What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Green Bay Packers
were riding the high of acquiring Micah Parsons right before the start of the regular season, putting Matt LaFleur's team directly into the Super Bowl picture to start 2025. Entering 2026, the Packers won't have Parsons to start the season and have their Pro Bowl running back sitting on the Commissioner's Exempt list due to a troubling legal issue.Can the 2026 Packers finally get over the hump? LaFleur's team kicks off the regular season with a trip to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Ahead of Week 1, the staff at Packers Wire made W-L record and outcome predictions for the 2026 season:
Zach Kruse
10-7: The Packers were probably on their way to a 12-
or 13-win season a year ago when multiple injuries struck. But with rather glaring question marks entering 2026, especially along both lines of scrimmage, I'm firmly in the "prove me wrong" stage with this era of Packers teams. They've been on the cusp of great for multiple years but haven't gotten over the hump, and the gap between "good" and "great" often becomes striking come January. So until proven otherwise, I see the 2026 Packers as another good team with great potential, but too many possible fatal flaws to be considered one of the best teams. The offensive line could be an issue all season long, both in terms of available talent and health, and not having Micah Parsons to start the season will really stress Jonathan Gannon's new-look defense. The guess here is the Packers lose a game or two they shouldn't without Parsons early on and then have to scramble to 10 wins against a difficult final half of the season. That means another wild card berth into the playoffs, but also another road postseason game and another likely early exit. Maybe this is the year it all comes together, but with Parsons coming back from a major injury, the offensive line already showing signs of cracking and the Josh Jacobs legal cloud hanging over the start of the season, I can't confidently say 2026 will be the year the Packers finally get clear the "great" hurdle. There is certainly a best-case scenario where this team is Super Bowl caliber come January, especially if Jordan Love takes one more step forward and is truly a MVP candidate, but I see too many "what ifs" blocking the way for the Packers. Here's to being wrong come Feb. 14.
Brandon Carwile
12-5: Last season, the Packers looked poised to claim the division crown and make a deep playoff run until key pieces Micah Parsons and Zach Bako-Bewele suffered season-ending injuries. Those five consecutive losses, including the Wild Card collapse to the Chicago Bears, stung, but it’s time to move on. Jordan Love enters year 4 as the starter and will return one of his favorite targets, tight end Tucker Kraft, along with receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden, last year’s first-round pick, who will have an expanded role. This has the makings of a top 10 offense if the offensive line can perform better than it did last year. Defensively, questions need to be answered at cornerback and at edge rusher until Parsons returns from injury. However, the defense is in the proven hands of a new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, a role he last held when he helped lead the Eagles reach the Super Bowl in 2022. The Packers used the offseason to add veterans in key spots and are still brimming with young talent eager to take the next step. I see a team that should win the NFC North for the first time since 2021 and make it past the first round of the playoffs.
Mark Oldacres
11-6: The floor for the 2026 Packers feels like 9 wins, as it has been for the last three years with Matt LaFleur as head coach and Jordan Love at quarterback. Green Bay was on course for a much better record than the 9-7-1 they finished with last year before Micah Parsons and Zach Bako-Bewele got hurt, and who knows what they could have achieved if they also had Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson available for the full season. The Packers will of course be without Parsons to start the year, although the schedule looks manageable in his absence. If they played in a softer division, it would be easy to predict a 12 or 13-win season for Green Bay, but all three NFC North opponents will be a pain to play against, and the battle for playoff positioning will be a dog fight. Overall, though, if the Packers avoid another horrific season of injury luck, they will be a true contender in the NFC, aiming to win at least one playoff game for the first time since 2023 and then try make a run.
Brennen Rupp
11-6: Green Bay looked like one of the top teams in the league last season and then everything unraveled one afternoon in Denver. They’ll be without Micah Parsons for the first month of the season and potentially the first six games of the season. While he’s sidelined can they produce a pass rush? How will the offensive line hold up? What will the rushing attack look like without Josh Jacobs? There are a lot of question marks. However, this is going to be the year Jordan Love soars to new heights. I legitimately think he’ll be part of the MVP discussion and with him under complete command, the Packers will once again reach the playoffs. Once you get into the dance anything can happen.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers Wire staff predictions: 2026 season record and outcome
