The Green Bay Packers' 2018 NFL regular-season schedule – highlighted by five prime-time contests (subject to flexible scheduling) – was released this evening by the National Football League.
For the second consecutive season, the Packers open the season at home and will play three of their first four games at Lambeau Field. In Week 1, Green Bay will host Chicago on Sunday night, marking the 13th consecutive regular season that the Packers and Bears have squared off in primetime. For the first time since 2012, the Packers play two home games to open the season, hosting Minnesota in Week 2. It marks just the third time (2003, 2008) since the NFC North was formed in 2002 that Green Bay has played division opponents in both of the first two games.
The Packers' first road contest is at the Redskins, marking Green Bay's first September visit to Washington. The Packers return home for two of three games before the bye, first taking on the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 and then traveling to Detroit to play the Lions. In Week 6, Green Bay hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, marking the fourth time the two teams have met on MNF and the first since 1999.
After the second Week 7 bye for Green Bay in the last four seasons (2015), the Packers will play four of five games on the road. Green Bay makes its first trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1978 to play the Rams. In Week 9, the Packers travel to the other side of the country to play the Patriots on Sunday night. Green Bay returns home to take on the Miami Dolphins before a quick turnaround to play the Seahawks, marking the Packers' second Thursday night game at Seattle (Week 1 in 2014). November finishes with a trip to play the Vikings on Sunday night, marking the sixth straight season that the teams have met in a prime-time game.
Green Bay opens the final month of the regular season against Arizona, only the second time the Cardinals have played at Lambeau Field in December (Dec. 21, 1969). The Packers will play back-to-back home games for only the second time in 2018 when they host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14. It will be the fourth matchup (including postseason) between Green Bay and Atlanta in the last three seasons.
The Packers end the season with two road games in the final three weeks for the seventh straight year. In Week 15, Green Bay will face the Bears in Chicago, a place it has won in the regular season each of the last seven years. The Packers' road slate will finish up with a game at the New York Jets, the third December game at the Jets in team history (1981, 2002). Green Bay will close out the regular season against the Lions for the third straight year and the fourth time in the last five seasons.
The dates and times for three of Green Bay's preseason games have also been finalized.
For ticket information, please visit www.packers.com/tickets. For a secure method to buy and sell tickets, the Packers encourage fans to use NFL Ticket Exchange, http://pckrs.com/ticketexchange.
– PRESEASON –
Date, Opponent, Time (CT), TV
Thu., Aug. 9, TENNESSEE TITANS* (Bishop's Charities Game)*, 7 p.m., Packers TV Network/Telemundo Wisconsin
Thu., Aug. 16, PITTSBURGH STEELERS (Gold Pkg.) (Midwest Shrine Game), 7 p.m., Packers TV Network/Telemundo Wisconsin
Fri., Aug. 24, at Oakland Raiders, 9:30 p.m., Packers TV Network/Telemundo Wisconsin
Thu., Aug. 30, at Kansas City Chiefs, 7:30 p.m., Packers TV Network/Telemundo Wisconsin
– REGULAR SEASON –
Date, Opponent, Time (CT), TV
Sun., Sept. 9, CHICAGO BEARS, 7:20 p.m., NBC
Sun., Sept. 16, MINNESOTA VIKINGS (Gold Pkg.), 12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Sept. 23, at Washington Redskins, 12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Sept. 30, BUFFALO BILLS, 12 p.m., CBS
Sun., Oct. 7, at Detroit Lions, *12 p.m., FOX
Mon., Oct. 15, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
Sun., Oct. 21, BYE
Sun., Oct. 28, at Los Angeles Rams, *3:25 p.m., FOX
Sun., Nov. 4, at New England Patriots, *7:20 p.m., NBC
Sun., Nov. 11, MIAMI DOLPHINS (Gold Pkg.), *12 p.m., CBS
Thu., Nov. 15, at Seattle Seahawks, 7:20 p.m., FOX/NFLN
Sun., Nov. 25, at Minnesota Vikings, *7:20 p.m., NBC
Sun., Dec. 2, ARIZONA CARDINALS, *12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Dec. 9, ATLANTA FALCONS, *12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Dec. 16, at Chicago Bears, *12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Dec. 23, at New York Jets, *12 p.m., FOX
Sun., Dec. 30, DETROIT LIONS, *12 p.m., FOX
- "Flexible scheduling" will be used in Weeks 11-17. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. *For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 30. The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.
SCHEDULE NOTES …
vs. Chicago, Sept. 9, 7:20 p.m. CT (NBC) – It is the first time Green Bay has opened the season at home against the Bears since playing them on Sunday night in Week 1 of the 2009 season, a 21-15 win for the Packers…It is the eitgth straight season that the two teams have met in primetime at Lambeau Field…Green Bay has won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Bears at Lambeau Field…The Packers have outscored Chicago, 275-134, in the last 10 home games, scoring 20-plus points in eight of those contests…It is only the second time in nine years that the Packers have opened the season against an NFC North foe (at Chicago in 2015)…The Packers are opening the season at home in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-12.
vs. Minnesota, Sept. 16, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – Including playoffs, Green Bay has a 9-3-1 mark (.731) against the Vikings at Lambeau Field under Head Coach Mike McCarthy…The Packers have scored 23-plus points in 10 of the last 12 home games vs. Minnesota…It is the first matchup between the two teams in September at Lambeau Field since 2008…Green Bay has won four of the last five home September contests against the Vikings.
at Washington, Sept. 23, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – Including the postseason, it is the third game between the two in the last four seasons, with all three taking place at Washington…The Packers have won five of the last seven regular-season contests between the two clubs.
vs. Buffalo, Sept. 30, 12 p.m. CT (CBS) – Green Bay is 4-2 all-time at home against Buffalo, including wins in each of the last three…All six games between the two in Wisconsin have been decided by 10-plus points…The Bills' last trip to Lambeau Field came in 2010, a 34-7 win by the Packers…Regardless of location, it is only the third time the two teams have played in the month of September (2000, 2010).
at Detroit, Oct. 7, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – The Packers are 8-4 at Detroit under McCarthy, including wins in two of the last three games…The Packers lead the regular-season series, 98-70-7 (.580), and have won both postseason contests the two have played…Green Bay's 98 wins over the Lions are the most the Packers have against any team.
vs. San Francisco, Oct. 15, 7:15 p.m. CT (ESPN) – Marks the 26th consecutive season (1993-2018) that Green Bay is appearing on Monday Night Football…Fifth time in the last six seasons the Packers have played at Lambeau Field on MNF…It will be the fourth time, and first since 1999, that Green Bay and San Francisco will face off on MNF, with the Packers winning two of the three matchups…Green Bay has won three of its last four games on MNF.
at Los Angeles Rams, Oct. 28, 3:25 p.m. CT (FOX) – It is the first time the Packers have played at the Los Angeles Rams since traveling to Anaheim in 1991…Even though it will be the first regular-season matchup between the two teams since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles, Green Bay has won five consecutive games over the Rams and 12 of the last 16…The Packers have outscored the Rams, 147-64 (plus-83), over the last five contests.
at New England, Nov. 4, 7:20 p.m. CT (NBC) – Marks the second consecutive time the Packers and Patriots will face off on a Sunday night in New England (2010)…They have split the last two matchups (2010, 2014), with both teams winning at home and the games being decided by a combined nine points…All-time regular-season series is tied at 5-5, while the Packers won the only postseason matchup, a 35-21 victory in Super Bowl XXXI.
vs. Miami, Nov. 11, 12 p.m. CT (CBS) – The Packers have won three of the last four matchups with the Dolphins, including the last time they played (27-24 at Miami in 2014)…It is the Packers' lone game at Lambeau Field over a 47-day span (Oct. 16-Dec. 1)…It will be latest date that Miami has played in Green Bay since Dec. 8, 1985…Seven of the last 10 matchups between the Packers and Dolphins have been decided by single digits…Green Bay has scored 20-plus points against Miami in each of the last six games.
at Seattle, Nov. 15, 7:20 p.m. CT (FOX/NFLN) – Including the postseason, it will be the seventh time the two teams have played since 2012…It will be the fifth consecutive season the two teams have played during the regular season…Green Bay has won three straight over Seattle, including a, 17-9, victory in Week 1 last season…It is the third time the Packers have played at the Seahawks in November (1987, 2006).
at Minnesota, Nov. 25, 7:20 p.m. CT (NBC) – Green Bay has won five of the last eight at Minnesota…Of the past 31 regular-season meetings between the teams, 20 of those games have been decided by seven points or less…They have split the season series two of the past three years…The Packers have a 28-28 record in away games against the Vikings…It is the fourth time since 2010 that Green Bay will play at Minnesota in November, with the Packers winning the previous three (2010, 2014, 2015).
vs. Arizona, Dec. 2, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – The Packers are 27-9 all-time at home against the Cardinals, including wins in each of the last eight…Green Bay has scored 24-plus points in seven of the last eight home games against the Cardinals, including eclipsing 30 points five times…Arizona last played at Green Bay during the regular season in 2012, a 31-17 Packers victory.
vs. Atlanta, Dec. 9, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – Green Bay is 10-4 at home against Atlanta during the regular season…The Packers have won three of the last five regular-season meetings against the Falcons…Nine of the last 11 regular-season matchups between the two have been decided by eight points or less, including six by three or fewer points…Including the postseason, it is the sixth time the Packers and Falcons have played in six years, with Atlanta winning three of the five previous matchups and each team winning their home games…It is the third straight time the Faclons' visit to Lambeau Field has been in Week 14.
at Chicago, Dec. 16, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – The Packers have won four in a row at Chicago in December…Including a 2010 playoff victory at Chicago, Green Bay has won 21 of the last 25 meetings between the rivals at Soldier Field…Green Bay has scored 30-plus points at Chicago in four of the last five matchups (33, 38, 31, 30, 23)…Five of the last six games between the two at Soldier Field have been decided by single digits…It is the third time since 2012 that the Packers have played at Chicago in Week 15 (2012, 2016).
at New York Jets, Dec. 23, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – The Packers have won two straight over the Jets, including their last road game, a 9-0 victory in 2010…It was Green Bay's first victory at the Jets, having lost the previous four…Three of the last four games at New York have been decided by single digits, including one game that went to overtime.
vs. Detroit, Dec. 30, 12 p.m. CT (FOX) – Including a 1994 playoff victory, the Packers are 25-2 against the Lions in the state of Wisconsin since 1992…Green Bay has an 18-6 overall mark (.750) and a 10-2 home record (.833) against Detroit under McCarthy…First December meeting in Green Bay between the two since a 30-20 Green Bay victory in Week 17 of the 2014 season.
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