The time is nearly here! Next week the Green Bay Packers report for the 2026 training camp, and so as always at this time of year, I've taken the liberty of polling the fan base for their opinions on the team heading into the fresh new season.

The entire point of doing the survey this early is that we know nothing yet -- we're going almost entirely based on vibes and on what the team did with its draft and free agency. And the vibes to end last season were... not great. The fanbase fractured over whether to retain Matt LaFleur, and the team lost to the BEARS in the playoffs. Sorry for remininding you.

So coming out of that disastrous end, are fans feeling optimistic or pessimistic? Do they see Super Bowl, or do they see bust? Let's take a look at the results of this year's survey.

The first question is the biggest "vibes" question of them all, and this is one of the more pessimistic years of this poll. Typically we've got more in the eight and up range, but the Packer fanbase responding to the poll seems a bit hesitant this year to get too excited. The sevens win out, which means people still feel fairly positive, but it's not some of the unbridled enthusiasm we've seen in recent years where the team felt fresh and there was a whole world of possibility in front of them. 

This question had answers all across the board. In order, the top answers were 11 wins, 10 wins, and 12 wins, in that order. Fourth place was 9 wins, and fifth place was 13 wins. A pretty even distribution here means people are rather split over what their expectations are, though it generally esems from these win totals that the vast majority of people expect the Packers to be a playoff team.

This answer wasn't particularly close; the overwhelming majority of respondents see the Los Angeles Rams as being the toughest matchup for the Packers this season. I see the logic here and voted for the Rams myself, but it's worth noting that the Lafleur-era Packers have generally had pretty good luck against the Rams. I'll be fascinated to see if what the Rams do on the field this season lives up to the hype of what people have projected for them in the offseason. Can Matthew Stafford's body hold up another year? Will Aaron Donald coming back make that big of a dfiference? There is, of course, the blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett, which is certain to heat things up on that side of the ball. This is a team with "dream team" hype that now needs to live up to it on the field. 

While an overwhelming majority of respondents see the Packers getting to the playoffs, about half see an exit in the first two rounds. A plurality at 31.7 percent see the Packers as dipping out in the second round. For the starry eyed optimists out there: 18.2 percent see a Super Bowl championship in the future. 21.2 percent see the Packers at least making a push to the NFC Championship before falling short.

Not as many people in past years predict the Packers to win the division, but a healthy majority still believe the Packers will regain the division crown in 2026. They'll have to fend off foes in one of the NFL's toughest divisions to accomplish this feat.

While the upstart Bears might be getting more of the national hype, it seems Packer fans are a little more worried about the Lions having a resurgence in 2026. The majority of respondents who did NOT believe the Packers would win the division said it would be the Lions instead. A negligible portion of respondents thought the Vikings had it in them to capture a division title.

The Packers have lived by the offense for the better part of four decades, and fans don't expect that to change any time soon. Nearly two thirds of respondents believe the Packers will have an offense that ranks in the top 10 in the league, despite the potential issues with the running game if Josh Jacobs ends up being suspended in relation to the investigation into alleged domestic abuse in May. Jacobs has not been charged at this point and was released the day after his arrest.

It looks like fans are not as positive about the defense's abilities as they were last year. A new coordinator and an injury that will keep the team's best defensive player out for the start of the year will do that. Two thirds of respondents expect the Packers to be in the middle of the pack in defense this year. But if the team can stay healthy and get Micah Parsons back at the right time at full strength, look out.

There was a lot of discussion coming out of the season last year about whether the Packers would/should retain Matt LaFleur as head coach. I was one who was vocally against the team bringing him back. But they did, and now the team is entering its eighth season with LaFleur at the helm. About two thirds of respondents believe LaFleur will be the clear answer for the Packers moving forward when this season is done; while that is a clear majority, it's also not exactly a full-throated endorsement, because a sizable portion of the fanbase responding believes there will be some question at the end of the season as to whether he truly is the guy. We'll have to see how 2026 plays out.

Now we move on to our free response questions:

Which player will be the biggest (positive) surprise in 2026?

The most common responses were as follows:

1. Matthew Golden
2. Marshawn Lloyd (I did have to laugh at the one who said "Marshawn Lynch..." do they know something we don't??)
3. Jordan Morgan
4. Lukas Van Ness
5. Brandon Cisse

An interesting collection of players here. Three of them are former first round picks who have yet to live up to their draft stock (and yes, I'll give Golden a rookie pass here). All three need to quickly develop into real players if this team is going to be successful. One is this year's top pick, Cisse, who the team is counting on to be starter caliber immediately at a very thin cornerback position. One is a third-year running back who has played a total of three NFL games. 

Personally, count me as a skeptic that Lloyd will ever actually remain healthy enough to see significant playing time. My vote was Golden, because I think he's capable of being a star pretty quickly. Van Ness and Morgan blossoming would be amazing because the team needs them badly; but again, I'm not holding my breath based on what we've seen from them so far. 

Which player not named Jordan Love will be most vital to the team's success?

Here are the most common responses for this one:

1. Micah Parsons
2. Zach Tom
3. Tucker Kraft
4. Jordan Morgan
5. Edgerrin Cooper

This one surprised me a bit. While Parsons being at the top isn't a complete surprise, I figured the fact that he is going to be out for the first portion of the season might bump someone else up. Tom makes perfect sense as the Packers' best lineman, and Kraft coming back from injury as a lynchpin to this offense also makes a lot of sense. Morgan was a surprise, but the Packers definitely need him. Cooper is not a complete surprise here. But with very few mentions of Josh Jacobs and nowhere near as many as I expected for Christian Watson or Xavier McKinney, this list looked a bit different than what I'd have anticipated. 

Big shoutout to the one person who said "Daniel Whelan," in all caps. We love our punters.

What are you most looking forward to about this season?

Here are a few responses from people who wanted their name included (either CHTV user name or Twitter/BSKY handle):

-"Attending the Dolphins game on my birthday!" - SaucyJack

-"Matthew Golden's growth" - Bullsa21

-"Making the Lambeau Leap the best celebration in the NFL again" - @benlindemulder

-"Definitive Proof that this leadership is actually better than the outcomes to date. The talent is there, will the results be?  Will our OL and DL philosophies hold up to scrutiny and will the coaching as well? " - Coldworld

-"Seeing Jordan Love continue to prove doubters wrong" - @cameron.s101

-"The 2026 rookie class" - Packers 4 7

-"Jonathan Gannon's defense without Micah" - mikekania82

-"

1) More freedom given to J.Love. 2) Finish games better. 3) Stopping the opponents runnig between the tackles successfully." - Turophile

-"

Sweeping the North" - mrtundra

-"

To see if they can learn how to win games that are there for the taking" - Savage57

-"

Which way the season go's. For the first time in many seasons I don't know if this team will be really good, or bad enough to miss the playoffs." - Nick Perry

-"

Rewriting the narratives, and seeing Jordan Love establish himself as a no-doubt top 10 quarterback." - cartersemb

-"

Watching a should-be-win game get blown by a lethargic team with a questionable offensive game plan. *sigh* (it will happen at least once)" - @701Packer

-"

Beating the Bears twice!" - @daveruns365

-"

The defensive getting better each week and a decent Offensive Line" - Todd Krebs

-"Seeing it all come together!" - A_Lerxst_In_Packerland

-"LaFleur fired" - White92

-To see what the running game will look like." - C.T.H. Hulbott

-"To see if Micah Parsons can come back as strong as ever" - PackYLW

-"

Offense, offense, and some more offense." - Hesoder

-"Getting all the injured players back" - @kramer2.bsky.social

-"Pookie slinging the pigskin" - @22dropbear.bsky.social

-"Taking back the North" - @seanob.bsky.social

-"Love playing like an MVP" - @mmulter

-"Jordan Love finally getting the recognition he deserves as a top 5 NFL quarterback" - @kyle-heim04.bsky.social

-"Christian Watson being healthy" - @zaccarman

-"Watson, Reed, Golden, and Kraft playing together" - @grant_e_manley

-"Beer" - Ivan

-"It's the Packers." - @mayornaise.bsky.social

-"

Friends, family and football" - @clark414.bsky.social

-"

Jordan Love ascension into elite" - Kubs21

-"

Hopefully watching a fully healthy packer team" - Thomas_Wade97

-"

The new and exciting way Matt LaFleur will find to lose his final game as Green Bay's head coach in January." - @travis_mke.bsky.social

-"

A full season of Christian Watson opening up the offense and getting everyone opportunities." - @r2dave2

-"

Revenge tour, particularly against Chicago. I think they'll be out for blood especially if Kraft and Parsons are back healthy for those games." - @BBeezy489

-"

Seeing what the 2024 class can do. Jordan Morgan has a lot on his shoulders, and the Cooper-Bullard-Williams trio can help drive defensive success." - JakeNFLDraft

-"

Letting 10 air it out" - @kslice2

-Bitching on Bluesky" - @alextallitsch

-"

More aggressive play-calling" - Margagliotti

-"

Allowing Ben Johnson plenty of time to reflect on his behavior after humiliating the Bears twice." - LeotisHarris

BONUS: What teams will be playing in the Super Bowl?

The most common responses:

AFC: 
1. Bills
2. Texans
3. Broncos

NFC:
1. Rams
2. Packers
3. 49ers
 

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year's survey! A huge GO PACK GO to one and all, and I can't wait for the year that lies ahead.