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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 27: Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers walks across the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Green Bay Packers have serious questions across multiple levels of the defense as well as the offensive line heading into next season, and the NFL just made an announcement that isn’t going to do the franchise any favors.

Based on team records from last year, Green Bay faces the third-hardest strength of schedule heading into 2026.

The specifics of each team’s schedule won’t drop until Thursday, but the teams the Packers play combined for a .538 winning percentage in 2025, which ties the Arizona Cardinals for the third-most difficult slate of regular-season games in 2026. The only teams that face tougher competition are the Miami Dolphins (No. 2 at .542) and Chicago Bears (No. 1 at .550).

Part of the issue for the Packers is how good the NFC North Division was last season.

Every team in the division posted a winning record, with the Bears going 11-6 as the champs, while the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings each finished the campaign 9-8. Green Bay was second in the division at 9-7-1 and made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

Minnesota also has a difficult strength of schedule, facing a slate with a combined winning percentage of .517, which is the 11th toughest in the league next year. Detroit is the only squad in the NFC North looking at a 17-game stretch against opponents with a combined win percentage under .500 (.467, which ranks 27th in the NFL).

Micah Parsons’ Health Greatest Concern for Packers Heading into 2026

GettyGreen Bay Packers edge-rusher Micah Parsons.

Despite one of the harder roads back to the playoffs for what will be the fourth consecutive season should Green Bay make the field of 14 again in 2026, the Packers’ biggest obstacles to success will originate within their own roster.

Primarily, the ACL injury to Micah Parsons late last season poses the greatest threat to the team’s success. Parsons noted recently that he expects to be back sooner than later, but wouldn’t go so far as to predict a Week 1 return.

Meanwhile, Green Bay’s pass rush is a serious worry in Parsons’ absence, while the defensive front in general is cause for concern.

“I don’t know if there’s a more load-bearing player in the NFL right now than Micah Parsons,” Mina Kimes of ESPN said last week. “If he comes back and he looks like Micah Parsons, I think they’ll be OK. I still have some question marks about the corners and the defensive tackles and whatever. But they really need him to be Micah Parsons.”

Packers Will Rely Heavily on Rookie Cornerback Brandon Cisse Next Season

GettyCornerback Brandon Cisse of the Green Bay Packers.

The cornerback room is also an issue for the Packers, even after the team used its second-round pick (No. 52 overall) on Brandon Cisse of South Carolina, who should have every opportunity to play his way into the starting lineup as a rookie.

“This was the Packers’ greatest need,” Rob Demovsky of ESPN wrote following the Cisse selection. “If there is a position where a rookie could start from Day 1, it’s cornerback. But it has to be the right cornerback. They needed an outside corner with size, length and speed, and Cisse fits all three.”

Concerns with Cisse as he transitions to the league are that he is prone to surrendering the occasional big play and also may have some issues with pass-interference calls early on in his career.