The Green Bay Packers finally know how their 16-game schedule stacks up in 2020. They’ll start on the road in Minnesota and finish on the road in Chicago, with five primetime games and a ton of intriguing matchups along the way.
Here’s what to like and what not to like about the Packers’ schedule in 2020:
What to like: Week 1 at Minnesota
Stick with me here. Teams would probably prefer to play at home in open the season, but there’s a lot to like about playing a division rival on the road in Week 1. Just look at last year. The Packers’ win over the Bears at Soldier Field gave Matt LaFleur’s team a serious emotional jolt right of the gate. And how valuable is a road win in the division to start the season? Even if the Packers lose, they’ll get to return home to play the Lions in Week 2. Starting 2-0 in the NFC North to open 2020 would be a strong way to start the title defense.
What not to like: Week 9 at San Francisco
The NFL must like seeing the Packers get railroaded at Levi’s Stadium. A team that lost two games by a combined score of 74-28 in San Francisco last season must now head back to the scene of the crime for another primetime showdown in 2020. And consider this: It’s a Thursday night road game, and it’ll mark the Packers’ fourth game and third road game in 19 days. Tough to imagine a worse set of circumstances for the Packers entering the NFC Championship Game rematch. The schedule just made defeating the 49ers on the road a lot more difficult, and it was already a tough task.
What to like: Ice cold finish
The Packers will play four of their final six games at home, including three games at Lambeau Field during the month of December. No one wants to play in Green Bay in December. Two of the games are against teams in warmer climates (Carolina, Tennessee). Five of the six games will be played outdoors, including the season finale in Chicago. It’ll be bitterly cold at Soldier Field in early January, but the Packers should be well prepared to handle the elements. This is the kind of finish every Packers team wants. Winter is coming.
What not to like: Coming out of the bye
The Packers’ bye week comes early – it’s in Week 5 – but LaFleur’s team better take advantage of the week off. During Weeks 6-9, the Packers face four potential playoff teams, with three of the games on the road. The only road trip arrives right out of the bye. The Packers go to Tampa Bay to play Tom Brady and the Buccaneers before heading to Houston to play Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and the reigning AFC South champion Texans. After returning home to play the Vikings, the Packers are back on the road for a long trip to San Francisco on a short week. Ouch. That four-game stretch is going to push the Packers to the very limit, especially with road games on each coast in the span of a month. It’s the toughest stretch on the entire schedule, by far. Going 2-2 or better would be terrific.
What to like: Just one road trip
The Packers have just one stretch with two road games in a row (at Tampa Bay, at Houston) and zero three-game road trips. From Nov. 1 on, the Packers play just four road games, and they’re all single-game trips sandwiched by home games. Two of the road games in November and December are in controlled environments (at Indianapolis, at Detroit). The downside here is that the Packers will open the season with four road games in the first seven weeks (just two home games), and the opening stretch – featuring road games against Drew Brees and Tom Brady – is daunting. But if the Packers can survive early, they’ll be set up great for the final two and a half months.
What not to like: Scheduling disadvantages
While the Packers have a bye week before heading to Tampa Bay in Week 5, the Buccaneers will both play the Thursday night game in Week 4, somewhat negating the built-in advantage of the week off. Also, the Colts play the Thursday night game before hosting the Packers in Week 11, providing the inherent advantage of a few extra days of rest and prep. The Vikings and Bears also have bye weeks before they go on the road to play the Packers, another potential advantage. Division games are already difficult enough.
What to “maybe” like: Early road games
The Packers play the Vikings and Saints away from home in the first three weeks. Could this actually be an advantage? The coronavirus pandemic is still playing out, and there’s a chance – maybe even a good chance – that early-season games will be played without fans. Facing the Vikings at an empty U.S. Bank Stadium and the Saints at an empty Superdome could negate those home-field advantages. No one can know what will happen over the next few months, but the Packers could benefit from a fan-less start to the regular season.
What not to like: Finish in Chicago
The Packers will go on the road for the season finale for the fourth time in five years. While they won’t be going to Ford Field in Detroit to finish the 2020 season, they will be traveling to Chicago in Week 17. This game will almost certainly have playoff implications for one of the teams. Here’s the good news: The Packers have won nine of the last 10 games at Soldier Field, including last year’s 10-3 win to open the season.
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