The Green Bay Packers’ defense of the NFC North title will begin in the same venue where Matt LaFleur’s team celebrated clinching the division title last December.
The Packers are scheduled to open the 2020 season with a trip to Minnesota to play Mike Zimmer and the Vikings in Week 1.
Amazingly, the Packers have never played in Minnesota to start the regular season.
The Packers swept the Vikings home and away last season. They held on for a 21-16 win over their purple-clad visitors at Lambeau Field in September and then clinched the NFC North title with a 23-10 win at U.S. Bank Stadium in primetime in Week 16.
The victory was the Packers’ first at the new venue, which opened in Minneapolis in 2016.
The Packers forced five turnovers and rushed for 328 yards in the two wins over the Vikings in 2019.
The Vikings finished in second place in the division at 10-6, earning the sixth seed in the NFC. They beat the New Orleans Saints on the road in the wildcard round and then lost to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in the divisional round. Zimmer’s team went through a makeover of sorts this offseason, with receiver Stefon Diggs, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive lineman Linval Joseph and cornerback Trae Waynes all departing.
Last year, the Packers opened the LaFleur era with a 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. This will be the first time since the NFL went to a divisional format in 1967 that the Packers have played a divisional opponent on the road in Week 1 in back-to-back years.
Week 1 games in the NFL may need modification as the start of the regular season approaches and the country’s long-term response to the coronavirus comes into focus. Playing games without fans – a potential break for the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium – is a possibility.
