The Green Bay Packers released their full, 16-game schedule for the 2020 season on Thursday night. Matt LaFleur’s team will play six games against the NFC North, four games against the NFC South, four games against the AFC South and one game each against the division winner from the NFC East and NFC West.
What’s important about a schedule? Players and fans generally care about different things. Most players want to know about the bye week and trips to warmer climates. Fans want to know about the big games, important road trips and tough stretches.
Here’s what to know about the schedule:
When is the bye week?
Week 5. The Packers begin the season with back-to-back games against the NFC North and then back-to-back games against the NFC South before hitting an early off week. After the bye? It’s a trip to Tampa Bay to play Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
Who is the Week 1 opponent?
The Vikings, in Minnesota. Like last year, the Packers will start the season on the road against an NFC North foe. Winning on the road in the division can be a great way to start a year. The Packers beat the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium – their first win in the venue – to claim the NFC North title last season.
When are the primetime games?
There are five primetime games. The Packers will play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in Week 3, the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football in Week 9, the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 12 and the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football in Week 16. Three of the games (Falcons, Bears, Titans) are at home.
Any long road trips?
Just the one. Coming out of the bye, the Packers will play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay and the Texans in Houston in back-to-back weeks. They have no three-game road trips and just one two-game road trip.
Any particularly tough stretches?
The Packers have to go on the road to San Francisco to play the 49ers on Thursday night just days after playing the Vikings at home. Ouch. The four games coming out of the bye – at Tampa Bay, at Houston, vs. Minnesota and at San Francisco – looks really tough. The Texans, Vikings and 49ers all made the postseason last year, and the Buccaneers could be tough with Brady taking over at quarterback.
Who is the Week 17 opponent?
The Bears, in Chicago. The Packers will play the season finale on the road against a divisional opponent for the fourth time in five years. For the first time since 2015, the Packers’ Week 17 opponent won’t be the Lions.
What else is there to know?
The Packers play four of their final six games at Lambeau Field for the first time since 1977. In fact, they’ll play five of their last six outdoors. The other side of this coin is a road-heavy start, but the Packers could make a legitimate playoff run in the cold weather over the final month and a half. One other note: The Packers will play the Bears in primetime (Week 12 at Lambeau Field) for the 15th consecutive regular season. They’ll play the Sunday night game after Thanksgiving.
[vertical-gallery id=44826]