The Green Bay Packers open the season with a heck of an opener Sunday, Sept. 7, facing a powerful Detroit Lions team and likely featuring the debut of blockbuster trade acquisition Micah Parsons.
It’s worth noting that the opener doesn’t always tell the tale of the whole season, nor is it a game that even really gets remembered as the years pass. But there have been some good Week 1 clashes through the past quarter-century of Packers football. Here’s our ranking of the best and worst.
25. Chicago Bears 26, Packers 0 (2006)
Mike McCarthy’s coaching debut was a total dud, with Brett Favre completing only 15 of 29 passes for 170 yards with two interceptions, though Ahman Green ran for 110 yards. Special teams had a brutal day, with a fumble, an 84-yard punt return allowed, a missed field goal, a key penalty and a poor punt.
Season result: 8-8, missed playoffs
24. Detroit Lions 17, Packers 3 (2005)
In the first of four straight losses to start the year, the Packers committed three turnovers and amassed just 216 yards in a clunker at Ford Field, with 14 penalties for 100 yards. Green Bay would win 15 of the next 16 games against the Lions.
Season result: 4-12, missed playoffs
23. New Orleans Saints 38, Packers 3 (2021)
One of the more humbling openers in Packers history became an afterthought when the Packers won the next seven in a row. Aaron Rodgers had a rare two-interception game, and the Packers rushing attack accounted for only 43 yards, with three turnovers for bad measure. Jordan Love made his NFL debut when the game was out of hand.
Season result: 13-4, won division, lost in divisional round (the 49ers game with the blocked punt in the snow, if you must know)
22. New York Jets 20, Packers 16 (2000)
Green Bay mustered only 211 yards of total offense and 81 yards of penalties, and Brett Favre threw an ill-advised deep ball with 1 minute left that was intercepted. It was only the second time the Packers had lost their home opener since 1992, and the Packers’ home magic suddenly looked tenuous, with two wins in the previous six games. The Jets torched cornerback Tod McBride for a 61-yard pass play that set up a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth.
Season result: 9-7, missed playoffs
21. Minnesota Vikings 23, Packers 7 (2022)
Justin Jefferson torched the Packers for nine catches, 184 yards and two touchdowns, and the Packers were stuffed on fourth-and-1 from the goal line early in the game. The game turned into a referendum on the Packers’ avoidance of playing starters in the preseason, though the Vikings under first-year coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t play theirs, either.
Season result: 8-9, missed playoffs
20. Seattle Seahawks 36, Packers 16 (2014)
On a Thursday night season opener, Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards and two scores, and the Packers mounted only 80 rushing yards. Seattle would also beat Green Bay in the postseason, though that game would be more competitive (and infinitely more devastating).
Season result: 12-4, won division, lost in conference championship (the Seattle game, if you must know)
19. Minnesota Vikings 30, Packers 25 (2003)
The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, with the Packers falling behind at one point 27-3. Daunte Culpepper threw for three touchdowns, Randy Moss caught nine passes for 150 yards, and Brett Favre threw four interceptions while the Packers were held to 62 yards rushing.
Season result: 10-6, won division, lost in divisional round (fourth-and-26, if you must know)
18. San Francisco 49ers 34, Packers 28 (2013)
For the second straight year, the Packers would begin and end their season against the 49ers. Played in Santa Clara, Green Bay yielded nearly 500 yards as Colin Kaepernick once again torched the Packers, this time for 412 passing yards and three scores. Aaron Rodgers threw for 333 yards of his own and three touchdowns, but the Packers defense couldn’t stop Kaepernick on fourth down with 3 minutes to go, leading to a field goal with 30 seconds left and dismantling a chance for a proper comeback.
Season result: 8-7-1, won division, lost in wild-card game (on a field goal as time expired vs. the 49ers, if you must know)
17. San Francisco 49ers 30, Packers 22 (2012)
Randall Cobb returned a punt to the house from 75 yards out, and James Jones caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make it close, but a final drive that crossed into 49ers territory with 1 minute to go went for naught. Aaron Rodgers threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, but a rare interception in the fourth quarter set up what proved to be the winning 49ers touchdown one play later. It wouldn’t be the last loss in San Francisco that year.
Season result: 11-5, won division, lost in divisional round (the Kaepernick Game against San Francisco, if you must know)
16. Philadelphia Eagles 34, Packers 29 (2024)
The Packers opened the season on a rare Friday night in São Paulo, Brazil, the first NFL game played in South America. It would be remembered for a knee injury suffered by Jordan Love, one that would keep him out for the next two weeks and potentially hamper him the rest of the way. The Eagles began a Super Bowl season with a convincing win, iced with a drive that lasted nearly 8 minutes in the fourth quarter and finished with a Jake Elliott field goal. And just like four other games on this list, the Packers wound up losing the opener and in the playoffs to the same opponent.
Season result: 11-6, lost in wild-card round (to the Super Bowl champion Eagles, if you must know)
15. Packers 17, Seattle Seahawks 9 (2017)
Aaron Rodgers threw for 311 yards and a touchdown despite getting sacked four times in the first half, and the Packers defense held the Seahawks to only three field goals in a grind-it-out victory. Converted receiver Ty Montgomery led the Packers with 54 yards rushing.
Season result: 7-9, missed playoffs
14. Packers 28, Detroit Lions 6 (2001)
Ahman Green ran for two touchdowns in the first quarter alone, including one for 83 yards, and the Packers outgained the Lions 424-288 while forcing three turnovers and seven sacks. Detroit went on to win just two games, so it wasn’t exactly a powerhouse opponent. Brett Favre finished 22 of 28 for 260 yards, and Green ran for 157 yards and caught three passes for 20 more.
Season result: 12-4, lost in divisional round (blowout loss to Rams, if you must know)
13. Packers 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 23 (2016)
It wasn’t pretty against a team that won five games the year before (and three games this season), but Green Bay sealed the deal when it stopped Jacksonville on fourth-and-1 from the Packers 14-yard line with 23 seconds to play. Jordy Nelson caught a touchdown after a year away with an ACL tear.
Season result: 10-6, won division, lost in conference championship (the Falcons blowout, if you must know)
12. Packers 10, Chicago Bears 3 (2019)
Like Mike McCarthy before him, the Matt LaFleur era began with a test against the Bears, and it didn’t feature a ton of Packers points. Unlike McCarthy’s shutout loss, LaFleur’s team pulled out a narrow win on Thursday night, with Jimmy Graham’s 8-yard catch in the second accounting for the game’s only touchdown. Neither team could run the football − Green Bay finished with 47 yards and Chicago with 46 − and both teams were penalized 10 times. Former Bears safety Adrian Amos intercepted Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the end zone in the fourth quarter to stall a potential game-tying drive.
Season result: 13-3, won division, lost in conference championship (a 37-20 clunker in San Francisco, if you must know)
11. Packers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 20 (2010)
It was supposed to be the debut of the Kevin Kolb era in Philly, but he was knocked from the game early with a concussion, and backup Michael Vick nearly haunted the Packers again in leading a comeback. Vick orchestrated a drive into Packers territory with 2 minutes to go, but Clay Matthews stuffed him up the middle on fourth down to effectively end the game. It was the first time the Packers had won in Philadelphia since 1962, but they’d add another win there in the opening playoff battle.
Season result: 10-6, won Super Bowl (the one against Pittsburgh, but you already know)
10. Packers 31, Chicago Bears 23 (2015)
Clay Matthews intercepted Jay Cutler and returned it into Bears territory with 3:55 to go in the fourth quarter, and Eddie Lacy’s touchdown with 2 minutes left essentially sealed the outcome. The Bears scored again thereafter but not with enough time to pull even. Matt Forte ran for 141 yards to lead the Bears.
Season result: 10-6, lost in divisional round (the overtime loss to Arizona after the Janis catch, if you must know)
9. Packers 43, Minnesota Vikings 34 (2020)
In the surreal fan-free atmosphere as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, the Packers racked up 522 yards of total offense in a huge performance for Aaron Rodgers, who completed 32 of 44 passes for 364 yards and four scores, with no interceptions. Davante Adams caught two of those touchdowns and racked up 156 yards, and the Packers went on to win their first four games of the season. scoring 30 points or better in each one.
Season result: 13-3, won division, lost in NFC championship (the loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, if you must know)
8. Packers 24, Carolina Panthers 14 (2004)
On Monday Night Football, Ahman Green ran for two touchdowns with 119 yards and caught another as the Packers took down the reigning NFC champion Panthers on the road. Long before John Kuhn threw a famous block on Julius Peppers in the 2013 finale, Mike Wahle stopped the future Hall of Famer to allow Brett Favre to find Green for what felt like the clinching touchdown, part of a complete performance by Green Bay’s offensive line.
Season result: 10-6, won division, lost in wild-card round (Randy Moss fake-moons the Packers, if you must know)
7. Packers 38, Chicago Bears 20 (2023)
The dawn of the Jordan Love era turned into a rousing success, with Love throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Aaron Jones ran for a touchdown and caught another in the third quarter as the Packers took control of the game, and Quay Walker’s 37-yard interception return in the fourth essentially sealed it.
Season result: 9-8, lost in divisional round (a late lead lost in San Francisco, if you must know)
6. Packers 37, Atlanta Falcons 34, overtime (2002)
Before ultimately falling to the Falcons in the playoffs, the Packers won on a Ryan Longwell 34-yard field goal with 5:15 left in overtime. William Henderson had scored a go-ahead touchdown on a second-effort plunge on fourth-and-1 with 1:16 left in regulation, but Michael Vick orchestrated a quick drive down the field to set up a 52-yard field goal from Jay Feely to tie the score. The Packers got a ton of breaks, including two dropped touchdown passes by Atlanta and some favorable bounces on two fumbles that were self-recovered.
Season result: 12-4, won division, lost in wild-card round (Michael Vick’s vengeance)
5. Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 19 (2008)
Monday Night Football ended in satisfying fashion, with Atari Bigby intercepting Vikings starter Tarvaris Jackson after the Vikings had gotten to midfield with 1:08 to go. But the real story was the debut of new starter Aaron Rodgers, who showed he could hang with the best of them by completing 18 of 22 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown (plus another rushing score), even as many fans in the crowd wore Brett Favre jerseys.
Season result: 6-10, missed playoffs
4. Packers 16, Philadelphia Eagles 13 (2007)
The Packers opened the season 10-1, starting with a game ended by Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal with 2 seconds left in his NFL debut. The Packers recovered a muffed punt in the end zone for a touchdown in the game’s first 5 minutes, and Crosby’s makes from 37 and 42 yards proved to be the difference down the stretch. Green Bay won despite only 215 yards of offense, and the defense fared extremely well against Donovan McNabb.
Season result: 13-3, won division, lost in NFC championship (the freezing one against the Giants with the OT interception, if you must know)
3. Packers 21, Chicago Bears 15 (2009)
The Lambeau Field thriller on Sunday Night Football came down to the end, when Aaron Rodgers found Greg Jennings for a 50-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 with 1:11 to go, not long after the Bears had taken the lead. The Packers forced four turnovers to stay in the game despite getting outgained by nearly 130 yards, and the Packers got solid reviews in the debut of their 3-4 defense.
Season result: 11-5, lost in wild-card game (the high-scoring loss to Arizona on a fumble in overtime, if you must know)
2. Packers 24, Chicago Bears 23 (2018)
The Sunday Night Football thriller featured a heart-stopping injury scare when Aaron Rodgers left in the first half with what looked like a serious knee injury. But he came back in the second half, rallying his team back from a 20-0 deficit (20-3 at halftime) with three touchdown passes. The most memorable: A 75-yard strike to Randall Cobb with 2:13 left that put the Packers in the lead. The resurrection was remarkable, but Rodgers would struggle with the injury most of the season, and the year spiraled from there.
Season result: 6-9-1, missed playoffs
1. Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34 (2011)
Coming off a Super Bowl win, buzz was at an all-time high, and the game delivered in every way. Opening the season on Thursday Night Football, the contest featured a record 108-yard kickoff return by rookie Randall Cobb, 419 yards passing from Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and a stop as time expired from the 1-yard line, when Clay Matthews and Morgan Burnett conspired to stop Mark Ingram short and preserve victory.
Season result: 15-1, won division, lost in wild-card game (a sobering 37-20 loss to the Giants, if you must know)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ranking the 25 Green Bay Packers season openers of this century
