Green Bay Packers 2026 NFL season preview, analysis and predictions
Matt LaFleur enters his eighth season in Green Bay looking to finally push past the Wild Card round, and the Packers arrive with real momentum behind quarterback Jordan Love.
Green Bay went 9-7-1 in 2025, finished second in the NFC North, and started 9-3-1 through 13 games before a four-game losing streak sent them into the playoffs on shaky footing. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15 shortly after Love missed time with a concussion, and Green Bay still nearly won its wild-card game at Chicago before blowing an 11-point lead in the final five minutes to lose 31-27.
Will 2026 be the year the Love-led Packers finally break through, or does a retooled roster need more time?
I’ll break it all down in my Green Bay Packers season preview, so let’s start with a few futures markets.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of NFL game odds and NFL futures.
Green Bay Packers NFL futures
The Packers carry mid-pack odds in the NFC North race behind the Lions, but you can also bet on these futures for Green Bay this season:
- Win the Super Bowl (+1800)
- Win the NFC Championship (+900)
- No. 1 seed in the NFC (+900)
- Win the NFC North (+225)
- Make the playoffs (-150)
- Regular season wins: Over 9.5 (-120) | Under 9.5 (+100)
This team should still score points and get after the quarterback so long as its top two stars are healthy, and you can bet on these futures before the season gets underway:
- Jordan Love to win MVP (+2000)
- Micah Parsons Defensive Player of the Year (+5000)
- Micah Parsons Comeback Player of the Year (+1400)
Green Bay Packers squad strengths
The Packers’ biggest strength is Love himself, who is coming off a career year. He completed a career-high 66.3 per cent of his passes for 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2025, ranked second in the NFL in QBR (72.7), and threw his fewest interceptions (six) in three seasons as a starter. He’ll again hand the ball off to Josh Jacobs, who paced the run game and found the end zone often, and lean on Tucker Kraft, one of the league’s more productive young tight ends, even as Kraft works back from a torn ACL.
Green Bay’s other major strength is the swing it took a year ago, acquiring Micah Parsons from Dallas for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Even in a season cut short by injury, Parsons was a first-team All-Pro, and the Packers used the offseason to build around him and new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is installing a 3-4 scheme. Green Bay traded for linebacker Zaire Franklin, signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (who had two of his best seasons under Gannon in Philadelphia), and added cornerback Benjamin St-Juste to a defence that already features safety Xavier McKinney and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
Green Bay Packers squad weaknesses
The Packers’ biggest weakness is the uncertainty at the top of their pass rush. Parsons opened camp on the physically unable to perform list and isn’t expected back until several games into the regular season, and Green Bay didn’t add a proven veteran behind him after losing Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency. General Manager Brian Gutekunst used only a Day 3 pick at this year’s draft to address edge rusher this offseason, which puts real pressure on the offence to carry the team early and on unproven pieces to generate pressure until Parsons returns.
The second half of Green Bay’s weaknesses lies with the skill-position and offensive-line turnover. Romeo Doubs, who led the team with 55 catches for 724 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, signed with the Patriots in free agency, leaving a receiver room of Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson that is talented but unproven at the top. Up front, the Packers also lost longtime left tackle Rasheed Walker and guard Elgton Jenkins, meaning first-round pick Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton are being counted on to stabilize a line that struggled with injuries last season.
Packers to make the playoffs (-150)
Even with the uncertainty around Parsons’ return and a receiver room replacing its 2025 leader, I trust Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur to keep Green Bay in the thick of the NFC playoff race. Love has made the postseason in all three years as the starter, and Gannon’s defence has enough talent at linebacker, safety and along the interior to hold up even before Parsons is back to full speed. Expect the Packers to lean on Jacobs and Kraft early, get progressively more dangerous defensively as the season goes on, and secure a playoff berth for a fourth straight season.