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Packers vs. Vikings: Who came out better in NFL schedule release?

It could all come down to scheduling when predicting the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
Josh Jacobs, Jerry Tillery, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
Josh Jacobs, Jerry Tillery, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings | Stephen Maturen/GettyImages

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.