NFL, Packers Release 2017 Regular Season Schedule

Despite leaks from reports throughout the day, giving some of those on social media already an idea for where and when the Packers will face their 2017 opponents, the NFL officially released the 2017 regular season schedule.

The official release was aimed for Thursday at 8 p.m. EST, however, inside sources spewed several details pertaining to multiple teams — including the Packers.

 

Week 1: Sun., Sept. 10 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 3:25 p.m. (FOX)

Week 2: Sun., Sept. 17 @ ATLANTA FALCONS 7:30 p.m. (NBC)

Week 3: Sun., Sept. 24 CINCINNATI BENGALS (Gold Pkg.) 3:25 p.m. (CBS)

Week 4: Thu., Sept. 28 CHICAGO BEARS 7:25 p.m. (CBS/NFLN/Amazon)

Week 5: Sun., Oct. 8 @ DALLAS COWBOYS *3:25 p.m. (FOX)

Week 6: Sun., Oct. 15 @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS 12 p.m.(FOX)

Week 7: Sun., Oct. 22 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS *12 p.m. (FOX)

Week 8: Sun., Oct. 29 BYE

Week 9: Mon., Nov. 6 DETROIT LIONS (Gold Pkg.) 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Week 10: Sun., Nov. 12 @ CHICAGO BEARS *12 p.m. (FOX)

Week 11: Sun., Nov. 19 BALTIMORE RAVENS *12 p.m. (CBS)

Week 12: Sun., Nov. 26 @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS *7:30 p.m. (NBC)

Week 13: Sun., Dec. 3 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS *12 p.m. (FOX)

Week 14: Sun., Dec. 10 @ CLEVELAND BROWNS *12 p.m. (FOX)

Week 15: Sun., Dec. 17 @ CAROLINA PANTHERS *12 p.m. (FOX)

Week 16: Sat., Dec. 23 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 7:30 p.m. (NBC)

Week 17: Sun., Dec. 31 @ DETROIT LIONS *12 p.m. (FOX)

* Start time and broadcast may shift due to NFL flexible scheduling

 

In a four-year rotation, the Packers will face the AFC North much like they did in 2013. They welcomed Pittsburgh and Cleveland to Green Bay and went on the road to Baltimore and Cincinnati. Now, the tables will flip and give the Packers two home games against the Ravens and Bengals, as well as pitting them in road matchups against the Steelers and Browns.

The Packers will also get a much-needed week eight bye week. Important for a team who dealt with the aftermath of an early week four bye week a season ago, giving them a full 16-game schedule from the week they returned from their bye through the NFC Championship. It helped attribute to the Packers being one of the most bruised and battered teams in the league. The Packers have had five post-week seven bye weeks since 2005.

The first game of the season against the Seahawks serves as the first home-opening game for the Packers since 2012, and the second season-opening game against the Seahawks since 2014. It makes the fourth time in the last six years that the Packers will open their season against an NFC West team. It's also just the second time since 2007 that the Packers have opened their season at home during the day.

The Packers will also get the Bears in prime time at Lambeau Field for the seventh year in a row and on a Thursday night for the third year in a row. Clearly, the rivalry between the two hasn't lost its edge. It's unknown whether or not that'll be a Color Rush game.

After the Packers play the Bears in week four, they'll have 10 days of rest before their NFC Divisional round rematch against the Cowboys. They'll also have another 15 days of rest thanks to their bye week after they face the Saints at home in week seven. When they return to action, they'll be up against the Lions at home in front of a nationally televised audience on Monday Night Football.

Another 2016 playoff opponent is set to welcome the Packers into town. They'll travel to Atlanta to face a Falcons team that dismantled them in last year's NFC title game. It'll also be the first game played in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Packers played the final game in the Georgia Dome and they'll play the first game in the Falcons' new home.

Four of the five December games for the Packers may have monumental NFC playoff implications. They'll face Tampa Bay and Minnesota at home and hit the road for Carolina and Detroit in week 17 during that span. Luckily, Aaron Rodgers is still the quarterback in Green Bay, and he's sporting a 102.6 passer rating for his career in the month of December.

__________________________

Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].

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Comments (32)

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vj_ostrowski's picture

April 20, 2017 at 07:43 pm

looks like 16 W's to me

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EdsLaces's picture

April 20, 2017 at 07:43 pm

Smashing the Seahawks straight out the gate I like it!

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ironman3169's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:50 pm

Wonder what Eddie Lacy is going to do to us.

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NickPerry's picture

April 20, 2017 at 08:09 pm

Only part I'm not excited about is 3 of the last 4 on the road, opening Atlanta's new stadium, and playing late in November on that God awful Heinz Field.

At least we don't have the 3 road games in a row this year. All in all a pretty good schedule.

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RCPackerFan's picture

April 21, 2017 at 07:14 am

Exactly..

Also don't forget they had 4 away games in a row at the beginning of the year with 2 preseason road games.

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chugwater's picture

April 20, 2017 at 08:26 pm

Everything is winnable.

I think we have Seattle's number. They don't scare me anymore. That O line is still awful. Even if they draft rookies to bolster it.

Atlanta...err, that's iffy. The upside is that we shouldn't be the MASH unit we were at the end of last year. Gunter, Rollins, and/or Randle should mature a little. Third year is a charm right? TT will draft pass rush edge help.

We get hot at the end of the year. Gimme Rodgers at Heinz Field avenging his only loss to BIg Ben back in 2009.

12-4. Number 2 seed in NFC.

I'm calling it now.

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croatpackfan's picture

April 21, 2017 at 05:50 am

It is not Randle, it is Randall!

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Bearmeat's picture

April 20, 2017 at 08:34 pm

Love the mid year bye. Love the extra time off before the Cowboys game. Hate the trip to ATL to open their stadium. Don't like being @ PIT so late on that awful field either. Injuries scare me there.

Other than that, it's doable. Not a rough a trip as last year anyways.

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NickPerry's picture

April 21, 2017 at 05:28 am

It's still ranked as one of the worst playing surfaces in the NFL.

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ironman3169's picture

April 21, 2017 at 02:40 pm

I wonder if they are proud of that fact or embarrassed.

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EdsLaces's picture

April 20, 2017 at 08:54 pm

Question is ....do I take my kid to his first game for an easy W against Cleveland....or do i roll the dice n go to Pitt?

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ironman3169's picture

April 21, 2017 at 02:40 pm

Pittsburgh

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ShawnO's picture

April 20, 2017 at 08:55 pm

Looks tough, then again it always seems tough to me at this time of year.

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Rossonero's picture

April 20, 2017 at 09:05 pm

It's too early to tell how these match-ups will evolve, but when is the schedule ever easy? I'm thrilled we have a week 8 bye. I was furious at the week 4 bye week last year. Playing playoff teams like the Seahawks, Cowboys, Falcons, etc. will give us a good barometer of who this team truly will become.

The mini bye week before Dallas is key. Otherwise, I'm a fan of the schedule. I just want this team, for ONCE, to be more healthy than it has been in past years. And McCarthy -- please no more Saturday practices!!

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snowdog's picture

April 21, 2017 at 12:17 pm

I believe a short pads and shorts practice keeps them able to focus on what they prepared for during the week .

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MarkinMadison's picture

April 20, 2017 at 10:44 pm

Seattle, Atlanta and the Cowboys in three of the first five weeks is a fairly stiff test, especially since the Packers tend to start slow.

It will be interesting to see how good the Bucs are in December.

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GoldenRetriever's picture

April 20, 2017 at 10:44 pm

The Gold Package ticket holders get the Lions again. Very disappointing.

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croatpackfan's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:54 am

13-3

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 21, 2017 at 06:16 am

Home games 4 days apart? Wow. I'll be back for the Bengals (gold package game), so I'll be tempted to stay for the Bears as well. Probably an expensive ticket, but late September should be a wonderful time to be in Wisconsin. The risk of a Packer OD is high. Badgers on the 30th in Camp Randall. I smell ROAD TRIP!!!

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RCPackerFan's picture

April 21, 2017 at 06:55 am

These are biggest things I look at when looking at the schedule.
-First is when is their bye.
-Next is Thursday Night games and Thanksgiving day games.
-After that how many home/away games do they have in a row. For example this year they don't have more then 2 games at home or away in a row. They do play their final 3 of 4 games of the year on the road.

Overall, This years schedule is much better then last year. Last year including preseason they played 4 games on the road in a row. Then had another 3 game stretch away from home plus the early bye week.

This year the bye week is much better!

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

April 21, 2017 at 09:17 am

Looks like a challenging start to the season. Good motivation for everyone to be perpared to begin the season this season.

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erkaftan's picture

April 21, 2017 at 10:26 am

Can we just please get rid of TNF. It's obviously a failed experiment at this point.

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marpag1's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:06 pm

“Son, we live in a world that has football, and those football games have to be played on Thursday night. Who's gonna do it? You? Jersey Al Bracco? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for your Thursday family night, and you curse the NFL. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That the loss of your Thursday night, while tragic, probably earns millions for NFL owners. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, earns millions of dollars. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you WANT football on Thursday nights, YOU NEED football on Thursday nights. We use words like “defending the shield” and “the integrity of the game.” We use these words as the backbone of a life spent bilking fans out of their hard-earned income. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain Thursday Night Football to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the high quality NFL entertainment that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said ‘thank you,’ and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a football, and play the games yourself. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”

--- Colonel Roger Goodell

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ironman3169's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:55 pm

HOLY SH-T!!! That was AWESOME!!!

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 21, 2017 at 04:51 pm

Bravo Marpag...best ever!

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marpag1's picture

April 21, 2017 at 12:50 pm

I'm an optimist at heart, and who the heck knows what will happen during the regular season... but my gut feeling? This is pretty brutal....

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dobber's picture

April 21, 2017 at 01:35 pm

I agree...I see what could be a 2-5 or 3-4 start...

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Spock's picture

April 21, 2017 at 12:59 pm

I think the mid-season bye week is huge. Let's face it, losing our number one corner in week one and the early bye week plus all the injuries in a marathon 16 week (after the bye) season contributed IMHO to the defensive downfall a LOT! I fully expect the defense to be MUCH better this year. Of course, a strong defensive draft will make that more doable. :) I'm really looking forward to talking about who's actually on the team instead of all the pre-draft speculation. I know I'm in a minority here, but I HATE all the pre-draft speculation. In the end none of it really matters and it's only AFTER the draft that I enjoy the off season. I suppose it's because I don't follow college football so I have no idea who any of the players discussed are. I really enjoy watching all the tape/info on the players AFTER the draft. I'm just now getting fired up about next week!!!

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ironman3169's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:58 pm

I stand with you and the minority in detesting pre-draft speculation. I truly wish there was something else to talk about.

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:04 pm

So, this may not be the place for this but I have 4 gold package tickets to the Detroit game November 6. 11th row, 43 yard line, right behind the Packer wives and bench. Best seats in the house. Anyone want to trade straight up for 4 (non nose bleed) seats to the Bears on Sept. 28?

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tm_inter's picture

April 21, 2017 at 03:31 pm

The last Sunday of the year is December 30, not December 31.

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al bundy's picture

April 22, 2017 at 09:00 am

Looks like a challenging year again. A lot of top contenders this year. Heck if you went 8-8 or better with this schedule, you had a very decent year.
Right now I'd eval the pack as competitive but unless TED t beefs up the pass d and rush in the draft it could be a tough year. Next week will tell a lot.

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