Packers Coach Matt LaFleur Calls Schedule ‘Unique’

BusinessSportsMoneyPackers Coach Matt LaFleur Calls Schedule ‘Unique’ByRob Reischel,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Rob Reischel is a Wisconsin-based reporter who covers the NFL.Follow AuthorMay 15, 2026, 12:09pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur and the rest of his team open the year at Minnesota in Week 1.Getty ImagesThe Green Bay Packers’ 2026 schedule is set.And with three of the first four games on the road, six night contests and four of five at home to end the year, the schedule is a wild one.Green Bay’s eighth-year boss Matt LaFleur, the longest tenured coach in football that hasn't been to a Super Bowl, gave his thoughts on the schedule to Packers.com. WEEK 1Green Bay opens the year at NFC North rival Minnesota. The Vikings began last season 4-8, then finished the year on a five-game winning streak and added quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason.“Excited about it,” LaFleur said of facing Minnesota. “Starting against an NFC North Division rival, it’s always a tough place to play. It’s going to have a playoff-type atmosphere, for sure.” THANKSGIVING EVEGreen Bay will travel to face the Los Angeles Rams for the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The Packers have a bye week before that game, then won't play again until Dec. 6 when they travel to New Orleans.“It’s a different situation,” LaFleur said of the Wednesday game. “Not coming off a traditional bye where you have a full week, it’s going to be kind of a mini-bye, and then we have another mini-bye right after that game. It’s just one of those things that with as popular as the NFL has gotten, you’ve just got to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”MORE FOR YOU AWAY EARLY, HOME LATEGreen Bay will play three of its first four games on the road, then close the year with four of five at home.LaFleur was as...