2016 Green Bay Packers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

It's a testament to the Green Bay Packers' consistency that winning a wild-card berth and having a divisional-round exit is considered a disappointment. The Packers will hope to fare better in 2016.

Green Bay was short-handed before the 2015 regular season got underway. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson missed the whole of the campaign after suffering a knee injury in August. It's no coincidence quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his worst passing season—when healthy—last year.

Without Nelson, Rodgers threw for 3,821 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 60.7 percent passing. By almost any objective measure, Rodgers is one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Pro Football Focus, however, graded him the No. 12 QB—one spot behind Sam Bradford—in 2015 as a result of his drop in production.

While some Packers will be upset with the team's inaction in free agency, having a healthy Nelson will be a major boost to the offense. And as long as Rodgers remains on the field for every snap, Green Bay is a Super Bowl contender in 2016.

Here's a look at the Packers' schedule for the upcoming season, per NFL.com.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV Info
1	Sept. 11	at Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	Fox
2	Sept. 18	at Minnesota Vikings	8:30 p.m.	NBC
3	Sept. 25	Detroit Lions	1 p.m.	Fox
4	BYE WEEK
5	Oct. 9	New York Giants	8:30 p.m.	NBC
6	Oct. 16	Dallas Cowboys	4:25 p.m.	Fox
7	Oct. 20	Chicago Bears	8:25 p.m.	CBS/NFL Network
8	Oct. 30	at Atlanta Falcons	1 p.m.	Fox
9	Nov. 6	Indianapolis Colts	4:25 p.m.	CBS
10	Nov. 13	at Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.	Fox
11	Nov. 20	at Washington Redskins	8:30 p.m.	NBC
12	Nov. 28	at Philadelphia Eagles	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
13	Dec. 4	Houston Texans	1 p.m.	CBS
14	Dec. 11	Seattle Seahawks	4:25 p.m.	Fox
15	Dec. 18	at Chicago Bears	1 p.m.	Fox
16	Dec. 24	Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	Fox
17	Jan. 1	at Detroit Lions	1 p.m.	Fox

Analysis

Going by teams' winning percentages from last year, the Packers have the easiest schedule in the league, per CBSSports.com's John Breech.

Rank	Team	Opponent Record	Opponent Winning %
T27	Cincinnati Bengals	119-137	.465
T27	Dallas Cowboys	119-137	.465
T27	Detroit Lions	119-137	.465
T30	Chicago Bears	118-138	.461
T30	New York Giants	118-138	.461
32	Green Bay Packers	117-139	.457

Green Bay and the rest of its NFC North brethren got the luck of the draw by facing off with the AFC South this year.

The Indianapolis Colts should be better with a healthy Andrew Luck, though last year highlighted other flaws in the team. Spending money doesn't guarantee the Jacksonville Jaguars will turn things around to a demonstrable degree in 2016. The Houston Texans are gambling that Brock Osweiler can be an above-average starting quarterback in the NFL. And the Tennessee Titans remain a major work in progress.

Despite improvement from some teams in the division, the Packers should go unbeaten against the AFC South this year.

If that happens, it would leave Green Bay with a relatively comfortable margin for error on the rest of the schedule. The Packers have road matchups with the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins that could be difficult, while they also drew the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants at home.

There's no question Green Bay will have some hurdles ahead in 2016. All things considered, however, the team should be in a good position to make the playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Pivotal Matchups

Seattle Seahawks—Week 14

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Seahawks and Packers have built a healthy rivalry in recent years. Since 2012, the two teams have opposed one another four times, with Seattle owning a 3-1 advantage.

This year's matchup might have an edge after Rodgers' comments last September that looked to be a dig at Russell Wilson.

The Seattle QB famously credited the Seahawks' miraculous NFC Championship Game win over Green Bay in 2014 to a higher power, telling The MMQB's Peter King, "That’s God setting it up, to make it so dramatic, so rewarding, so special."

Following the Packers' win over Seattle in Week 2 last year, Rodgers said to reporters, "And then getting help from God. I think God was a Packers fan tonight, so he was taking care of us," per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky.

"I think that in terms of that comment and all that, everybody has the right to their own opinion," Wilson said in response, per Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle. "I know for me, I'm just grateful that God has given me the opportunity to play the great game of football. I'm so grateful."

The whole situation was rather innocuous, but professional athletes are all too willing to use the tiniest slight—real or perceived—as motivation. Rodgers' words will likely be playing in the back of many Seahawks' minds when they make the trip to Green Bay in Week 14.

Minnesota Vikings—Weeks 2 and 16

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

The Chicago Bears might still be another year away from serious contention, while star receiver Calvin Johnson's retirement has left the entire Detroit Lions offense in flux. Once again, the NFC North crown will likely be a fight between the Vikings and Packers.

Minnesota and Green Bay split their head-to-head meetings last year, which allowed the Vikings to win their first division title since 2009. Some might argue that was the best outcome for the Packers at that stage of the season.

Because of the rivalry between the two franchises, Vikings vs. Packers is always one of the biggest games on each team's schedule. Now that Minnesota is a genuine playoff threat, the clash carries an added significance.