game, the Packers brought in Moore this offseason to be their primary return man. He should be a significant upgrade to just about anyone the Packers trotted back to return kickoffs or punts a season ago.
Minnesota’s special teams is powered by their excellent kicker, Will Reichard. He was 33-for-35 on field goals a season ago and has a big leg, which makes the Vikings a threat to score on almost every possession.
Also returning from an ACL injury is tight end Tucker Kraft. He returned to the field and is expected to play Week 1 against Minnesota. (Greg Mellis | Green & Gold Express)
