Linwood from Travelers Rest, SC
II, will we be ushered into the first Packer game of 2026 with a poem, list of projected facts, or a stanza of hoped-for game endings? Inquiring minds NEED to know! Have fun, Spoff and Hod, at the game. We'll be watching, listening and reading your coverage. GPG
I guess you're just gonna have to keep reading and find out.
Kay from Lynchburg, VA
Largest challenge in first game?
If there's one thing I hate, it's all the noise, noise, NOISE!
David from Janesville, WI
Gents, starting off the season in Minnesota! You get to hear the horn right out of the gate. So, you have that going for you which is...maybe nice to get it out of the way? Here's to hoping they don't have much call to use it in a celebratory way.
U.S. Bank is a great atmosphere to play a football game, and I think it will set an exciting stage for the start of the season. Jokes aside, this is a great opportunity for Green Bay. There is no better way to start a season than picking up a road win over a divisional rival. But it will be a difficult challenge to get it done. It's a new year, but a majority of Vikings return from the team that won five straight to end 2025.
Larry from Green Valley, AZ
I keep reading comments about how can GB survive without Micah Parsons – or will Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin make a difference as a tandem. It takes ALL 11 on both sides of the ball. EVERYONE must do their job. SF proved that Thursday night by whooping LA. Its O and D were phenomenal. Flying around the field blocking, tackling and rallying to the ball. Unless GB plays as a TEAM, it will not be successful. Lombardi said, "It's not whether you're good enough, it's whether you're team enough."
Outside of Lambeau Field, everyone seems to think the defense begins and ends with Parsons. While "Uno" is "Uno" for a reason, the Packers are a lot deeper than they get credit for. As it pertains to the pass rush, I expect to see everyone involved this year based on what we've seen.
Tom from Nolanville, TX
I enjoyed reading the article on Kamal Hadden and Anthony Campbell on Thursday and was a bit surprised Campbell once played TE. Jeff from Flemington asked about Kraft still lining up for the sneakarooski play and it being a bit of a risk. How about Campbell lining up in the backfield, taking the handoff from Jordan Love (or lining up in shotgun) and bulldozing himself for a first down. Maybe line up two linemen back there – one to run the ball, one to push him. Maybe a way to spare Love and Kraft.
Campbell was only about 215 pounds back then and he hasn't played on the offensive side in seven years, but never say never. If a guy shows he can do it in practice, the Packers will give him that opportunity. Remember Keisean Nixon's 11-yard run back in 2023?
Mike from Geneva, IL
Sept. 11, 2022: Aaron Rodgers hit Christian Watson on a deep ball on the first offensive play of the season only for it to be dropped. The season ended missing the playoffs. How about the same play, but Watson makes the catch which leads to a successful playoff run? Heck, even a Super Bowl victory for the Packers!
Could be fun.
Dave from Gwinn, MI
I think it's very fitting a guy like Isaiah McDuffie gets to be team captain. It might not mean much in the long run, but that guy has had a finger on the heartbeat of this Packers' defense for quite some time. He might not put up gaudy numbers, but the guy just keeps showing up, play after play and tackle after tackle. Sign me up for an Isaiah McDuffie team captain Rivalries jersey.
McDuffie quietly is the second-longest tenured player on the squad. What's more, his 80 games played are most by any Packers player since 2021. He's durable, assignment sure and is a huge part of Green Bay's special teams. You can never have enough Isaiah McDuffies on your football team.
Steve from Bloomington, IL
Two days until Game 1. Is it too early to overreact either positively or negatively or should I wait until Sunday evening?
I'm sure by halftime fans of both teams will have their minds made up on the outlook of the season.
Dave from Hollywood, MD
I think we have seen enough out of Romeo Doubs to know he will rebound from that game and produce well for the Patriots.
Tough start, but Rome will be fine. As Spoff outlined, it's always when players try to do just a little too much that mistakes happen. Like a golfer, you have to stick that moment in your pocket and let it make you better.
Gary from Sheboygan, WI
Insiders, in answer to a recent question about Doubs dropping a pass, you commented about him thinking ahead about the results of the play. That raises a question about how many players are thinking ahead long term? Or are most of them just focused on and thinking about the current play?
A lot can happen in the blink of an eye, Gary. I think we've all stubbed our toe or hit our hand on a cabinet. These guys make a ton of money to do what they do at a high level, but it doesn't make them any less human.
Gavin from Albuquerque, NM
To the question on receivers leaving and doing better elsewhere than they did here with the Packers, I would suggest that the elite QB room we have had for a few years (hmm...decades?) may play a factor in how well receivers do here. I agree that opportunity is a huge factor for someone like Dontayvion Wicks, though.
There are so few receivers, and really skill-position players, who make it to unrestricted free agency. When guys come available, it's usually for two reasons: the team can't afford to pay them, or their best years are behind them. Either way, those players usually have a bag of money waiting for them from talent-starved teams. I think of Christian Kirk a handful of years ago getting $22 million a year from Jacksonville.
Steve from Flagstaff, AZ
What is the point of releasing Bo Melton and trying to bring him to the practice squad and then elevating him if he clears waivers? What does this accomplish?
It's my understanding it was a roster management move. They did it with Matt Orzech a couple years ago to sneak (I believe) Jonathan Ford onto the roster before placing him on injured reserve designated to return. It doesn't appear there's a corresponding move, so I'm not entirely sure what the thought process is. We'll have to check on that next week. But Melton isn't subject to waivers because he's a vested veteran and signed immediately to the Packers' practice squad. He's also eligible to be one of their two practice-squad elevations.
Jack from Aiken, SC
Under NFL dynamic kickoff rules, coverage can't move until the ball is caught or hits the ground in the 20-to-goal landing zone. Since kickers started weaponizing "dirty" knuckleballs to force turf bounces, returner muff rates have nearly tripled. Given this chaos, why don't kickers use low line drives to the 15-yard line more often? Is it purely because a ball bouncing short of the 20 triggers an illegal kick penalty, placing it at the 40, or do returners handle low liners too easily?
Correct. There's increased risk involved, but I'm sure we'll see more modifications as the play evolves.
Monty from Velva, ND
So, after two games, the defending Super Bowl champs, basically without their starting QB, defeat the same team who is supposed to improve from last year, AND the 49ers dominate a Rams team who is the prohibitive favorite to win it all this year. Isn't this why the NFL is the greatest professional league in the world?! What's next?
That is what makes this game great. We talk and talk and talk, but all that counts is what happens between those white lines. Now, I think pundits and some fans rush to conclusions, too. Whatever's been said, the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots aren't going anywhere. They're contenders, but those two openers serve as a healthy reminder of how trivial preseason narratives can be.
Yotam from New Zealand
A lot was said about McVay's plan to fly a day before the game and fly back right after, and I admit, it made a lot of sense to me. However, I have to wonder maybe it was partly to blame for their poor performance against the 49ers? Heard anything about it through the grapevine?
We know how this game is played. Win and you're a genius. Lose and you're the scapegoat. But I do think the 49ers looked like the fresher team.
Robin from Ashburn, VA
Who to watch on Sunday?
I could tell you who my guy is and why, but I'm gonna make you wait for "Final Thoughts."
Jon from Willmar, MN
I think one of our biggest challenges will be our defensive backs vs. the Vikings receivers. How about you? Great the season is finally here. We will smack them in the final two minutes and win by three!
My two biggest keys to the game are the Packers needing to finish in the fourth quarter and how Jonathan Gannon and the Packers' secondary handles Justin Jefferson and Co. Green Bay could defend Jefferson well and he still winds up with 100 yards, but it needs to minimize his overall impact and ensure that those 100 yards don't come in a Vikings win. Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings are no slouches, either.
Dennis from Parrish, FL
It's been a few weeks, but I wanted to see if we can get clarification on a salary cap issue. So literally 15 days before their first game in Australia, which turned out to be a dud, the Rams sign Aaron Donald to a contract. The future Hall of Famer is supposedly signed for between $20-30 million for only the 2026 season. In a league that is supposed to have a "hard" salary cap, where does that money just appear, two weeks out? Seems like someone has some 'splaining to do? Really big sofa cushions?
Void years are a powerful, powerful thing. You rob Peter to pay Paul by prorating a salary bonus out for three or four years, but it keeps cap numbers manageable. That's how Harrison Smith is pocketing $12.52 million this year but counting $3.4 million against Minnesota's cap.
Shanna from Corunna, IN
Good mornin'! I can't tell the two of you how much I appreciate all of your hard work and effort to always provide an honest/direct perspective within this column. Now that the Josh Jacobs news has broken, do we know how long it will take the league to levy its punishment? Is there a timeline for when it needs to be handled once a court has made a ruling? For now, just beat the dang old Vikings! GPG!
That's all up to the league and commissioner Roger Goodell. Until a ruling is made on the NFL front, Jacobs remains on the commissioner's exempt list.
Chris from Sioux Falls, SD
As I begin my 65th season as a Packers fan, I am reminded of the excitement I felt as a new fan to football watching the 1961 championship season. Literally a lifetime later, I am part of this group of people who read, contribute to, and continuously turn to Mike and Wes for information, insight, and friendship. It is a happening (a 1960s term), and I am so grateful to all of you for it. So, I join you in entering the 2026 season with enthusiasm and fortitude. Thank you all. Go Pack Go!
Congratulations on that accomplishment, Chris. It's wild how quickly the pages fall off the calendar. Hopefully, the Packers provide plenty to cheer for in Season 65.
Steve from Wabasha, MN
Just beat the Vikings and for gosh sakes stay healthy!
Mike and I will do our best.
Rhonda from Italy, TX
On hearing protection, and needing to hear a comment: welcome to the 21st century. They make hearing protection that blocks the noise but still allows you to carry on a conversation in a normal tone. Pilots have been using them for years. Look it up. Highly recommended, if you want to be able to hear your (eventual) grandkids taking to you.
I'm more worried about my wrists to be honest. I assume I'll need carpal tunnel surgery in the next 5-10 years.
Kat from Jacksonville, FL
If you could create a mascot for the Packers, what would it look like?
Exactly like Packy Packer. I see no reason to repaint the Mona Lisa.
Dave from Buckley, WA
Wes: "This Inbox is making me thirsty." Nicely done. That was real, and it was spectacular.
I might have a whole new career on my hands.
Paul from South Yorkshire, UK
My philosophy for the new season? The Packers staff, coaches and players will do everything they can to beat their opponents each week. Each week's opponents will do everything they can to beat the Packers. Mistakes will be made by Packers, opponents and officials. The Packers will win some games and lose others. At season's end the hope rather than the expectation is that the Packers as an organization have done enough to be Super Bowl champions. Week 1 is here, get the beers in and off we go.
Hear, hear, Paul. After eight months of talking, it's time to play the game. Hope y'all enjoy it.
