GREEN BAY – A 28-day stretch of prime-time road matchups will test the Packers during the middle portion of the franchise's historic 100th season.
Coming out of a Week 7 bye, the Packers will embark on road trips to Los Angeles to play the Rams (Oct. 28), New England (Nov. 4), Seattle (Nov. 15) and Minnesota (Nov. 25), with the latter three of those games all in prime time.
It's what could be called the crux of the Packers' 2018 schedule the NFL released on Thursday.
A Week 10 meeting with Miami at Lambeau Field breaks up the lengthy road stand and represents the Packers' only home game between Oct. 16 and Dec. 1. Green Bay faces a quick turnaround after hosting the Dolphins, traveling to play the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football four days later.
On the flip side, the Packers will see a lot of Lambeau Field during the first and final months of the regular season, playing three times at home in both September and December.
Green Bay will open its 100th season in prime time against Chicago on Sept. 9 at Lambeau Field before hosting Minnesota in a Week 2 noon matchup, the first time the Packers have opened the season with back-to-back home games against division opponents since 2003.
After traveling to Washington in Week 3, Green Bay closes the month of September with a noon game against the Buffalo Bills at Lambeau Field. It's the first time the Packers have played three of their first four games at home since 2012.
Green Bay's other prime-time game will take place on Oct. 15 when the Packers host the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Take a look at previous matchups between Green Bay and their upcoming regular-season opponents. Photos by AP, Evan Siegle, Corey Wilson and Matt Becker, packers.com
After opening Mercedes-Benz Stadium this past season, the Packers will host the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field on Dec. 9. It comes in the middle of Green Bay hosting three dome teams in December (Arizona on Dec. 2, Detroit on Dec. 30).
The Packers will host the Lions in this year's regular-season finale after wrapping up the previous two regular seasons in Detroit.
Other noteworthy tidbits:
- The Packers never play more than two consecutive games at home or on the road despite the midseason stretch of four road games in five weeks.
- The 2018 season marks the 13th consecutive season the Packers and Bears will play a prime-time game and the eighth consecutive year the Packers host the Bears in prime time at Lambeau Field.
- The Packers' Week 11 game in Seattle ends a three-year stretch of the Packers' annual Thursday night contest coming against the Bears.
- The Packers will not play on Thanksgiving Day for the third consecutive season, the first time that's happened since 2004-06.
- In Week 8, the Packers will play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time since a 29-16 win over the Raiders on Nov. 11, 1990.
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