NFL Schedule-Makers Put Packers at Huge Disadvantage Before Marquee Games

It’s not who you play but when you play them. In a league in which almost nothing matters more than being healthy, the NFL schedule-makers did the Green Bay Packers almost no favors.

Overall, the Packers are almost even in terms of rest advantages and rest disadvantages based on the locations of bye weeks and Thursday games. However, the NFL put them at a significant disadvantage before three of the biggest games of the season.

Here’s the breakdown.

WEEK 1 – Home: Detroit Lions

Every team gets a bye coming out of training camp and the preseason.

Advantage: None, obviously.

WEEK 2 – Home: Washington Commanders

It will be a short week for both teams for this Thursday night showdown. Both teams will open the season at home, with the Commanders hosting the Giants in an early game and the Packers hosting the Lions in an afternoon game.

Advantage: None.

WEEK 3 – Away: Cleveland Browns (Sunday, Sept. 21. Noon. Fox)

The Packers have the edge, as they will be coming off a Thursday night home game against the Commanders while the Browns will be coming off a Sunday game against the powerful Ravens.

Advantage: Packers by three days, though it’s so early in the season that it might not matter.

WEEK 4 – Away: Dallas Cowboys

For this Sunday night game, both teams will be coming off Sunday road games – with the Packers at the Browns and the Cowboys at the Bears.

Advantage: None.

WEEK 5 – Bye

For what it’s worth, in games immediately following a Week 4 or Week 5 bye, teams went 8-6 over the last five years.

WEEK 6 – Home: Cincinnati Bengals

The Packers will be coming off their bye – though that hasn’t meant a great deal to the Packers under coach Matt LaFleur – while the Bengals will be coming off a Sunday afternoon home game against the powerful and physical Lions.

Advantage: Packers by one week.

WEEK 7 – Away: Arizona Cardinals

The Packers will be coming off a Sunday afternoon home game against the Bengals while the Cardinals will be returning from a Sunday noon game at the Colts.

Advantage: None.

WEEK 8 – Away: Pittsburgh Steelers

Will this be Aaron Rodgers vs. Jordan Love? Clearly, that’s what the NFL is thinking by making this the Sunday night game. Not only will Pittsburgh be at home, it will have the rest advantage as it comes off a Thursday night game at the Bengals while the Packers will be returning from a Sunday afternoon in the (potential) heat of Arizona.

Advantage: Pittsburgh by three days.

WEEK 9 – Home: Carolina Panthers

Both teams will be coming off Sunday games, with Carolina hosting the powerful Bills and the Packers facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Advantage: None by days, though coming off a road game against a physical opponent on a Sunday night will impact Green Bay’s preparation.

WEEK 10 – Home: Philadelphia Eagles

This is one of the great inequities of the entire schedule. In a Monday night rematch from last season’s wild-card playoffs, which could have playoff ramifications this season, the Eagles will be coming off their bye while the Packers will be coming off a Sunday home game against the Panthers.

Advantage: Eagles by one week.

WEEK 11 – Away: New York Giants

The Giants will be coming off a Sunday home game against the Bears while the Packers will be coming off a challenging home game against the Eagles on Monday night.

Advantage: Giants by one day.

WEEK 12 – Home: Minnesota Vikings

Both teams will be coming off Sunday games, with the Packers at the Giants and the Vikings at home against the Bears.

Advantage: None.

WEEK 13 – Away: Detroit Lions

For the Thanksgiving showdown, both teams will be coming off Sunday home games. Detroit will be hosting the lousy Giants while the Packers will be hosting the rival Vikings.

Advantage: None by rest, but back-to-back division games on short rest isn’t ideal for Green Bay.

WEEK 14 – Home: Chicago Bears

Both teams will have additional prep time. The Packers will play at the Lions on Thursday while the Bears will play at the Eagles on Black Friday.

Advantage: Packers by one day.

WEEK 15 – Away: Denver Broncos

Both teams will be coming off Sunday games, with Green Bay at home against the Bears and the Broncos on the road against the Raiders.

Advantage: None.

WEEK 16 – Away: Chicago Bears

Both teams will be coming off Sunday games, with Chicago at home against Cleveland and Green Bay at Denver.

Advantage: None by rest, but Chicago will be playing back-to-back home games vs. Green Bay’s back-to-back road games.

WEEK 17 – Home: Baltimore Ravens

The Packers will be coming off a Saturday game at the Bears while the Ravens will be coming off a Sunday home game against the Patriots. A rest advantage for a home game is no small thing.

Advantage: Packers by one day.

WEEK 18 – Away: Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings will be coming off a Christmas home game against Detroit – Christmas falls on Thursday this year – while the Packers will be coming off a Saturday or Sunday home game against Baltimore.

Advantage: Vikings by at least two days. Imagine a playoff berth or division title being decided in part by the schedule.

CONCLUSION

For the full schedule, the Packers have a net rest disadvantage of one or two days (depending on the date of Packers-Ravens in Week 17). However, the Packers have a 10-day rest advantage through their Week 6 game against the Bengals but are minus-11 or minus-12 the rest of the way, including three days before the Rodgers Bowl, a full week before a showdown against the Eagles and two or three days before their NFC North finale against the Vikings.