The Green Bay Packers couldn't have asked for a much better matchup in the season opener. For a team many are counting out on the heels of a humiliating playoff collapse, a road trip to face the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings is just what the doctor and the football gods ordered.
As if the stunning postseason loss to Chicago wasn't enough fuel for the haters, Micah Parsons' ongoing recovery from a torn ACL is a major talking point. However, as an objective observer of this here Cheeseheads team, I do believe they're being seriously slept on.
Methinks these ensuing bold predictions about how the Packers will fare in Minnesota during the 2026 season opener should convert a fair portion of non-believers.
Green Bay lets the hate out on the Vikings in this fearless Week 1 forecast
1. Packers DC Jonathan Gannon puts Vikings QB Kyler Murray's brain in a blender. Yeah. This is happening. Wanna know the one piece of intel I heard about Kyler this week? Courtesy of sources from the Sharp or Square podcast cohost and professional bettor Simon Hunter, who, rest assured, knows things:
"Ever since he's gotten the starting job, anyone I talk to in Minnesota, they say, 'Well, he's usually one of the last ones in, and he's one of the first ones out.' So, Kyler, he is what he is. He ain't going to be the hardest working guy. He's not gonna stay late. He's not gonna do extra work. That's who he is."
Gannon staked his coaching career on him and, granted, it was an uphill battle due to the ineptitude of the Cardinals organization. But nevertheless, Gannon got burned. You don't think he feels a type of way?
Just look at how this is shaping up. Kyler and his notoriously dubious, video-gaming work ethic is a home favorite. You don't think there's a demon on his shoulder whispering, "I know Gannon's scheme like the back of my hand. Easy money. CALL OF DUTY ALL NIGHT FTW BAY-BEEE LET'S RIDE!!"
Brace for some Jonathan "We're Gonna F'ing Gut These Guys" Gannon energy this coming Sunday. If there was ever a Week 1 trap game for Kyler Murray, this is it.
2. MarShawn Lloyd goes for over 100 yards rushing in starting debut for Green Bay. I mean, the last time the Packers played in Minny, current Seattle Seahawks RB3 Emmanuel Wilson piled up 107 yards and two TDs on 28 carries. Shoot. It doesn't sound so bold when I say it like that.
But it is bold, really. MarShawn Lloyd has appeared in a grand total of one NFL game since the Pack drafted him in the third round back in 2024. He's a thick, decisive runner who's the clear feature back now that Josh Jacobs' legal issues have landed him on the commissioner's exempt list.
The recent trade for Kaleb Johnson notwithstanding, at least for Week 1, Lloyd has a golden opportunity to prove he's That Dude. I expect him to tailback pun-intended run with it.
Do you trust the Packers' talent evaluation chops? I generally do. They clung to Lloyd for dear life amid years of uncertainty. I think he's about to pay that long-standing faith off with, say, 125 yards and at least one trip to the end zone against the Vikings' reigning 21st-ranked run defense.
3. Packers third-round pick Chris McClellan is the most impactful rookie on the field (for either team).
I've gassed this guy up since he was drafted in April. Even featured him in a seven-round mock draft prior to then. I may be the OG driver of the Chris McClellan Packers bandwagon. I'm not the slightest bit surprised that he's in line to start in Week 1.
Once I looked deeper into McClellan post-draft and how well he fit in Green Bay, I realized I had him rated too low (115th) on my final big board. However, McClellan wasn't far off from where I had Vikings first-round pick Caleb Banks (77th), who feels like one of the more baffling reaches of my lifetime for a team that badly needs some wins via the draft.
I stand by this analysis from the linked story atop that second paragraph from this subsection, re: how McClellan's presence should free up Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, and the rest of the Pack's front seven to tee off in the Vikings:
"On a front seven that was already well-respected, McClellan has the makings of a true force multiplier who'll help keep Wyatt and Hargrave fresh, and create favorable matchups for everyone else. No wonder Gutey was aggressive to acquire him."
4. Justin Jefferson's sideline reactions to frustrations vs. Packers become one of Week 1's juiciest subplots.
You can see it now, can't you? J.J. McCarthy's blank expression as he has one earpiece in and a backwards hat. Kyler Murray blowing multiple reads with Justin Jefferson wide open. JJetas sulking back on the sideline. Ready to lose it.
So beautiful to envision, isn't it? It's probably gonna happen. Can't you see everyone posting that infamous "NINE" meme with Kyler's head photoshopped over J.J.'s?
You wonder if Jefferson will be pleading with his askance-looking head coach, Kevin O'Connell, to give Carson Wentz some run.
5. The Packers remind everyone who they are in a commanding, dominant performance.
It's funny how outcomes can skew narratives so severely in any industry, but particularly in the win-or-go-home NFL.
Imagine if the Packers had somehow held on and beaten the Bears. You know, if placekicker Brandon McManus hadn't literally nuked his career, and Green Bay could've held that 21-3 halftime lead, or even the 27-16 advantage past the midway point of the final quarter?
What if they upset the Rams the next week and went to the NFC Championship Game? Is that so out of the question, considering the Bears team they crushed for the most part came within three points of beating Sean McVay, reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford, and the mighty Rams?
Oh, and the Pack were thisclose to having that opportunity without Micah Parsons.
In what world should Green Bay not be favored in this game? They couldn't have a bigger collective chip on their shoulder. The Vikings quietly reek of desperation.
I'm telling y'all, this could get ugly fast for the home team. The Packers are out for blood and revenge. Anyone doubting the collective killer instinct of the Matt LaFleur-Jordan Love head coach-QB combo may want to check themselves after this one.
Bonus/final score prediction, because why not? Packers 31, Vikings 17. Deal with it, SKOL Nation.
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