The Green Bay Packers will start the 2026 season with a decided disadvantage. Micah Parsons likely doesn’t play until midseason, which means the pressure will be on the offense to carry this team much like it was in the peak Aaron Rodgers era.
So the first question is, can the offense do it? If reports are accurate that Tucker Kraft will be ready by week 1 then I think the answer is an unequivocal yes. Matt LaFleur has never had an offense outside of the top ten since taking over. Additionally its very possible that the offensive line improves this year by virtue of more consistency and better health luck. The wide receiver room should be similarly streamlined, with clear roles for the top three guys.
So why are the first four so important?
The Math
The simplest answer, and the most boring doesn’t just apply to the Packers, but to the league in general.
Teams that start the season 0-1 make the playoffs only 35% of the time. Start 0-2? It drops to just 12%, and at 0-3 it falls to 2%. Starting the season badly is devastating for most every team in the league. For the Packers this year, it matters even more, in part because of the injury to Parsons, but also because of our next reason.
The Packers Schedule
The Packers do not have an easy schedule this season. Beyond the tough matchups against the rest of a tough NFC North, Green Bay also hosts the Bills and Texans, and gets to play current SB favorites the LA Rams in Los Angeles. Its hard to say when Parsons will be up to full speed, so racking up early wins is extra important.
Fortunately for the Packers, if you had to point to an “easy” stretch on the schedule, it would be hard to pick out a better four games than what Green Bay opens up with. While three of them are on the road, none of the games are against teams that finished above .500 last year. Three of them (Min, Atl, and the Jets) are potentially starting new players at QB, and the last team, Tampa Bay, lost their best WR. These are the kinds of offenses that a weakened Packers defense should be able to hold off.
What matters most is that the Packers offense uses these games to get off to a fast start on offense. If they can get through this stretch at 3-1 or 4-0 then the rest of the season looks a lot more promising.
It Is Time
Words that every Packers fan knows, but also applicable to this iteration of the Green Bay Packers. There are no more excuses. People don’t care that Parsons is hurt, or that Kraft was hurt, or that special teams sucked. The Green Bay Packers have a top ten player at QB. They have blue chip players at every position group. They have a coach that is a top 10-12 guy. Another 7th seed one and done isn’t going to cut it anymore.
The Packers need to open this season and announce “We are here”. And the best way to do that is to win your first 4 against lesser opponents. If this season goes poorly I expect big changes to come next offseason, regardless of contract extensions. The team has to start off stong.
It is time.
