The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are preparing to kick off the 2026 regular season on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Both teams ended up with nine wins in 2025 but took very different ways of getting there. The Packers were, at one point, 9-3-1. The Vikings were, at one point, 4-8. Green Bay ended up losing five straight, including a playoff loss in Chicago, while Minnesota won five straight to end the season. Will any of that matter for Sunday? Momentum, or lack thereof, is difficult to carry over from one year to the next.
In a competitive, talented NFC North, every division matchup is a big one, and both the Packers and Vikings will want to open the season with a confidence-boosting win over a rival given how last year ended.
Five things to watch and a prediction for Week 1:
The Packers have new starters at left tackle (Jordan Morgan), center (Sean Rhyan) and right guard (Jacob Monk), and Morgan, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele are all either fighting through or returning from knee injuries. The first challenge for the 2026 offensive line? Brian Flores, a blitz-happy coordinator who thrives on creating havoc and uncertainty up front. The Packers offensive line got little to no time together during training camp, robbing the unit of cohesion entering the season. Can this group handle all the blitzes and stunts coming on Sunday? Communication and having confidence in the blocker next to you is so important to handling blitzes and movement, so the Packers front will likely be stressed early and often. Keeping Jordan Love protected, especially during the game's biggest situations (think: third down), will likely decide the winner of the opener.
#season #jordan
Both teams ended up with nine wins in 2025 but took very different ways of getting there. The Packers were, at one point, 9-3-1. The Vikings were, at one point, 4-8. Green Bay ended up losing five straight, including a playoff loss in Chicago, while Minnesota won five straight to end the season. Will any of that matter for Sunday? Momentum, or lack thereof, is difficult to carry over from one year to the next.
In a competitive, talented NFC North, every division matchup is a big one, and both the Packers and Vikings will want to open the season with a confidence-boosting win over a rival given how last year ended.
Five things to watch and a prediction for Week 1:
The Packers have new starters at left tackle (Jordan Morgan), center (Sean Rhyan) and right guard (Jacob Monk), and Morgan, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele are all either fighting through or returning from knee injuries. The first challenge for the 2026 offensive line? Brian Flores, a blitz-happy coordinator who thrives on creating havoc and uncertainty up front. The Packers offensive line got little to no time together during training camp, robbing the unit of cohesion entering the season. Can this group handle all the blitzes and stunts coming on Sunday? Communication and having confidence in the blocker next to you is so important to handling blitzes and movement, so the Packers front will likely be stressed early and often. Keeping Jordan Love protected, especially during the game's biggest situations (think: third down), will likely decide the winner of the opener.
#season #jordan
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