
The 2026 NFL schedule will be released this evening, May 14th, at 7:00 P.M., Lambeau time. However, the NFL gave Packer fans an early surprise by announcing that the Packers will head to Los Angeles to play the Rams in Week 12 on Wednesday, November 25th. Otherwise, known as Thanksgiving Eve. This will be the second time in Franchise history that the Packers will play on a Wednesday.
This matchup with the Rams will air on Netflix as well. The NFL threw a crinkle into the normal fan experience. Most fans wake up on Sunday, knowing that their team plays that afternoon. Over the past few decades, fans have become accustom to waking up and having that same feeling once or twice a year on a Monday or Thursday. However, Wednesday will be a full new experience for Packer fans. Additionally, most Green Bay fans are accustom to watching the Packers on Fox so the Netflix experience will be a new one as well.
The first time that the Packers played a game on a Wednesday was September 28, 1938. This game against the Rams will definitely be a new experience for the fans, players, and coaches. This matchup is a very intriguing one for the NFL. As of today, the Packers and the Rams are expected to be NFC contenders. This game should hold a lot of weight for playoff seeding. By scheduling a big time matchup between the Packers and the Rams on a Wednesday during a holiday week, the NFL is banking on fans going to the extra mile to watch it.
The rest of the Packers schedule has not been released yet but, the Packers cannot play the Sunday before or after this Wednesday game. The likely scenario is the Packers bye week will be scheduled for Week 11. Then, the earliest the Packers could play their Week 13 game will be the following Thursday. This means that Green Bay will have a stretch in the middle/late part of the season where could play three games between November 15th and December 6th.
Assuming the Packers play their Week 10 game on Sunday, November 15th, the team will have 10 days before the Rams game. If the NFL chooses not to schedule the Packers for the Week 13 Thursday Night Football game, the Packers will play either Sunday, December 6th, or Monday, December 7th. That means Green Bay will have another 11 or 12 days between games. All in all, it is likely that the Packers will only play three games during a four Sunday stretch.
In 2025, the Packers had a Week 5 bye. In 2026, it is shaping up that the Packers will have a nice stretch in late November where they will only have to play one game for the rest of that month. Given the fact, that Packers started to drop like flies late last season, the team should be excited for some extra rest. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the schedule shapes up for the 2026 Green Bay Packers.
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