The NFL will announce their full 2026 schedule Thursday evening, although pieces of it have been leaking out over the last few days. We already know one game for the Packers this season, in Week 12, and it will be historic. Here are some thoughts before the NFL releases the Packers 2026 schedule and some important things to look for.
First thing we do know is that the Packers will be visiting the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 12. The game will be played on the night before Thanksgiving. This will be only the second time the Packers will play a Wednesday night game in their history. The first time was way back in 1938 when the Packers played a neutral site game against the Chicago Cardinals in Buffalo, New York, on September 28.
One question surrounding the Thanksgiving Eve game is how the NFL will handle the Packers schedule before and after it. The league has some options. The easiest may be to give the Packers their bye in Week 11, giving them extra time to prepare for the Wednesday night game, followed by a mini bye the following week. The Packers would certainly appreciate a later season bye after having one in Week 5 last season.
An alternative would be to have the Packers play on Thursday night the previous week, which would give them six days to prepare for their trip to Los Angeles. That is the equivalent of playing on the road the Sunday following an appearance on Monday Night Football.
The league could also have the Packers play their regular Sunday game but that would certainly give the Rams an unfair advantage heading into this game.
Then there’s the old adage it’s not necessarily just who you play but when you play them. The Packers are also facing three teams this season with new head coaches. They are the Dolphins, with former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their head coach, the Bills with Joe Brady, and the Falcons who have hired Kevin Stefanski. It would certainly give the Packers an advantage to face at least one of those teams in September or early October before those teams are fully comfortable with their new coaches and their systems.
Of course, there is also the advantage of playing some home games late in the season at Lambeau Field. That advantage becomes even greater if the Packers are going to face teams who play their home games in domes or teams that are based in warm weather climates.
The Packers play the teams like the Dolphins, Cowboys, Texans and Falcons outside of their division at Lambeau Field and none of those teams are used to playing in the freezing cold of a Wisconsin winter. The Vikings and Lions are also dome teams and playing a late-season game on the Frozen Tundra could give the Pack an advantage there as well.
The Packers are also starting the season with several key players returning from significant injuries. We do not know whether Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft will be ready to play in Week 1. Even if they are ready, these players will likely be on a play count and will only be able to make limited contributions. Other key players coming off significant injuries include Devonte Wyatt and Zach Tom.
Under these circumstances, facing some easier games early in the season would certainly benefit the Packers. It would also be great if Green Bay could avoid games against the Lions or Bears in the first three or four weeks of the season, so they have a better chance of getting these key players back in the lineup and fully ready to play for these important games.
Starting the season at home would also be a nice change for the Packers. In the eight seasons that Matt LaFleur has been the team’s head coach, they have opened up at home only once and that was last season when they hosted the Lions. In fact, the Packers have opened up the season at “neutral” sites (Brazil and a game against the Saints in Jacksonville) more often than they’ve opened at home.
The odds are favorable for a home opener, with nine home games this season and eight road games. There are only seven road games left because we know the Packers are on the road against the Rams in Week 12. However, we also know that the University of Wisconsin will be hosting Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sunday, September 6th. Will that prevent the league from giving the Packers a home opener due to concerns about having the field ready after the college game is played there? We shall see.
All hope and speculation will end Thursday evening when the full schedule is released. Regardless of what the schedule is, the Packers will still have to beat their opponents on the field. We’ll see what advantages and disadvantages the league hands out along the way.