Account
2021 Green Bay Packers Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info
May 12, 2021
Coming off back-to-back 13-win seasons and two straight appearances in the NFC Championship Game, the Green Bay Packers are looking to get over the final hurdle on their path to a Super Bowl in 2021.
The reigning two-time NFC North champions will open this season on Sept. 12 at the New Orleans Saints.
In the aftermath of their 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC title game, the Packers didn't make a lot of noise during free agency. They did re-sign Aaron Jones to a four-year, $48 million extension, but the rest of their moves were mostly unremarkable.
Of course, Aaron Rodgers is the engine that drives everything in Green Bay. He won his third NFL MVP award last season after leading the league with a 70.7 completion percentage and 40 touchdown passes.
The 37-year-old did make some cryptic comments about his future following that loss to the Bucs, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported prior to the draft that he didn't want to return to Green Bay because of frustration with the front office.
How that situation unfolds will likely determine the Packers' fate this season as they face the following list of opponents.
2021 Packers Schedule
Analysis
Assuming Rodgers returns, the Packers still look like the class of the NFC North on paper. The rest of the division features teams that are in the early stages of a rebuild (Detroit Lions), unsettled at the quarterback position with a rookie possibly starting (Chicago Bears) and rebuilding on defense (Minnesota Vikings).
Barring significant injury problems or a quarterback trade, it would be an upset if Green Bay didn't win the division for the third consecutive year.
The Packers' schedule looks daunting, though. Outside of their traditional divisional games, they are playing the AFC North and NFC West. Those two divisions produced five playoff teams in 2020 (Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams).
The two non-playoff teams in the NFC West were the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Arizona was in the postseason race all season before losing its final two games of the regular season. San Francisco should be better than its 6-10 mark from 2020 if it doesn't have as much bad luck with injuries.
Of course, the marquee game on the schedule is the matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. That looked like a potential Super Bowl matchup last season until the Bucs stopped Green Bay's path.
If the Packers make it through this year's schedule with 13 wins again, they will be set up to make another deep playoff run.
Key Matchups
The Packers have been able to stockpile wins against their division rivals over the past two seasons. They have gone 11-1 in the NFC North since the start of 2019.
Assuming that trend continues this season, they will have a clear path to the division title.
Their game against the Chiefs is going to be on everyone's radar, but it's possible there is less at stake since they are in separate conferences.
Green Bay's matchup against Seattle at Lambeau Field could have significant ramifications on the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoff race. The Seahawks won 12 games last season, tied with New Orleans for second-most in the conference.
Speaking of the Saints, the Packers will travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to open the year. This will be a very different New Orleans team with Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston fighting to become the starting quarterback following Drew Brees' retirement.
Games against the Rams, 49ers and Cardinals also stand out as potential NFC playoff opponents the Packers will face during the regular season.
How Green Bay fares in those matchups will likely determine the ultimate ceiling for the franchise in 2021.