The league will test the Green Bay Packers immediately this year when they host the Detroit Lions, followed by the Washington Commanders in back-to-back weeks to start the season.
General manager Brian Gutekunst talked about urgency all offseason, and the Packers will get to test that immediately. Still, a softer spot in the schedule could serve as a pivot point in the season for Green Bay if they can capitalize on it.
The bye week comes at a less-than-ideal time in Week 5. Most coaches, including head coach Matt LaFleur, would prefer it later in the season. The Packers won’t have that luxury in 2025, but they can spin it into a positive.
Green Bay will welcome the Cincinnati Bengals out of the bye week. The Bengals will be coming off a Monday night contest in Denver, followed by a late Sunday afternoon kickoff against the Detroit Lions.
Last year, teams went 6-12 the week after facing the Lions (including the playoffs). Everyone felt Detroit’s wrath, and the effects often lingered into the following week. Even more eye-opening: That number started with teams going 0-6 after facing Detroit in 2024, despite four of the six of them being favorites the following week. All six lost by an average of 17.2 points per game.
Point blank, the Lions beat teams up.
Good luck, Cincinnati.
The Bengals will be out for revenge after coming up short of the playoffs a year ago. Having Joe Burrow under center always gives them a puncher’s chance. Still, Green Bay is getting an extra week to prepare for the Bengals while Cincinnati tries to shake off a game against Detroit, which works out nicely for LaFleur’s squad.
There’s that positive early bye week spin!
Following the showdown with the Bengals, Green Bay will hit the road for games against the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jordan Love and Co. opened up a can of you-know-what against the Cardinals in a 34-13 win last year. Arizona finished the season 8-9 and will get the advantage of getting the Packers on their home field this time. Still, the Cardinals aren’t expected to be a juggernaut this season. Barring major injuries, the Packers will be favored in that game. Packers fans travel well, too, so the Green and Gold will be well represented in the desert.
After that is a trip to Pittsburgh — and a potential date with Aaron Rodgers.
The expectation is still (tenuously) that Rodgers will eventually ink a deal with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is never an easy place to play, but let’s say Rodgers doesn’t end up signing that contract. The Steelers have Mason Rudolph as the starter and rookie Will Howard as the backup — not exactly a duo to strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses.
Even with Rodgers in the mix, that will be a game with a ton of emotion and a ton of hype; it would be Rodgers’ first time facing his former team since he and Green Bay split two years ago. It’s far from a perfect scenario for the Packers, but it’s still a winnable game with Rodgers under center.
Green Bay caps off this stretch with a return trip home to welcome the Carolina Panthers.
Bryce Young started to find a groove late in 2024. Still, expecting the Panthers to take a gigantic leap this year and become a playoff contender feels like a stretch. Then again, they play in the NFC South rather than the NFC North.
Green Bay should be heavily favored in that game. It’s a “don’t play with your food” situation. The Packers have the Panthers sandwiched between games against the Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles. The trap-game effect could be real, but LaFleur has typically done a good job ensuring his teams don’t fall victim to that phenomenon.
The beginning and end of the season will be tough sailing. Green Bay starts with the Lions and Commanders and finishes with four of its last six on the road and five of the last seven against division rivals. Peppered into that stretch of games is a trip to Denver and a Week 17 visit from the Baltimore Ravens.
Even that presumably softer stretch of the schedule features a pair of road games along with the two at home. Green Bay will benefit from the Week 5 bye to regroup. That run from the Week 5 bye to Week 9 against Carolina is the spot where the Packers have to capitalize and try to go at least 3-1 and stack up wins to compete in a brutal division.