For the 2019 NFC North champion Green Bay Packers, the penalty of leadership comes forward – a first-place schedule filled with division champions on the road, with hard road challenges.
Thanks to the way the NFL schedule formula works, the Packers know who their 2020 opponents will be.
Besides the traditional home-and-home series with NFC North brethren Chicago, Detroit and Minnesota, the Packers will have to go on the road to face three division champions who each won at least 10 games in 2019
- New Orleans Saints (13-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
- Houston Texans (10-6)
The good news: The rotational nature of the schedule means that 2020 brings every team from the AFC South and NFC South onto the Packers schedule. Their combined records were 64-64.
Overall – counting their NFC North opponents twice, as they will face the Bears, Lions and Vikings twice – the Packers’ opponents had a 128-126-2 record, a .503 winning percentage.
Of course, the quality of opponents will certainly change as rosters and talent levels change between 2019 and the kickoff of 2020, and even between the start of the season and when the Packers will play them. Typically, the NFL schedule comes out in late April.
The full list of opponents:
Home (.449 winning percentage)
- Atlanta (7-9)
- Carolina (5-11)
- Chicago (8-8)
- Detroit (3-12-1)
- Jacksonville (6-10)
- Minnesota (10-6)
- Philadelphia (9-7)
- Tennessee (9-7)
Road (.559 winning percentage)
- Chicago (8-8)
- Detroit (3-12-1)
- Houston (10-6)
- Indianapolis (7-9)
- Minnesota (10-6)
- New Orleans (13-3)
- San Francisco (13-3)
- Tampa Bay (7-9)