Packers caught major break from the NFL and schedule release should make it impossible to ignore
There are some advantages of playing closer to the East coast in the NFL, and the Packers will take full advantage of it in 2026.
The Green Bay Packers will be close to home a lot in 2026. A sequence of factors determined that they will be the third team with the fewest miles traveled throughout the regular season (12,673), just after the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
Big advantage for the season
The NFL will release its full regular season schedule on Thursday night. However, we already know the Packers’ slate of opponents and where those games will happen. For the Packers, there are some great updates: no international games, and nine games at Lambeau Field with just eight road games.
And yes, living close to the East coast is usually an advantage in these types of topics. However, some level of luck isn’t a bad idea. The New England Patriots, for example, are third in miles traveled with 27,590, just behind the San Francisco 49ers (with two international games, one of them in Australia) and the Houston Texans.
Miles traveled by NFC North teams in 2026
Data from Bill Speros
- Detroit Lions 18,958
- Minnesota Vikings 14,852
- Green Bay Packers 12,673
- Chicago Bears 10,676
The Packers will have eight road games this upcoming season: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams are the longest trip by a wide margin (almost 1,800 miles). Then, it’s the NFC South teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.
It’s not necessarily a definitive advantage for the Packers, but in a league so balanced, any type of advantage could become real help down the road.
After having international games in 2022 and 2024, Green Bay is enjoying once again a couple of seasons without the logistics nightmare of those long flights. Maybe things change next season, but that will be a problem for another day.