After the NFL schedule was released in full on Wednesday, fans of all 32 teams have had some time to process what lies ahead for their favorite club. For the Green Bay Packers, 2025 will be about taking advantage of a third-place schedule to get back into the playoffs — and hopefully go even further. When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings, the team will need to thrive overseas.
Before I unpack which schedule is more difficult than the other, I will clarify a few things. Green Bay plays a third-place schedule while Minnesota plays a second-place one. The NFC North draws the AFC North and the NFC East in its entirety as part of its divisional scheduling rotation. All 16 NFC teams will be playing nine games on the road this year after the AFC took a turn.
Without further ado, here is what the Packers must navigate this year to get back into the playoffs.
Week | Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sunday, Sept. 7 | 4:25 p.m. ET | Detroit Lions | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
2 | Thursday, Sept. 11 | 8:15 p.m. ET | Washington Commanders | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
3 | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Cleveland Browns | Huntington Bank Field (Cleveland, OH) |
4 | Sunday, Sept. 28 | 8:20 p.m. ET | at Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
5 | BYE | |||
6 | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 4:25 p.m. ET | Cincinnati Bengals | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
7 | Sunday, Oct. 19 | 4:25 p.m. ET | at Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ) |
8 | Sunday, Oct. 26 | 8:20 p.m. ET | at Pittsburgh Steelers | Arcrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh, PA) |
9 | Sunday, Nov. 2 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Carolina Panthers | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
10 | Monday, Nov. 10 | 8:15 p.m. ET | Philadelphia Eagles | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
11 | Sunday, Nov. 16 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at New York Giants | MetLlife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
12 | Sunday, Nov. 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Minnesota Vikings | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
13 | Thursday, Nov. 27 | 1:00 pm. ET | at Detroit Lions | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) |
14 | Sunday, Dec. 7 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Chicago Bears | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
15 | Sunday, Dec. 14 | 4:25 p.m. ET | at Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) |
16 | TBD | TBD | at Chicago Bears | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) |
17 | TBD | TBD | Baltimore Ravens | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
18 | TBD | TBD | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
And here is what Minnesota will have to get through this season:
Week | Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Monday, Sept. 8 | 8:15 p.m. ET | at Chicago Bears | Soldier Field (Chicago, IL) |
2 | Sunday, Sept. 14 | 8:20 p.m. ET | Atlanta Falcons | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
3 | Sunday, Sept. 21 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Cincinnati Bengals | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
4 | Sunday, Sept. 28 | 9:30 a.m. ET | at Pittsburgh Steelers | Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) |
5 | Sunday, Oct. 5 | 9:30 a.m. ET | at Cleveland Browns | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London, UK) |
6 | BYE | |||
7 | Sunday, Oct. 19 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Philadelphia Eagles | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
8 | Thursday, Oct. 23 | 8:15 p.m. ET | at Los Angeles Chargers | SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) |
9 | Sunday, Nov. 2 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Detroit Lions | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) |
10 | Sunday, Nov. 9 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Baltimore Ravens | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
11 | Sunday, Nov. 16 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Chicago Bears | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
12 | Sunday, Nov. 23 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) |
13 | Sunday, Nov. 30 | 4:05 p.m. ET | at Seattle Seahawks | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) |
14 | Sunday, Dec. 7 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Washington Commanders | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
15 | Sunday, Dec. 14 | 8:20 p.m. ET | at Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, TX) |
16 | Sunday, Dec. 21 | 1:00 p.m. ET | at New York Giants | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ) |
17 | Thursday, Dec. 25 | 4:30 p.m. ET | Detroit Lions | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
18 | TBD | TBD | Green Bay Packers | U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) |
Which NFC North rival has the easier road?
Who has the more navigable 2025 NFL schedule: Packers or Vikings?
No matter how many times you comb through it, the Packers have, by far, the more navigable schedule. Not only do they not have to play internationally, but their third-place schedule is a bit more forgiving than the Vikings' second-place one. The tail end of their schedule gets a bit challenging. But still, of all Green Bay's opponents, I only trust the Baltimore Ravens being definitively good — and that game is at home.
When I look at Minnesota's slate, the Vikings need to take care of business from the jump. After their international games versus the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin (Week 4) and the Cleveland Browns in London (Week 5), the middle part of their schedule is one buzzsaw after another. Minnesota needs teams like the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks to remain pedestrianly mediocre.
If I had to attach a projected record to either team, the Packers should be able to go 10-7, or 11-6 if the back end of their schedule proves less daunting. For the Vikings, things could get ugly, like 6-11 or 5-12 if J.J. McCarthy cannot hold his own at quarterback. For the sake of being positive; if McCarthy hits and the team plays up to its standard, Minnesota should be able to crack .500.
The international dates, the tough middle and the difficulties of breaking in a quarterback all hurt Minnesota here.