I laid all my current season win-loss projections, strength/weakness of teams, weather notes about the schedule, the history of in-conference games, teams/coaches coming off BYE weeks and solo night games, and estimated travel between games, etc., and dumped that all in my AI Frankenstein writer creation ‘AI-McGillidcuddy1’ and then asked him to give an NFL analyst take on each team’s schedule, using my data (not the NFLs), and using his created personality to do it.
I’m doing team-by-team each day of June, except two will post day one...and the strength of schedule rankings will rank one-at-a-time on RC Note’s every morning as well. ARI and ATL gets us started June 1st.
Here is unedited AI analysis of my schedule data from AI-McGillidcuddy1. Enjoy...
(by AI_McGillicuddy1)
Final Weighted Number
The Green Bay Packers' Verified Weighted Strength of Schedule calculates out to a final percentage of 56.8% (0.568067).
The McGillicuddy Comprehensive Take on the Packers' True 2026 Schedule
Look, if you take an honest look at how this calendar is structured, that 56.8% weighted baseline drops Green Bay straight into a brutally hard schedule tier. There is absolutely no hiding from it. Now, we look at this Green Bay team and view them as a good team for 2026—a playoff squad that has hope to contend for a championship. But when you are a good-not-great roster navigating a calendar this top-heavy, you have zero margin for error. The league-makers are forcing them to run a absolute marathon from September all the way to January.
Phase 1: Weeks 1–6
The opening six weeks are a relentless firing squad of high-caliber, heavy-hitting football teams. They open up at home against Seattle, travel to Minnesota, host Philadelphia, and hit the road to face San Francisco. If that wasn’t exhausting enough, they follow that up with a massive division home game against Chicago and wrap up the block hosting Denver.
That is six consecutive games against highly competitive, premium defensive front-sevens and lethal offenses. For a top-tier team, this opening block is a massive test of physical identity. Because they are a decent team, they have the depth to go toe-to-toe with anyone, but dropping a couple of these early matchups could put them in an immediate dogfight within their own division before the autumn weather even sets in.
Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI), Sunday, Sept. 13 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) — Dome Game, Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1:00 PM EDT
Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI), Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:00 PM EDT
Week 4: at San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, CA), Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI), Sunday, Oct. 11 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI), Sunday, Oct. 18 at 1:00 PM EDT
Phase 2: Weeks 7–12
Once they clear that opening gauntlet, the calendar transitions into the middle block, which is a total circus of high-profile prime-time billing and critical division adjustments. They travel to Las Vegas, host Carolina on a short-week Thursday Night Football matchup, travel to the Chargers, and then hit a massive back-to-back division swing. They travel to Detroit in Week 10, host the Lions for a rematch in Week 11, and then head down to Soldier Field to battle Chicago before sliding into an incredibly late Week 13 bye week.
According to the quality of opponents in this stretch, this is the vital runway where Green Bay must bank their wins. Facing teams like Las Vegas and Carolina gives them a premier opportunity to build a massive win streak, but trying to survive all the way to December before getting a bye week is a massive physical hurdle that will test their roster depth to its absolute limit.
Week 7: at Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV) — Dome Game, Sunday, Oct. 25 at 4:25 PM EDT
Week 8: vs. Carolina Panthers, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Thursday Night Football, Thursday, Oct. 29 at 8:15 PM EDT
Week 9: at Los Angeles Chargers, SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA) — Open-Air/Canopy, Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4:05 PM EST
Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Ford Field (Detroit, MI) — Back-to-Back Division Series (Game 1), Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Back-to-Back Division Series (Game 2), Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 12: at Chicago Bears, Soldier Field (Chicago, IL), Sunday, Nov. 29 at 1:00 PM EST
Phase 3: Weeks 13–18
Coming out of their late Week 13 rest, the regular season finish is a high-drama, cold-weather outdoor sprint. They host Buffalo on a massive Sunday Night Football showcase, travel to Washington, and then fly out to Mile High for a premier standalone Christmas Day Friday clash against Denver. They wrap up the year hosting the Giants and closing it out at Lambeau Field against Minnesota.
Week 13: BYE WEEK — No Game, No Venue, No Time
Week 14: vs. Buffalo Bills, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Sunday Night Football / Winter Outdoor, Sunday, Dec. 13 at 8:20 PM EST
Week 15: at Washington Commanders, Northwest Stadium (Landover, MD) — Winter Outdoor, Sunday, Dec. 20 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 16: at Denver Broncos, Empower Field at Mile High (Denver, CO) — Christmas Day Friday / Winter Outdoor, Friday, Dec. 25 at 4:30 PM EST
Week 17: vs. New York Giants, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Winter Outdoor, Sunday, Jan. 3 at 1:00 PM EST
Week 18: vs. Minnesota Vikings, Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI) — Winter Outdoor Regular Season Finale, Sunday, Jan. 10 (Time TBD)
Weather Factoids, Travel Logistics & Dome Tallies
Let's look at the operational environments, because it's a massive factor for keeping an offense working in rhythm. The Packers play a total of 2 dome games all season:
Week 2 at Minnesota (U.S. Bank Stadium)
Week 7 at Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium)
Outside of those two isolated indoor tracks, Green Bay spends almost the entire season completely exposed to the elements. They wrap up the year with an extended, five-game cold-weather outdoor stretch from Week 14 to Week 18, navigating winter climates in Green Bay, Washington, and Denver. Because Green Bay is a classic, hard-nosed winter outdoor team, playing in the freezing cold at Lambeau Field in late December and January isn't a giant warning sign—it's their premier home-field equalizer.
Logistically, they completely avoid long-distance international travel, keeping their weekly routine domestic and clean. They also skip any grueling 3+ game road trips or 3+ game homestands, with their travel alternating smoothly throughout the fall. It is an incredibly hard, grinding calendar that forces them to wait forever for a bye, but a solid+ Green Bay squad could survive the gauntlet and control their own path if the stay healthy and catch a few other breaks.
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