The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ 2025 Schedule

The Green Bay Packers have known for months that their 2025 schedule would be daunting.

The four NFC teams with the best records in 2024 — Detroit, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Washington — are all on the Packers’ plate. Green Bay faces the AFC North, arguably the best division in that conference. And nine of the Packers’ 17 games will be on the road.

Green Bay learned the exact order of its 2025 schedule Wednesday night.

Here’s the ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ of the Packers’ schedule.

THE GOOD

HOME SWEET HOME: The Packers certainly have a chance for a fast start — but it won’t be easy.

Green Bay opens with home games against Detroit and Washington, two teams that had tremendous seasons in 2024.

The Lions went 15-2, won the NFC North and were the No. 1 seed in the conference last year. They’ll face Green Bay Sept. 7 at 3:25 p.m. in an early season divisional showdown. It’s the Packers’ first Week 1 home game since 2018.

Just four days later, Washington heads to Lambeau Field for a Thursday Night Football game. Washington went 12-5 last year and reached the NFC Championship Game, before falling to eventual Super Bowl champ Philadelphia.

While the start is certainly challenging, the Packers knew they had to play these juggernauts at some point. Now, they’ll get a chance to make an early statement.

GETTING THEIR MONEY’S WORTH: Packer Nation should have a blast with this home schedule.

Among the quarterback’s coming to town are Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Detroit’s Jared Goff.

Even second-year players Caleb Williams of Chicago and J.J. McCarthy of Minnesota hold promise, as does Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.

This is one of Green Bay’s most entertaining home schedules in recent memory.

BOTTOM FEEDERS: While the Packers’ schedule is daunting overall (see below), they do have five games with teams that were among the bottom-10 in football last year.

Cleveland had the league’s second-worst record in 2024, while the New York Giants had the third-poorest mark. Carolina (No. 8) and Chicago (No. 10) were also in the bottom-10, and the Packers face the Bears twice.

GOBBLE, GOBBLE: Families everywhere can take a break from arguing politics — or discussing the latest in-house drama — and turn on the Packers-Lions game on Thanksgiving Day.

Green Bay is 12-8-1 all-time in Thanksgiving matchups against Detroit. That mark is extremely impressive when you consider the Lions have been the home team for all 21 games.

The Packers defeated Detroit, 29-22, in 2023, and this could year provide another thriller. Now, getting uncle Rich and aunt Karen out of your house when the game ends if completely up to you.

ALL ABOUT AARON: The drive from Green Bay to Pittsburgh is 668 miles — roughly a 10-hour trip. With Aaron Rodgers likely to sign with the Steelers, look for much of Packer Nation to make the journey.

Rodgers won four MVP’s and led the Packers to a win in the 45^th Super Bowl during his 18 seasons in Green Bay. But his endless drama and playoff failures in the second half of his career led to his eventual trade to the New York Jets.

Rodgers remains a free agent after the Jets released him earlier this offseason, but a signing with Pittsburgh appears imminent. If that happens, look for Packers-Steelers to rank among the NFL’s most watched games in 2025 — especially with kickoff slated for 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 26.

BRIGHT LIGHTS: Just two of the Packers’ first nine games will be played at noon. Green Bay has seven night games (Washington, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia) and three that start at 3:25 p.m. (Detroit, Cincinnati and Arizona).

Green Bay has four straight noon games between Weeks 11-14, then has two prime time gfames in Weeks 15-16. Dates and times for the final two games haven’t been determined.

In general, though, if you like plowing through a ‘to-do’ list before kickoff, this schedule is just for you.

THE BAD

ROAD WARRIORS: Nine of the Packers 17 games are away from home. The most daunting stretch comes late, when four of Green Bay’s final six games are on the road. That includes contests against all three NFC North foes.

After visiting Detroit on Thanksgiving in Week 13, the Packers have games at Chicago in Week 16 and at Minnesota in Week 18 to finish the regular season. In addition, Green Bay is at Denver in Week 15.

EARLY BYE: Green Bay’s bye week comes in Week 5, much earlier than anyone hopes for. That means the Packers will play 13 straight weeks to finish the year.

FAMILIAR FOES: Green Bay and Chicago — the NFL’s oldest rivals who have met 210 times — know each other well. But they’ll become extremely familiar with one another this season after meeting twice in three weeks.

The Packers host the Bears in Week 14, then travel to Chicago in Week 16.

THE UGLY

TOUGH SLEDDING: No matter who the Packers played, and at what point in the season those matchups occurred, this schedule was always going to be a handful.

Based on 2024 winning percentage, Green Bay has the NFL’s sixth-toughest schedule as its opponents had a combined winning percentage of .557 in 2024.

Seven of the Packers’ 14 opponents (they’ll play each NFC North team twice) made the playoffs last year. Detroit (15-2), Philadelphia (14-3), Washington (12-5) and Baltimore (12-5) all reached their conference’s divisional round.

The Packers went 11-6 a year ago on their way to the NFC’s No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Improving on that with this schedule of heavyweights will be a tall task.