The Green Bay Packers enter training camp with questions surrounding the health of their best defensive player and the way last season ended.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr sees a different possibility taking shape.
He believes quarterback Jordan Love can open the 2026 season on a “monster run,” supported by an early schedule that could give Green Bay time to establish confidence while Micah Parsons works toward his return.
Orr included the Packers among 14 teams he believes can win Super Bowl LXI.
His case centers on Love’s underlying performance last season and a four-game opening stretch against Minnesota, the Jets, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
That schedule sequence could gives Love an immediate chance to build trust and notch wins for Green Bay.
Love’s 2025 Season Offered Encouraging Signs
GettyJordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates a run against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on September 11, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Love’s season didn’t always feel smooth.
The Packers finished with several narrow losses, and their playoff defeat included a damaging fourth quarter that ended their season before the divisional round.
The quarterback’s full body of work offered more encouragement.
Love completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions during the regular season. The completion rate and interception total were career bests across his three seasons as Green Bay’s starter.
Orr wrote that Love also posted the lowest bad-throw percentage and highest on-target percentage of his career over a full-season sample.
He ranked third in down-to-down efficiency, trailing only Drake Maye and Brock Purdy, while his completion percentage over expectation finished above Josh Allen’s.
Those numbers pushed back against the idea that Love’s aggressive style creates more instability than production.
Orr described the 2025 season as a “narrative buster” for a quarterback whose movement and willingness to take chances can occasionally make the offense appear more erratic than it is.
Green Bay now needs the efficient version of Love to show up earlier and remain steady through the fall.
The Packers were blown out only once last season but finished with five one-score losses and a tie, so a more polished start gives them room to avoid the difficult path that followed them into the postseason.
Packers’ Schedule Could Provide Ideal Runway
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 12: Zach Tom #50, Jordan Morgan #77, Elgton Jenkins #74, Rasheed Walker #63, and Aaron Banks #65 of the Green Bay Packers look on against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field on October 12, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Green Bay is expected to be favored in each of its first four games, beginning with the Minnesota Vikings before matchups against the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The opening month offers no guarantees, but if Love can build rhythm before the schedule tightens, the Packers can collect early wins without immediately needing their defense at full strength.
This scenario is needed because Parsons is continuing his recovery from a torn ACL suffered late last season.
Parsons is following the medical staff’s nine-month rule after undergoing reconstructive surgery on Dec. 29, with the procedure also including a meniscus cleanup.
The former Dallas Cowboys superstar said he was “extremely happy” with the progress of his rehabilitation.
Green Bay still has little reason to rush a player who recorded 12.5 sacks in 14 games and earned first-team All-Pro honors during his first season with the organization.
A noteworthy opening stretch from Love could make that patience easier.
Orr’s projection places the responsibility on Green Bay’s quarterback while recognizing the larger vision of the season.
All things considered, Love has already shown he can guide Green Bay through a late-season surge.
Now, he needs to begin one in September.
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