The Minnesota Vikings start off the 2026 season with a rivalry game right away against the Green Bay Packers, and it should be a spirited occasion.
We’ve already taken a look at the rest of the division — so let’s turn our attention to our nosy neighbors to the east.
We asked the experts from Daily Norseman in our latest edition of the roundtable:
Maybe I’m alone on an island here, but I feel like Green Bay gets a natural boost from the national media every year in power rankings/expectations simply by being the Packers…
Brandon Warne: I said what I said.
Christopher Gates: No, it’s not just you. The media does, in fact, love them some Packers. I know they have all the lore
and all that, but it really is tiresome. It’s as if the 70s and the 80s never happened. Perhaps one day it will happen again, but as long as they keep managing to find quarterbacks to at least keep them competitive, it’s likely just wishful thinking for now.
Dave Stefano: You are not alone, Brandon. They are one of the NFL’s golden [read: favorite] teams when it comes to national press coverage. They all get bumps in their power rankings and expectations because of it.
Warren Ludford: I agree the Packers are perennially overrated every preseason. They have a solid quarterback and have the most division wins this century, but most overlook the weaker offensive line since Rodgers left and a defense that is below average without Micah Parsons and above average but not great with him. How well he plays after he comes back from his ACL is a question too.
Shawn C: Oh, you’re not alone. But when you’re lucky enough to have basically three decades straight of Hall of Fame play at the most important position, it’s going to gift you the benefit of the doubt from the national media bloviators. That shows up in power rankings and expectations. Worse? After 2023, it looked like the trend would continue, but Jordan Love cooled off (thank goodness). He’s good, but it looks as if there’s definitely a ceiling there, well below peak Favre or Rodgers.
What Packers player do you feel is the most overrated?
BW: It’s Christian Watson. When his extension was announced, I said “on purpose?” because that seems like an absolutely bananas contract to throw at a guy who has never, ever been healthy.
CG: It almost has to be Christian Watson. He just got handed an ungodly amount of money this offseason and he’s never had as much as 650 receiving yards in a season before. Sure, I suppose the upside is there if you squint and stare for long enough like the fat guy from Mallrats trying to see the sailboat, but honestly, it certainly hasn’t shown up yet.
DS: Jordan Love. — Packers fans and a chunk of the national media treat him like he’s already in the “franchise QB who just needs one more piece” conversation. The tape and the advanced numbers have stretches that look sharp — I’ll give him that. He can rip it when the pocket’s clean.
But the actual results don’t match the billing. They keep him in a low-volume, run-heavy offense because that’s how LaFleur wants to play, and when it matters in January they still find ways to go home early. Three straight playoff appearances, one win. The counting stats never scream “take over the game.” He’s efficient more than he’s explosive over a full season.
They talk about him like he’s one step from elite. I talk about him like a good quarterback on a good team that keeps getting sold as a great team. That’s the gap.
Honorable mention goes to Christian Watson. The talent is obvious when he’s healthy. The problem is he’s almost never healthy for a full year, and they still talk about him like the WR1 who just needs 16 games. Sixteen games hasn’t happened.
Love’s the one they overrate the most, though. SKOL.
WL: Jordan Love. He’s a good not great starting quarterback but gets a lot of hype as a great one when he’s really tier two at best.
SC: Given the enormous offseason contract, it has to be Christian Watson. He could prove he’s worth it, but nothing on record to date screams 4 years, $92 million ($23 million AAV). He’s never reached 650 receiving yards in a season, and injuries have been a concern.
How about underrated?
BW: I honestly cannot call any of them underrated. My hatred for the Packers burns a deep Purple and Gold. I should probably get that checked.
CG: It’s probably Zach Bako-Bewele, the artist formerly known as Zach Tom. He’s probably their best offensive lineman, and he went out late last season with a patellar tendon injury. He’s got experience at all five offensive line positions, and he’s expected to be their guy at right tackle this season. If he can get back to full health, it will be a huge boost for them up front.
DS: Jayden Reed. — When he’s actually on the field he is a problem. Slot, outside, jet motion, screens, the occasional deep shot — he just finds ways to get the ball in space and make the first guy miss. People talk about Watson’s size and Golden’s speed and they sleep on the guy who consistently moves the chains.
He’s been dinged up enough the last two years that the national conversation forgets him. That’s how you get underrated. He’s not a true WR1 and he’s not going to put up 1,200 yards, but in a Flores defense that likes to bring pressure and leave you in man or late rotations, a shifty slot who understands spacing is exactly the kind of player who can pick you apart.
Reed’s the one I’d rather not see lining up in the slot on Sunday. Doesn’t mean I like him. Just means I respect the production. SKOL.
WL: Zach Bako-Bewele (formerly Tom). He’s a good right tackle who gets left out of top tackle discussions oftentimes.
SC: Edgerrin Cooper. He’s a solid linebacker and could be poised for a breakout season. He’s strong against the run and a good tackler. If the Packers’ defense survives Parsons’ early absence, it will largely be because Cooper has stepped up his game. It wouldn’t shock me if he became a Pro Bowl-caliber player.
What do the Packers do well that worries you most as a Vikings fan?
BW: I don’t know. Again, I just can’t give them their flowers. I understand I am not being rational about this.
CG: They do have a pretty talented group of safeties, and it will be interesting to see exactly how new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon uses them to his advantage. Their cornerback group leaves a little bit to be desired, but perhaps the talent that they have at the safety position can help to make up for that. They also have a couple of guys that can get after the passer even with Micah Parsons not being available, so the Vikings will have to be aware of that as well.
DS: Packers fans travel as well as anybody in the league — I’ll give them that. They show up in numbers, they buy tickets, they make noise. But hearing “GO PACK GO” inside U.S. Bank Stadium is the most annoying sound in the world. It’s like someone dragging a cheese grater across a chalkboard while wearing a foam cheesehead. When it starts bouncing around that roof in our house, it just pisses me off. I want that chant drowned out by SKOL so loud they can’t hear themselves think.
WL: The Packers have a lot of good weapons offensively and so they are rarely out of a game and can mount comebacks and score points when they’re clicking.
SC: Other than the legal holding that their offensive line has mastered for decades, it’s that Matt LaFleur has proven adept at making halftime adjustments against Brian Flores. The 2024 games stand out in this regard. Last year’s game in Lambeau was never in doubt because of McCarthy’s struggles, and the Packers sat the starters in Week 18. It will be interesting to see how it goes in 2026.
What’s your record prediction for the Packers this season?
BW: I hope they lose every game. But realistically, I’ll say 8-9.
CG: I think the Packers are going to find their way to the basement of the NFC North this season. The Vikings have their issues, but I think they have more positives going for them than the Packers do. Last place in the NFC North makes you better than a lot of last-place teams around the NFL, but it’s still last place. I think the Packers are going to be somewhere around 7-10/8-9 and, to top it off, still not have a first-round pick in 2027 thanks to the Micah Parsons trade.
DS: 8-9. Miss the playoffs. — They open on the road at U.S. Bank without Parsons and without Jacobs. That’s a 0-1 start if we do our job. Then they’ve got the Jets on the road and a short week at home against Atlanta. A 1-3 or 2-3 start is sitting right there.
After that the schedule doesn’t get easy enough to paper over it. The Bears and Lions aren’t giving games away, they still have to go to Tampa and Detroit, and Love has never shown me he can drag a banged-up roster through a sloppy November. They’ve been a “good enough to get in, not good enough to stay” team for three years. This year the margin is gone.
Parsons coming back in October doesn’t flip the whole season if they’re already chasing and he’s still recovering. Jacobs sitting or coming back rusty doesn’t help either. I think they hang around .500, steal a couple they shouldn’t, drop a couple they should win, and watch the seventh seed go to somebody else.
Lousy start. Out in January. That’s the prediction. SKOL.
WL: 9-8. Their schedule is a little tougher this year, and they have some substantial concerns about their offensive line. They get Tucker Kraft back from injury and I think have consolidated their receiver group into their best options, but with Parsons out 4-6 games and no Josh Jacobs for at least a few games, I don’t see them having a better record than last season.
SC: I see a disappointing 2026 campaign for them, likely in the 8-9 range and finally out of the playoffs. They’ve lost talent in free agency on both sides of the ball. What will the pass rush look like until Parsons returns? Will he be anywhere near 100%? Whether Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden can replace Romeo Doubs remains to be seen. There’s a lot riding on Kraft not missing a beat after major knee surgery. Many potential pitfalls could send the season sideways for the Cheeseheads.
What’s your prediction for this Sunday? Final score, etc.
BW: I’ll say Vikings win by a 28-10 score. I hope it’s ugly. I am not being rational about this. SKOL.
CG: I think the Vikings are going to get themselves off to a 1-0 start on the season. I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout or anything like that, but I do think that the Green Bay defense is going to have a difficult time stopping the Vikings in front of what should be a raucous crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium. Let’s call it a 24-20 final score in favor of the good guys.
DS: I had this one at 31-10 Vikings before the week even started, and I’m sticking with it. Home opener, Parsons and Jacobs both out, Flores cooking with a defense that will make opponents cry, Murray playing with a chip, and that crowd ready to eat. Packers hang around for a quarter, then it gets away from them. Purple and gold, baby. SKOL!
WL: 27-13 Vikings. I think the Packers’ offensive line will be a problem, and Kyler Murray and the Vikings’ run game will have success against the Packers’ defense.
