Tony Soprano once said that revenge is like serving cold cuts. Even if there is not bad blood between two teams or a team and a player, it’s natural to circle certain games on the schedule as one that means a little extra.
Last year, Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons was out for blood against the Dallas Cowboys, a team that unceremoniously traded him after a contract dispute. Instead of cold cuts, each team got a slice of bread in a 40-40 tie.
The Packers were looking to serve some cold cuts against the Detroit Lions, who knocked them off twice in 2024 en route to a division title. Two wins later, the Packers turned the Lions into a sub sandwich.
This year, revenge will come in a few different forms for the Packers. There are some games that are obvious, and others that require a look under the hood.
With all of that in mind, here are the best revenge games on Green Bay’s schedule, starting with the most obvious.
Green Bay vs. Chicago, Times Two
Aaron Rodgers once screamed into the crowd at Soldier Field that he owned the Chicago Bears. He was right. Rodgers was brilliant against Chicago, and the Packers rarely lost against their rivals south of the border.
With Caleb Williams under center, the Bears have won three of the last four matchups against the Packers, with Green Bay’s lone win in that timeframe coming in early December at Lambeau Field.
Since that time, the Bears have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat twice with some jaw-dropping plays from Williams and a significant choke job by the Packers.
Chicago won the first meeting at Soldier Field by recovering an onside kick that was botched by Romeo Doubs, a miscue that the Bears turned into a last-second touchdown pass from Williams to Jahdae Walker. Williams would finish the Packers off with a dart to D.J. Moore while getting drilled by Quay Walker to stun the Packers 22-16 and essentially clinch the NFC North.
The biggest piece of damage came just three weeks later. The Packers were in a similar situation. After talking all week about getting a chance at getting back at the Bears for stealing a game the Packers felt they should have won, they led 21-3 at halftime and 27-16 in the fourth quarter.
The result was the same. Following two late touchdown passes from Williams, the Bears inexplicably won a game the Packers felt they had in hand.
That same night, Chicago’s players and coaching staff poured gasoline on the fire while dousing it with some napalm.
Ben Johnson blew by Matt LaFleur for the postgame handshake before he exclaimed, “F*** the Packers, I f***ing hate them,” in a video that was released on social media. Williams used a cheese grater on Amazon’s postgame show to further rub salt in the wound.
For the first time in a very long time, Chicago has the upper hand in this rivalry. The Packers can change that quickly by finishing off both games this year, but they have to prove they can do that.
Of course, the NFL added more fuel to the fire this offseason by giving Green Bay a home game against the Bears in what could be Micah Parsons’ return from a torn ACL.
Their other matchup at Soldier Field is a standalone game on Christmas, when plenty of eyeballs will be glued to what will happen in the next chapter of this rivalry.
There is no question, however, the Packers need to get their measure of revenge if they want to win the NFC North. Losing to Chicago was a big reason they did not do so in 2025. Losing to Detroit was a big reason they didn’t win the division in 2023.
The Packers have to get back to being dominant in the NFC North, and that starts with knocking off the team who knocked them out of the playoffs in 2025.
Rashan Gary vs. Green Bay
Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy (9) evades a sack by Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
One player who likely has the Packers circled on his calendar is former defensive end Rashan Gary. Gary was supposed to be the star and leader of the team’s defensive line in 2025. He was voted a team captain before the season started, but he ceded control of the room in stature and leadership capacity to Micah Parsons after he was acquired.
Early in the season, Gary was a bit of a forgotten man on Green Bay’s defensive line with all of the attention going to Parsons, despite Gary piling up 7.5 sacks in the first seven games.
Gary finished the season with those 7.5 sacks, with his snap count declining along with the production.
The Packers traded him this offseason after a bizarre goodbye post in which his people said his social media sites were hacked.
There has always been some extra juice when these teams meet, thanks to the 1990s Packers beating their head against the great wall of Dallas which often stood in their way of Super Bowl glory.
That continued in the 2010s, when the Cowboys were on the other side of those issues as Aaron Rodgers knocked them out. Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur notched their lone playoff win together against the Cowboys in January 2024.
Now, with Parsons on one side after a very public divorce and Gary on the other, there’s little doubt Gary will want to prove that he could have been one of the star players on Green Bay’s defense.
Beyond that, Gary was traded for a pick in the 2027 draft, which is not as good as being traded for a pick in this year’s draft. Gary knows that. He knows what that implies. He’ll want to prove to the Packers that he’s still able to play.
Romeo Doubs vs. Green Bay
Romeo Doubs says he has no bad feelings toward Green Bay. He is probably being truthful. The Packers and Doubs had a mutually respectful relationship before he signed with the New England Patriots in free agency.
The reality remains that Doubs has to know the Packers chose to sign Jayden Reed and likely Christian Watson instead of him.
Even if it’s just for his personal satisfaction, Doubs likely has this game circled on his calendar.
He could have an opportunity for a big day against a Green Bay secondary that has more questions than answers.
Sean McVay vs. Matt LaFleur
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay greets Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur following the game at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Sean McVay has accomplished almost anything a coach can in the NFL. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s coached in two. He’s been to the Super Bowl with two different quarterbacks. He’s been the NFL Coach of the Year. He’s widely regarded as one of the best coaches in all of football, even surpassing his mentor, Kyle Shanahan.
There’s just one thing he has not done. McVay has never beaten Matt LaFleur since LaFleur became Green Bay’s coach in 2019.
The Packers have won four regular-season matchups and one postseason matchup, which came after the 2020 season at Lambeau Field.
For all but one of those matchups, the two teams were on equal footing. The only exception came at Lambeau Field in 2022, where the Packers were fighting for their playoff lives as the Rams were playing out the string of a lost season.
Otherwise, the two have always been in the thick of the playoff race, and this year should be no exception.
The Rams are likely at the end of their window as Matthew Stafford is year-to-year at this stage of his career.
The Rams’ roster is as good as it gets in the NFL, but Green Bay has a claim for a top roster in the NFL when they are healthy as well.
McVay and LaFleur have a good relationship, but there’s little doubt that McVay wants to get on the scoreboard against one of his former understudies.
Honorable MentionThe Lions will be looking for revenge after the Packers swept them all the way to last place in the NFC North.The Packers will be looking for revenge against the Panthers, who upset them last season at Lambeau. Carolina’s left tackle is Rasheed Walker, who the Packers had no interest in re-signing.New Packers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave was released by the Vikings this offseason. “I definitely look forward to the game.”
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