Late in the 2026 season, the Buffalo Bills will be heading to a place where it could get even colder than Western New York in the winter time; Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Bills will be going up against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 14.
When football in December comes around, that’s the time when a lot of teams will be looking to lock up a playoff seed to make a run at the Super Bowl. The Bills are expected to be in that race in the AFC, but they will need to take on a team that they only play against every four years.
Buffalo and Green Bay last met each other in 2022, where the Bills came out with a 27-17 win. However, the Packers look a lot more different now than they did back then. With that, we were able to speak with Freddie Boston who is the Site Expert at Lombardi Ave, covering the Packers, and Boston was able to give some insights about the Packers going into training camp and the 2026 season.
Packers insights gives Bills valuable information ahead of 2026
1.) First, what do Packers fans think about Matt LaFleur getting an extension despite another early playoff exit in 2025?
"It undoubtedly divided opinion, but it was the correct call. LaFleur only had a year remaining on his deal, so unless the Packers wanted to make a change, extending him and avoiding a lame-duck year made sense. And LaFleur deserves the benefit of the doubt. He absolutely needs to get this team beyond just clinching the No. 7 seed and suffering an early playoff exit, no question. The way they collapsed in big moments last season was concerning, but the positives outweigh the negatives."
"LaFleur is phenomenal with quarterbacks. He helped Aaron Rodgers double his MVP count. Jordan Love has become one of the NFC's top passers under LaFleur's guidance, and Malik Willis turned his career around in Green Bay. Wins are the ultimate currency in the NFL. LaFleur has a 76-40-1 record in seven seasons, taking the Packers into the playoffs six times. The pressure is on LaFleur to make a deep run, but retaining him was the correct call."
2.) What is the best move that you believe the Packers made this offseason (whether it was a gain or loss) and why?
"After the excitement of the Micah Parsons trade last summer, it has been a relatively quiet offseason. The Packers mostly stayed out of the free agency frenzy and only made six draft picks without a first-rounder. The best move was to strengthen the defensive line around Parsons. He'll miss around half of the regular season, but even when he returns, the Packers need to avoid becoming too one-dimensional on defense. It became Parsons-or-bust with the pass rush late last season."
"Javon Hargrave is a brilliant free-agency pickup, especially given the success he's previously enjoyed with Jonathan Gannon. The Packers also drafted defensive tackle Chris McClellan in the third round, who is already turning heads, and edge-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth. Parsons should have more help this season."
3.) How do you think the Packers defense will perform under Jonathan Gannon? In addition, Bobby Babich (who was Buffalo's DC the last two seasons) is now in Green Bay. Are there any insights about him amongst the fanbase on what he could bring?
"Packers fans didn't love the Gannon hire initially, which is understandable after his tough tenure as the head coach in Arizona. But his resume as a defensive coordinator is far more promising, particularly his work with pass-rushers. Hargrave enjoyed two of his best seasons under Gannon, as did Josh Sweat in Arizona last year. That should bode well for Lukas Van Ness, Dennis-Sutton, and eventually, Parsons once he's healthy."
"Packers fans will miss Jeff Hafley, who made a big impact and brought great energy to every press conference, but Gannon has the track record to help the defense improve. We haven't seen too much from Babich yet, but that will change at training camp. Packers fans have seen enough from a few video clips to love him. Babich will bring energy, and his arrival feels like a big one, especially given his experience and ability to communicate."
4.) What's an area of weakness that Green Bay still has going into this season?
"The Packers took steps to fix needs along the defensive line and at cornerback, but the offensive line remains a major concern. Aaron Banks had a disastrous debut season in Green Bay. He is still the starting left guard. Sean Rhyan is unproven at center, having shifted from guard midseason and making seven starts. He surprisingly landed a new deal in free agency. Anthony Belton had an up-and-down rookie year at right guard."
"Green Bay is banking on 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan becoming Rasheed Walker's successor at left tackle while hoping star right tackle Zach Tom is fully healthy after recovering from a partially torn patellar tendon. There are questions at all five positions."
5.) What do fans think about Christian Watson getting the huge contract extension that he got?
"I think there's a gulf in opinion on Christian Watson between Packers fans and non-Packers fans. Many who don't watch the Packers every week will look at Watson's underwhelming numbers or his injury history and draw conclusions. It's understandable, and Watson's massive extension probably caught many by surprise. But there's missing context just by looking at the numbers."
"For starters, many of Watson's recurring soft-tissue injury issues are in the past thanks to the work he put in with specialists. As for his impact on the field, it goes far beyond his statistics (although that improved dramatically last season). Watson's presence on the field changes the calculus for the entire offense. He has a truly rare combination of size, athleticism, and speed, making him a dangerous deep threat. His 17.5 yards per reception, which ranked No. 3 in the NFL last season, highlight this."
"On top of that, Watson played the best football of his career after returning from a torn ACL last season. He returned in Week 8 and played in 10 games, catching 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns. If you averaged his production over a full 17-game season, Watson was on pace for 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns."
Add us as a preferred source on Google