Packers regular season schedule to be announced Thursday

The Green Bay Packers’ 2018 regular season schedule is coming.

The NFL schedule release usually takes place in mid-April, a week after the announcement of the preseason schedule.

Well, last week we learned the Green Bay Packers’ four exhibition games. And as expected, the regular season announcement is on the way.

NFL Network tweeted that the regular season schedule will be released at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 19.

What we do already know is the teams the Packers will play in 2018. Here is the list of their opponents this season:

Home: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Atlanta, Arizona, Buffalo, Miami, San Francisco

Away: Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, LA Rams, New England, NY Jets, Seattle, Washington

Following a report by Rob Demovsky of ESPN that the Packers had asked the NFL to play at home in Week 1, I wrote about three potential opponents for Green Bay in the season opener.

Of Green Bay’s 16 games in 2018, six will be played against playoff teams from last year (including two meetings with the Vikings).

On paper it sure looks like a tough schedule. The NFC North is loaded with talent, and it’s certainly no guarantee Aaron Rodgers‘ return will bring the division crown back to Green Bay.

Outside of the division, the Los Angeles Rams have made a number of big-time moves this offseason, signing the likes of Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Brandin Cooks and Ndamukong Suh.

The San Francisco 49ers should be in playoff contention with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.

The Packers have had a number of problems against the Atlanta Falcons in recent years. The Falcons have made the playoffs in consecutive years, and made beating Green Bay look pretty easy.

The schedule looks tough now, although it’s impossible to predict which teams will outperform expectations, and which teams will disappoint.

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Stay tuned for the full regular season schedule release on Thursday. We’ll have you covered here at Lombardi Ave.