The Green Bay Packers will look to compete in the NFC North next season, but they’ll have to topple some giants to do it. The division is loaded heading into next season as the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings look to make a Super Bowl run. Even the Chicago Bears should be better next year as they brought in former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to pair with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
It creates a long road to contention for Green Bay and they’ll need a little help along the way. Fortunately, the NFL has stepped in and helped them out by screwing over their rivals across the Mississippi River and giving the Packers an advantage heading into next season.
NFL Screws Over Vikings With Back-to-Back International Games
The NFL announced their international slate on Monday morning and the Vikings heavily featured. Minnesota will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland in Week 4 next season, but they’ll also travel to London the following week to battle the Cleveland Browns.
Minnesota will become the first NFL team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries, facing the Steelers in the first-ever regular-season NFL game in Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Vikings then will travel to London, England, to play the… pic.twitter.com/449ZMm6xtL
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 13, 2025
It’s not all bad for Minnesota, who will be the road team in both games. But having two international games creates a ripple effect that could change the balance of power in the NFC North.
The most obvious one is the challenge of playing an international game. This will mark the third time in the past four years that the Vikings have played abroad. But while they’ve won all three, there are logistics of planning the trip, getting used to the time change and having two different routines could take a toll on a team.
The other is the playing surface. Packers fans may still be angry after Jordan Love injured his knee on the turf in Sāo Paulo, Brazil, in the season opener last season and it lingered into the first matchup with the Vikings, where he looked erratic and rusty in a 31-29 loss to Minnesota in Week 4. Having to play at soccer stadiums in back-to-back weeks could create more playing surface issues, especially when Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy missed all of last season with a knee injury.
Then there’s the issue with the bye week. Having a late bye week is beneficial for teams looking to make a playoff run. But the Vikings will likely have theirs in Week 6. Minnesota has the right to defer the bye until later in the season – as they did in 2022 – but it’s unlikely they would do that again after playing two games internationally.
It’s a situation that may have the Vikings fuming as they learn their schedule for next season. But Packers fans may get a good laugh knowing the NFL has already done them a favor.