All articles tagged with #packers
Packers Insider Inbox fans react to Aaron Rodgers’ announced final season, expressing excitement for a potential storybook ending and weighing Green Bay’s 2026 outlook, including key schedule stretches (Weeks 5–8), cornerback depth gains, and other team storylines as the club moves forward.
The Green Bay Packers’ 2026 schedule features a tough NFC North slate and multiple primetime games, but favorable rest and travel spacing—five 9+ day breaks late in the season—has fans and bloggers feeling optimistic about the layout.
An unofficial look at Green Bay’s 2026 slate suggests the Packers open with back-to-back road games at Minnesota and the Jets, host nine home games, and feature notable dates including a Thanksgiving Eve game at the Rams streamed on Netflix and a Christmas noon kickoff at the Chicago Bears, plus Thursday-night matchups vs the Falcons and Panthers and a rare Wednesday game at the Rams in Week 12. The schedule also flags late-season games against the Bills and Dolphins, and a potential Week 18 finale vs the Lions, with several dates still to be finalized.
Senator Tammy Baldwin renews her push for free over-the-air access to nationally televised games for teams based in Wisconsin and criticizes Netflix’s exclusive streaming of the Packers–Rams game on Thanksgiving Eve, tying it to her For the Fans Act amid ongoing NFL broadcasting and antitrust scrutiny.
The NFL announced a Packers–Rams Thanksgiving Eve game that will be streamed exclusively on Netflix, marking Green Bay as a key test case in the league’s move toward standalone streaming events and highlighting how the Packers’ nationwide following helps drive cross-platform viewership.
Netflix will air the Packers’ road game against the Rams on Nov. 25, marking the streaming service’s first NFL broadcast and only the second Wednesday game in Packers history (last done in 1938); both teams are viewed as playoff contenders, with the Rams bolstering the secondary and Green Bay relying on continuity, Bleacher Report ranking the Rams 2nd and Packers 12th in post-draft power rankings, and by Thanksgiving Week players like Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft expected to be back from ACL injuries; Green Bay holds a 51-47-2 series lead and had a five-game win streak against the Rams entering this matchup.
The Packers will host the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Wednesday, November 25, 2026 (Week 12) at 7 p.m. CT in a primetime game that will be streamed on Netflix; it’s only the second Wednesday game in franchise history. Green Bay has played on Thanksgiving in 2023 and 2025 (wins over Detroit) and 2024 (win over Miami), and the full 2026 schedule will be released at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday with updates available on packers.com and social channels.
The NFL released its 2026 schedule, opening with the defending champion Seahawks at home on a Wednesday to accommodate a Melbourne Australia game; nine international games across four continents include Madrid’s Bengals-Falcons and a Rams-49ers matchup in Australia, with Week 2 featuring Lions vs Bills on Prime Video after the Australia opener. The Packers’ slate includes nine home games and eight away, a fourth-toughest schedule, plus details on opponents and their draft picks.
With the NFL signaling May 14 as the 2026 schedule release date, Green Bay’s slate is outlined: home games against Bears, Lions, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Bills, Dolphins, Cowboys, and Texans; and away games against Bears, Lions, Vikings, Buccaneers, Saints, Jets, Patriots, and Rams. The article notes potential international games (Paris with the Saints, Munich with the Lions, and London venues) but Packers participation isn’t confirmed and no abroad games are finalized yet. The full schedule reveal airs at 8 PM ET on Thursday, and Week 1’s confirmed NFL game is Cowboys @ Giants on SNF.
Green Bay released veteran kicker Brandon McManus after paying a $1 million roster bonus, clearing the way for rookie Trey Smack to win the Packers’ kicking job in 2026 with Lucas Havrisik also in the mix. The move yields about $945,000 in cap savings this year but leaves roughly $4.33 million in dead cap, contributing to Green Bay’s $47.6 million in dead cap overall. Smack, drafted in the sixth round after the Packers traded up, will compete with Havrisik in OTAs and training camp, while coach Matt LaFleur stressed ongoing competition; Smack emphasized focusing on himself and the impact of cold/wind at Lambeau on kicking.
An analytics-driven take argues kickers are among the most high-leverage players in football: using Win Percentage Added (WPA) the piece defends Green Bay’s decision to trade up for a kicker, insisting that a reliable, late-game kicker can swing playoff outcomes and that teams should pursue a better kicker via any route—even if kickers are hard to value historically.
Green Bay released veteran kicker Brandon McManus as it moves on with sixth-round pick Trey Smack; McManus, who signed a $1 million roster bonus in March, went 24-of-30 on field goals and 32-of-33 on extra points in 2025 and missed two field goals and an extra point in the playoff loss to the Bears, after nine seasons with the Broncos and a 2023 stint with Jacksonville.
The NFL schedule release highlights the 2026 top-10 games, led by Rams at Seahawks and Chiefs at Bills, followed by Packers at Bears, Steelers at Ravens, Bills at Patriots, a Melbourne-hosted 49ers–Rams game, Broncos at Patriots, Chiefs at Seahawks, Ravens at Bengals, and Patriots at Seahawks—rankings may shift, but these are the marquee matchups based on current info.
Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon says the 2026 defense will be a fresh, player-driven system rather than a clone of his past schemes. He’s prioritizing how players fit and play fast, violent, and takeaways, tailoring concepts from multiple stops to the Packers’ roster, while simplifying assignments to make the defense look complex to opponents. Gannon has begun assembling his staff, reviewing last season’s film, and has already added Javon Hargrave and Zaire Franklin as part of building around a veteran-young mix.
The Packers’ Insider Inbox highlights a roster-building mindset that competition fuels improvement: Tyrod Taylor is added as QB2 to support Jordan Love and help groom a young quarterback, while coach Cam Achord champions multiple kickers in training camp to boost special teams. Fans’ questions touch on roster moves, rookie minicamp, and how the team plans to develop depth this offseason.