Jordan Love Enters MVP Conversation as Packers Prep to Open Season at Rival Minnesota
Matt LaFleur's eighth season opens the same way plenty of Packers seasons have — on the road at a division rival — but with real MVP-level expectations attached to his quarterback for the first time.
Jordan Love, 27, is being mentioned among the NFL's early MVP candidates heading into 2026, a real marker of how far his standing has risen entering his fifth year as Green Bay's starter — he threw for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions in 2025. Tight end Tucker Kraft, 25, meanwhile, was named the league's No. 3 player on an expiring contract — a genuine extension decision the Packers will have to make this season with him as a focal point of the passing game. Green Bay opens shorthanded, with star pass rusher Micah Parsons and lead back Josh Jacobs both limited through camp and preseason.
"He was better than he got credit for last year."— Kay Adams, backing Jordan Love's MVP case
Not everyone thinks the MVP buzz translates to Sunday. The real question hanging over Love's case isn't whether he can put up MVP-caliber numbers — it's whether Green Bay's defense, already down Parsons, can keep games close enough for his stat line to matter. Our take: Love has earned the benefit of the doubt after a legitimately efficient 2025, but opening on the road against a Minnesota team that just added Kyler Murray at quarterback is a real gut-check, not a get-right game.
Useful next steps
Green Bay's actual season opens on the road, the same division-rival draw it's had before: Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings, the first time the Packers have opened on the road in Matt LaFleur's eighth season as head coach. With the 53-man roster locked in after Sunday's Shamrock Series game brought Notre Dame and Wisconsin to Lambeau Field, the Packers' real evaluation starts against a division opponent that's made its own major offseason move at quarterback.
Green Bay's road to Week 1
Notre Dame plays Wisconsin in the Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field, the last event there before the Packers' own season begins elsewhere.
Jordan Love enters early MVP conversations; Tucker Kraft named the NFL's No. 3 player on an expiring contract.
Packers open the season at the Minnesota Vikings, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, U.S. Bank Stadium.
An MVP-caliber quarterback, a pending extension decision at tight end, and a road trip to a division rival — Green Bay's real season starts the way it usually does.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Vikings -1.5 at home, per DraftKings and Covers.com Week 1 lines — the number has moved from Packers -1.5 at the open.
45.5 total points. We lean the under with the betting market itself showing 87% of total money on that side.
Jordan Love Over 234.5 passing yards (-110 range at most books). Expect Green Bay to lean on Love's arm early with Josh Jacobs limited in the backfield.
Odds referenced from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM lines as of this week; lines move, always confirm current odds before betting.
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Sources: Green Bay Packers, Yardbarker, NFL.com