Vikings May Have Big News Coming on Season Opener Against the Packers

The Minnesota Vikings will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season on their home turf at U.S. Bank Stadium. Excitement for the season always goes to another level when you’re hosting a division rival for your very first game, and the season is no different.

The Packers will already be without Micah Parsons; fortunately, the Vikings are looking pretty healthy as it stands, heading into their final preseason game. Anytime you can go against the defense that usually has Micah Parsons but doesn’t, you count your blessings. Green Bay has a solid defensive unit, even though their former defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, departed for Miami to coach the Dolphins.

The Pack hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to be their new defensive play-caller. He will have a tough matchup in his first game with Green Bay; going against Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson, and the Vikings offense is likely going to be tough in 2026.

Unfortunately for Green Bay, they might not just be losing a star player on the defensive side of the ball, but the offensive side of the ball as well.

Vikings May Not Have to Worry About Josh Jacobs in Season Opener

Packers star RB Josh Jacobs found himself embroiled in legal troubles earlier this offseason when he was arrested on five preliminary domestic abuse charges. Formal court charges remain under review by prosecutors, and Jacobs and his legal team remain steadfast that no such actions took place. Even though the courts haven’t come to a resolution on the case yet, the NFL can do an internal investigation of its own and give out its own punishment.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said that the team has “obviously been preparing for [a suspension] in case that happens,” and that suspension would undoubtedly render Josh Jacobs unavailable for Week 1 against the Vikings.

Gutekunst did the right thing as a GM and expressed his confidence in the RB room behind Jacobs:  “But at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we have in that room.” Behind Jacobs and before roster cutdowns, the Packers currently boast a room of MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon, and Pierre Strong Jr.

Jason Hirschborn of NBC Sports pointed out that the “oft-injured” MarShawn Lloyd has had a healthy offseason and took the majority of the snaps with the Packers’ first-team in last week’s preseason game against the Broncos. If Jacobs misses the first game of the season, then the Vikings could be seeing a heavy dose of Lloyd to begin the year. Some would say that if the Packers are without their best players on both sides of the ball, then a Vikings loss is unacceptable.

Vikings’ Rushing Defense Would Catch a Break Early

If there’s one area that Brian Flores’ defense struggled in last season, it was against opposing ground games. The Vikings actually ranked in the mid-20s in rushing yards per game, with their most notable lackluster performance coming against Bijan Robinson in Week 2 on Sunday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons. To be fair, Robinson is pretty good, by all accounts.

No NFL game is “easy,” but if Josh Jacobs is to miss Week 1, then the defense catches a bit of a break. This could lead to putting more of a focus on applying pressure to Jordan Love, something they’ve been very good at since Brian Flores arrived in the Twin Cities.