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The Green Bay Packers‘ social-media team employed the acting talents of running back Josh Jacobs — and other Packers celebrities along the way — to engineer this year’s schedule-release video, going inside a Jacobs dream to plot out the dates of the games.
It was … weird! But fun?
It’s part of a recent trend in which NFL teams try to outdo their brethren with the most buzzy viral video announcing the team’s schedule. The videos are often filled with tricks of animation, parody and a litany of inside references. It’s become the NFL social-media Super Bowl.
Former Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari, who has been playfully critical of the team’s social-media substance in the past, applauded the video. But how well did the Packers do relative to other teams?
With the trend comes rankings. How did national sites grade the Packers’ performance in the viral-media sphere this year? Here’s a sampling:
Sports Illustrated gave the Packers a top-10 acknowledgment
Tyler Lauletta of Sports Illustrated put together his list of 10 best, and the Packers made the cut at No. 9.
“Many of the best schedule release videos lean towards absurdism, and the Packers’ 2025 effort fits the bill, taking fans into the REM sleep cycle of running back Josh Jacobs as he flickers through the subconscious reality of his dreams,” Lauletta wrote.
“When it comes to making linear sense, this video is not necessarily interested, and that is for the best. It is a big swing, and it ends with a cameo from Lil Wayne. What more could you want?”
Other sites regarded the Packers video as, well, middle of the pack
For Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic, it ranked 18th.
“Full disclosure: I was quite confused after my first watch. The Packers take us inside RB Josh Jacobs’ dream (maybe nightmare?) as he searches for the schedule. There’s star power, a mix of current and former Packers players and a whole lot of weirdness.”
Des Bieler of The Washington Post put the Packers in his “middle tier.”
“They went for it in admirable, if not always coherent, fashion with running back Josh Jacobs slipping into a surrealistic fever dream. Green Bay fans are far more likely than most to get all the Pack-centric references.”
Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports gave it a positive grade, giving it a “Yes.”
“Quite psychedelic here, as Packers running back Josh Jacobs goes through a weird dreamscape to find the lost schedule, and is eventually awakened by Lil Wayne. At least it’s different, and there are actually some funny moments.”
Some ranked the Packers close to the bottom of the league
Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY ranked the Packers 21st in the league.
“As horrifying as it is, everyone’s had these types of fever dreams before,” he wrote.
Austin Nivison of CBS Sports ranked the Packers 27th out of 32.
“If you like absurdism, this one is for you. Getting to see Mark Murphy to say, ‘Get the F off my field,’ was the highlight of the whole thing,” he wrote.
Which NFL team had the best schedule-release video?
The Los Angeles Chargers’ Minecraft-themed video got the top ranking from USA TODAY, Sports Illustrated and The Athletic:
should we REALLY make our schedule release video in minecraft?
yes yes yesyes
yesyes yes yes yes
yes yes yes yes yes
yes yesyes yes yes
yes yesye yes yes
yes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/gxk31Dql5L
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 15, 2025
The Seattle Seahawks’ action-figures video got the top spot from CBS Sports and the Washington Post:
Unbox the action. The Seahawks 50th Season schedule is here.
Tickets sold separately » https://t.co/FLbcSFUCKS
Disclaimer: Powdered soap not meant for human consumption. Please consult local fire department before playtime. No protein was harmed in the making of this video.… pic.twitter.com/2GdRk7TZpZ
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 15, 2025
Athlon Sports “yes” list included the Seahawks and Chargers along with the Packers, as well as the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons.