GREEN BAY — The Green Bay Packers already know who they'll be playing in 2015. They also know where.
On Tuesday night, they'll find out when.
The NFL will announce its full 2015 regular-season schedule on Tuesday night, the league said Monday. The Packers already know their opponents based on the league's annual schedule formula and rotation.
Home:Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers.
Away:Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders.
Last week, the Packers' preseason schedule was released, although it was without exact dates for their road games at New England and at Pittsburgh and home games against Philadelphia and New Orleans. Those will be finalized as well
The Packers figure to receive their usual share of prime-time games, and their home games against the Cowboys, whom they beat in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, and the Seahawks, whom they lost to in the NFC Championship Game, are good bets to get prime-time treatment.
Their game at Denver could also be chosen for Sunday Night Football on NBC, Monday Night Football on ESPN or Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFL Network because it will mark only the second — and presumably last — time that Packers two-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Broncos five-time NFL MVP quarterback Petyon Manning face each other. Their only previous meeting was in 2008, when Rodgers was in his first season as the Packers' starter and Manning was still with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Packers also figure to get a prime-time game for the unveiling of quarterback Brett Favre's No. 4 on the north end-zone façade, and their home game against the archrival Chicago Bears would certainly be a logical choice. Favre had tentative plans to return to Lambeau Field each of the past two years for prime-time games against the Bears, but his camp pulled out of talks to come to the 2013 game (when Rodgers broke his collarbone) and he canceled his plans to come last year when Bart Starr's health problems were going to prevent the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former head coach from attending.
In addition, the Packers have played in Detroit on Thanksgiving virtually every other year since 2000. They played there in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
Jason Wilde wrote: