After the heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Bears in the 2025 playoffs, the Green Bay Packers did their best to address the larger scale roster in the offseason. Sure, they lost several key players, but general manager Brian Gutenkust managed to fill most roster voids. Moreover, sophomore Matthew Golden and other players are expected to have a bigger impact next season.
When you add it all up, the Packers are in a good position to make a strong push for the NFC North title next season despite the fact that they have the third-toughest schedule. That's precisely what an NFL analyst predicts.
The Packers are projected to get off to a hot start in 2026
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report predicted a hot, cold, or mild start for every NFL team next season. He picked hot for the Packers, arguing that most of their early games are winnable.
"The NFC North has the making of a true brouhaha this year, and most of the teams in the division have to potential to start the season strong," Davenport wrote. "The Packes only have one true 'gimme' game over the first months—a Week 2 trip to Met Life Stadium to take on the Jets. But the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all winnable games—none of those teams made the postseason last year."
Aside from projecting a strong start for the Packers, Davenport also predicts that the Minnesota Vikings will start cold. The downside is that Davenport also expects the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions to start hot, so it will be pivotal for Green Bay to win as many games as possible to start the season.
The Packers will answer several questions to start the season
There's no doubt that the Packers are in a position to make a playoff run. However, they'll have to deal with several roadblocks to start the season. For instance, they could be without Micah Parsons for the first few weeks. The good news is that their first four games are winnable, so the team's brass doesn't have to rush him back. That said, Green Bay will still need rookies Dani Dennis-Sutton and Chris McClellan to make an impact early on.
Similarly, tight end Tucker Kraft is recovering from a torn ACL, and even if he's available for the opener, he may not be back at full strength. The fact that Green Bay may need to lean on the duo of Luke Munsgrave and Josh Whyle doesn't precisely inspire confidence.
The biggest question, however, may be whether general manager Brian Gutekunst did enough to beef up the offensive line after cutting ties with Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins in the offseason. When you add it all up, the Packers could be off to a rough start to the season in spite of the favorable outlook.
Then again, the Packers have more than enough talent to keep up in the NFC North arms race. Jordan Love is back at quarterback, and Josh Jacobs should be able to prevent opposing teams from dropping extra defenders in coverage. This, in turn, could help wide receiver Matthew Golden make a massive leap in Year 2 as expected.
This is a long-winded way to say that the Packers face a tough road to seize the division next year, but they shouldn't be ruled out just yet because they have enough talent on both sides of the ball to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the NFL.
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