The Green Bay Packers likely knew who they were going to face in Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. However, now it is official. The Minnesota Vikings announced that they will start Kyler Murray, whom they acquired this offseason from the Arizona Cardinals.
Murray was in a competition with former first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy. However, the Michigan product was defeated before the preseason of his third season kicked off. Now, the team will move forward with Murray.
Minnesota Vikings Announce Kyler Murray Will Face Green Bay Packers In Week 1
GettyKyler Murray of the Vikings.
The matchup sets up an interesting dynamic between the starting quarterback and his opposing defensive coordinator. The Packers hired Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator after he was fired from the Cardinals.
So, the matchup will feature the Cardinals’ former head coach calling plays against the Cardinals’ former quarterback. The two might not be on the best of terms, either.
Gannon and Murray never quite were able to connect. During his first year under Gannon, he was returning from a torn ACL. He came back during the second half of the year, but the team went 3-5 in his starts. He was able to return the next season, but it looked like he was not quite the same.
The Cardinals went 8-9, and Murray was up and down throughout the year. Then, in 2025, the team was 2-3 with Murray when he suffered an injury. However, the team decided that when he was healthy, they would continue to start Jacob Brissett.
They were 2-3 with Murray and 1-11 without him.
However, whether it was injury, benching, or him straight up not being a fit, things did not work between the two. Murray was 13-17 as a starter when Gannon was his coach. To be fair, he was 25-31-1 when he was with Kliff Kingsbury, so not too much better.
Now, Murray is looking to prove that Gannon was the issue, while Gannon will look to expose the weaknesses he saw that flawed Murray.
Packers Have New Defense Ready for Vikings in Week 1
Gannon is not the only change, although the team does plan to show different looks in Week 1 that teams have not seen yet. The Packers also updated their personnel for the matchup.
Micah Parsons will miss the game, but reports are that Barryn Sorrell is ready to take a step. The Packers added Javon Hargrave in free agency and Chris McClellan in the draft on the interior defensive line.
At linebacker, they lost Quay Walker in free agency, but they added Zaire Franklin via a trade. Then, at cornerback, the question is who is going to start across from Keisean Nixon.
Carrington Valentine has a chance to return as the starter. At the same time, they could be starting rookie Brandon Cisse against the Vikings.
Overall, the team could have at least four new starters on the defense. Along with Gannon, it will be a unit that Murray and the Vikings have never seen before. This could give the Packers an advantage.
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