The are preparing to kick off the 2026 regular season on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Both teams ended up with nine wins in 2025 but took very different ways of getting there. The Packers were, at one point, 9-3-1. The Vikings were, at one point, 4-8. Green Bay ended up losing five straight, including a playoff loss in Chicago, while Minnesota won five straight to end the season. Will any of that matter for Sunday? Momentum, or lack thereof, is difficult to carry over from one year to the next.
In a competitive, talented NFC North, every division matchup is a big one, and both the Packers and Vikings will want to open the season with a confidence-boosting win over a rival given how last year ended.
Five things to watch and a prediction for Week 1:
1. Rebuilt offensive line versus Brian Flores
The Packers have new starters at left tackle (Jordan Morgan), center (Sean Rhyan) and right guard (Jacob Monk), and Morgan, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele are all either fighting through or returning from knee injuries. The first challenge for the 2026 offensive line? Brian Flores, a blitz-happy coordinator who thrives on creating havoc and uncertainty up front. The Packers offensive line got little to no time together during training camp, robbing the unit of cohesion entering the season. Can this group handle all the blitzes and stunts coming on Sunday? Communication and having confidence in the blocker next to you is so important to handling blitzes and movement, so the Packers front will likely be stressed early and often. Keeping Jordan Love protected, especially during the game's biggest situations (think: third down), will likely decide the winner of the opener.2. Parsons-less pass-rush versus scrambling Kyler Murray
Two factors when the Vikings have the football: Micah Parsons won't be on the field for the Packers defense Sunday, and the Vikings now have a dual threat quarterback in Kyler Murray who can create with his legs. Can Jonathan Gannon's defense find ways of keeping Murray in the pocket and disrupting him as a thrower without providing avenues to scramble and escape? The Vikings will want Murray playing on time, and not having to face Parsons provides opportunities to open up the passing game without fear of a quick pressure. But defending Murray is a two-step process. Can the Packers cover downfield without a dominant pass-rush, and will the pass-rush keep Murray contained as a scrambler? Edgerrin Cooper could be a very important player on Sunday, both as a blitzer from the second level (or even off the edge) and a spy for Murray. Cooper has the game-breaking speed to match Murray. Expect the Packers to blitz from multiple alignments on Sunday.3. More pass heavy to open 2026?
The Packers don't have Josh Jacobs to open the season, but Jordan Love's top four weapons in the passing game -- Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft -- are as good as it gets entering 2026. Could Sunday be the intro of a more pass-heavy Packers offense? It would be a calculated risk against a coordinator who loves to blitz, but the Packers also have reliable running back Chris Brooks as a fail-safe blocking plan in pass pro, and one sure-fire way to create explosive plays is to block up a blitz and win down the field. Matt LaFleur will want to use the run game to help take some of the edge off the blitz, and it will be important to stay in manageable down and distances, but Sunday's opener will likely fall on the passing game, and whether or not the Packers can protect Love and create chunk plays with four very good pass-catching weapons.4. Packers debuts
The Packers offense will look familiar, but newcomers on defense will be in the spotlight in Week 1. Is Zaire Franklin, a newly minted captain and former Pro Bowler for the Colts, ready to start a bounce back season in Green Bay? Can former Viking Javon Hargrave re-emerge as a disruptive player under Jonathan Gannon? Will Brandon Cisse shine in his NFL debut against an excellent group of receivers? How can Chris McClellan help the Packers early on at defensive tackle? Will Benjamin St-Juste get snaps on the perimeter in certain defensive packages? How many pass-rushing snaps will Dani Dennis-Sutton get in his pro debut? It's possible rookie offensive lineman Jager Burton will get snaps in the opener, but the newcomers are mostly on defense for the Packers to open 2026. And Jonathan Gannon needs them to be contributors right away.5. Rookie specialist battle!
Both teams have a rookie specialist to watch in the opener. The Packers, of course, gave the kicking keys to sixth-round pick Trey Smack, who engineered a dream preseason featuring multiple field goals over 50 yards. Can Smack rise to the challenge of his regular season debut? Kicking in the noise of U.S. Bank Stadium can be difficult, but Smack should also have range out to possibly 60 yards indoors. More than likely, Sunday's game will end up being a one-score game late where every point matters, so Smack can't afford to miss any opportunities to score in his debut. For the Vikings, a rookie will be making his punting debut: Brett Thorson. Field position matters, especially early in the season when offenses are still finding their footing. And the Packers will be debuting a new punt returner in Skyy Moore. Green Bay ripped off several impressive returns during the preseason, but the progress has to carry over to the regular season.Prediction: Vikings 24, Packers 20 (0-0)
What better way to kick off the regular season than with getting the Week 1 prediction wrong, right? I just see a steep climb for Matt LaFleur's team in the opener. No Josh Jacobs. No Micah Parsons. The offensive line has major question marks, and facing a Brian Flores defense in a loud environment without a lot of time on task together is a difficult assignment. Can the run game get going without Jacobs? Third-and-long is death against Flores. Can the corners cover three very good receivers without Parsons? The pass-rush has to affect the quarterback for the defense to survive. I'm in "I need to see it to believe it" mode with the offensive line and the pass rush entering the season. While this is a great opportunity to go prove it on the road against a division rival, I see too many "what ifs" for the Packers right now. The guess here is the offensive line fails in one too many big spots, the defense isn't able to consistently disrupt Kyler Murray or contain Justin Jefferson, and the Packers come up short in the season opener.This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: