The Green Bay Packers are hoping their 2026 season ends better than it did in 2025, and there are plenty of reasons to believe it will.
Tucker Kraft is returning from injury, Micah Parsons will eventually return to full health, and Jordan Love has another year of experience under his belt, with a key weapon returning to the lineup. All of those factors are reasons to believe that this Packers team can hang with the best of the best in 2026.
Not everyone is convinced that 2026 will be a successful one for the Packers, however. Chris Schad of The Viking Age recently wrote about how the same flaws that sank the Minnesota Vikings' 2025 season could lead to the Packers' demise in 2026.
Vikings are already dismissing Packers who could ruin their 2026 plans
Those flaws were having a successful 2024 and thinking that would be enough to carry over to the 2025 season. Schad pointed out how the Vikings had a sturdy wide receiver room, a solid defense, and appeared poised to make a serious climb to the top of the NFL mountain.
As we all know, things did not pan out that way for Minnesota last year. They didn't have a dependable quarterback taking the snaps and had to deal with various injuries, including at the previously mentioned sturdy wide receiver spot.
So what did Schad point to on the Packers' roster that could ultimately sink their season?
"Josh Jacobs landing on the commissioner's list on Sunday is one problem brewing across the river, and with Parsons rehabbing from a knee injury and many other lingering issues heading into Week 1, the Packers may not be the Super Bowl contender they think they are and may not even pose a threat to the Vikings going into 2026."
Jacobs' situation certainly isn't ideal. And yes, Parsons is going to have to adjust after the first major injury of his pro career, but does anyone really expect him not to still be a ferocious pass rusher? He's one of the best at what he does for a reason, and while it might take some time for him to get back to that level, no one should count him out.
Schad himself said what exactly is working in the Packers' favor, though, and it's hard to truly be worried about them when this is what they have to work with.
"They have a solid quarterback in Jordan Love and an All-Pro pass-rusher in Parsons. Tucker Kraft is coming back from his torn ACL," Schad wrote.
He also mentioned Rich Bisaccia's departure, moving on from Brandon McManus, and trading Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys as potential positives.
See? That's reason for optimism right there!
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Love is only getting better. Having Kraft back is also going to help him, as we saw how electric the two of them were together before the tight end's injury.
Special teams' improvement is also worth touching on because that unit definitely cost the Packers last year and hopefully won't do so this time around. New special teams coordinator Cam Achord has already had a positive impact, with Green Bay's special teams finishing No. 1 in PFF grade during the preseason.
It's easy to focus on the negatives and the what-ifs for the Packers, but on the flip side, if things work out for Green Bay and everything goes according to plan, this team will be right up there with the top dogs. Let's save the negativity for when it's actually justified.
Until then, Packers fans should feel confident in this team and be excited for what the 2026 season could have in store.
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