Packers get long-awaited gift from the NFL, and fans will experience a moment they haven't had in seven years

The last time the Packers had a regular season opener at Lambeau Field, in 2018, Jordan Love was a sophomore at Utah State and Matthew Golden was a freshman in high school. Matt LaFleur was the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. It was back in 2018, that game against the Chicago Bears when Aaron Rodgers got hurt and returned to lead a wild comeback victory, the beginning of what would be Mike McCarthy's final season as the Packers head coach.

Since then, the Packers have opened their seasons in Chicago, Minneapolis, Jacksonville (against the New Orleans Saints), Minneapolis again, Chicago again, and even in São Paulo (against the Philadelphia Eagles last year).

Official announcements

The NFL has already announced two other games from the Packers 2025 schedule. In Week 10, Green Bay will host the Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. The game will be on Nov. 10, at 7:15pm CT.

The Packers will also be a part of a Saturday doubleheader in Week 16 on Fox, playing against the Chicago Bears in another NFC North showdown—Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will have an NFC East matchup on the same day. The order of the games is yet to be decided, so the Packers-Bears game, in Chicago, will start at either 3:30 p.m. or 7 p.m CT.

Special kick off

The Packers and Lions are two of the best teams in the NFC, and a divisional matchup of this caliber to open up the season will be exciting to watch.

The matchup also shows a different moment for the Lions franchise. It's the first time since 2005 that the Packers and Lions will face off in Week 1—a crazy stat considering they are divisional rivals. Since then, Green Bay has opened their regular season six times against the Chicago Bears and three times against the Minnesota Vikings.

The last time the Packers opened their season at home was in 2018, a 24-23 magical win over the Bears—that game where Aaron Rodgers got hurt and returned. Since then, the Packers played in Week 1 in Chicago, Minnesota, Jacksonville (against the New Orleans Saints), Minnesota again, Chicago again, and São Paulo (against the Philadelphia Eagles).

This is also a big game individually for Jordan Love. He started two games against the Lions at Lambeau Field in his NFL career, and the Packers lost both (34-20 in 2023, 24-14 in 2024). He has one win over the Lions, and it happened in 2023 at Ford Field.