The Green Bay Packers are running it back. After collapsing in the Wild Card round a season ago against the Chicago Bears, team President Ed Policy decided to extend the contracts of head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Now, the pressure is on to win and prove Policy right.
The Packers looked like a team poised to compete for a Super Bowl when they were 9-3-1, ahead by two scores against the eventual one-seed in the AFC, Denver Broncos.
The season changed dramatically from there. Zach Tom (now Zach Bako-Bewele) and Micah Parsons were both lost for the season with significant knee injuries. The Packers collapsed at Denver and did not win another game the rest of the year. Now, they need to figure out a way to win without Parsons for at least the first month of the season.
What’s the biggest key to that? Winning within the division.
After a disastrous 1-5 record in 2024 in division play, the Packers rebounded to a respectable 4-2 last year. They easily could have been 6-0 had it not been for kicking away a game in Chicago and not trying to win against Minnesota in the final week of the season.
How are they going to navigate the first month of the season without Parsons with just one division game on the schedule? That could shape how the rest of their season goes.
The New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons could be two of the worst teams in football this year. Green Bay faces them after a Week 1 date in Minnesota.
Tampa Bay follows before the toughest stretch of the year.
October includes home games against Chicago, Dallas and Carolina sandwiched around a road date with the Lions.
The good news is that Parsons should be back to full capacity by some point during the aforementioned stretch. The Packers will desperately need him. They were one of the worst defenses in football without him in what was a five-game losing streak to end the 2025 season.
The biggest problem with getting on board with the Packers for the 2026 season is how 2025 ended.
When the 2025 season ended, they had questions at offensive line, cornerback and head coach.
Now, they have questions at offensive line, cornerback and head coach.
At the top of the organizational food chain, it certainly felt like the LaFleur era had run its course during a funereal press conference that he gave in the aftermath of the Wild Card loss to the Bears.
Usually, when a coach has reached the end of his tenure, it’s obvious. The end of Mike McCarthy’s tenure in Green Bay, for example, was obvious.
Perhaps LaFleur will prove his critics wrong and help the Packers rebound, and prove worthy of the mission to bring the Packers back to Super Bowl glory. With the way last season ended, color me skeptical.
There is an easy path to seeing LaFleur rebounding. He’s been one of the winningest coaches since taking the job in Green Bay in 2019. The bigger question is whether he has enough to work with in key spots.
The aforementioned problems on the offensive line and at cornerback are not going anywhere.
For all the handwringing during the offseason about Keisean Nixon, he’s still starting. The alleged upgrade from him is a rookie who has flashed but is still a rookie.
Can a defense make stops without quality cornerback play? Relying on Parsons to cover up some of the major warts in the secondary is likely foolish in a season where he’s returning from injury. As great as Parsons is, he cannot do it all alone, and was often asked to do so a season ago.
On the offensive line, the Packers have stability at two positions, and they’re both players who are playing new positions.
Jordan Morgan’s natural position is left tackle, but he’s starting there primarily for the first time in his pro career. Sean Rhyan moved to center last season and will be the pivot man for the offensive line this season.
The rest of the group has been a mess throughout training camp. Aaron Banks has struggled with knee tendinitis. Zach Bako-Bewele still has uncertainty surrounding his status.
The starter at right guard is Jacob Monk. Monk has one start in two seasons, and it came in last year’s regular season finale against Minnesota.
The Packers have plenty of strengths. Jordan Love gives them a puncher’s chance in every game.
His receiving corps should be the most explosive he’s had during his time as a starter, and Tucker Kraft is one of the best tight ends in football.
When Parsons returns, there’s good reason to believe they’ll be able to get after opposing quarterbacks.
It’s just hard to envision this team overcoming some of its fatal flaws while it waits for Parsons to return on his white horse to save the day.
Final Record: 9-8; Division Record: 3-3
Veteran special teams coach Cam Achord brings a new level of optimism to the Packers. Previously, he had coaching experience with the New England Patriots and New York Giants. (Greg Mellis | Green & Gold Express)
Brian Gutekunst
Ed Policy
