GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jonathan Gannon cautioned reporters before he began answering questions at the podium on Tuesday.“I’m not in the mode of this right now, so excuse me if I don’t come off great,” he said.Tuesday is the primary game-planning day for coaches whose teams play on Sunday, and Gannon was in the middle of prepping for his first regular-season game as Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator.“Once we get back into the flow, I’ll be better,” he said.Can the Packers claim their first NFC North title since 2021?Matt SchneidmanMost coaches saunter off the podium after answering questions. Gannon zipped off the lectern when he was done. He had work to do, though that might not be as complicated as in other weeks since Gannon is intimately familiar with the Minnesota Vikings quarterback he’ll face in Week 1.“Kyler Murray, really good player,” said Gannon, who was Murray’s head coach in Arizona the last three seasons. “He’s in a really good offense with some elite players. Obviously, I’ve got nothing but love and respect for ‘K1.’ He’s competitive, he’s smart, can make all the throws and beat you with his legs, so big-time challenge.”Gannon knows everything about Murray. What he’s good at and what he isn’t. Perhaps more so the latter after the Cardinals benched their former franchise quarterback last season in favor of Jacoby Brissett. Gannon and Murray played a role in the Cardinals going 15-36 over the last three seasons, which is why both had to find new jobs during the offseason. Now they’ll meet at U.S. Bank Stadium after weeks of game planning against each other instead of with each other, but who has the advantage?“I’d say (Gannon) probably knows exactly what (Murray) likes and doesn’t like,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. “But again, it’s a different scheme, a different system. There’s 10 other guys out there, and I think that’s a pretty good supporting cast he’s got around him. There’s a lot of playmakers out there. I think their O-line is one of the better O-lines in the league, so they’ve got a lot of talent around him.”One would assume Gannon has a slight advantage over Murray because a quarterback’s skill set, tendencies and ticks are what they are, even if his supporting cast and play caller are different. On the flip side, Gannon’s core principles on defense may remain, but the personnel around him probably dictate how he goes about his business more than the pieces around Murray affect what he does.Don’t expect anyone in the Packers locker room to say that, though, even as Gannon shares his unique insight on Murray with his new team.“Yeah, he has, but I’m not going to display what he’s told us,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “He has major respect for Kyler and what he’s been able to do in this league. Obviously he’s a playmaker. You know that. He can extend plays with his feet, and we also know he can make the throws down the field, as well, so he’s been a good quarterback in this league, and we respect him.”Zach is backPackers standout right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele told The Athletic on Wednesday that he “definitely” expects to play on Sunday.LaFleur hadn’t answered questions about Bako-Bewele’s availability distinctly this week, and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Tuesday that the team didn’t know who would start on the offensive line in Minnesota, in part because of Bako-Bewele’s health.Green Bay’s best offensive lineman partially tore his patellar tendon Dec. 14, 2025, the same game in which edge rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Denver. Bako-Bewele, who missed the final four games of the regular season and playoffs, underwent offseason surgery and eased into action during training camp. He didn’t look quite like his normal dominant self, and a recent comment to reporters about his health and how he wasn’t exactly ready yet but would be by Week 1 cast doubt on social media.Bako-Bewele thought those reactions were over the top and, though he was limited in Wednesday’s practice, he plans to play the full game in Week 1.“I feel good about Sunday. I feel like I’m definitely gonna be out there,” he said. “I’m not gonna sit here and lie and say it’s been perfect (during camp). There’s been some ups and downs, but I think with where we’re at right now, yeah, I think I’m about as ready as I can feel to play a game … not gonna find out (until) we go out and play, but I feel good about where I’m at.“When I’m out there, I do expect to perform at an elite level.”Spreading the loadStenavich said Tuesday that the Packers will play running back by committee “for a little while.” Is that a commentary on how long they expect Josh Jacobs to be out? Perhaps, but it might be more telling that the Packers don’t sound married to having MarShawn Lloyd shoulder the workload of a feature back despite his standing as the de facto No. 1 running back with Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list.Lloyd has played in one game over his first two seasons because of a litany of injuries. Though he said he’s ready for any workload after not missing a single training camp practice, taking hits throughout a game is different than absorbing thuds on Ray Nitschke Field.“I thought he did a nice job this entire offseason kind of proving to us and himself that he could be out there (regularly), so hopefully we just keep improving and as the season rolls through, we’ll be seeing the best version of him,” Stenavich said of Lloyd. “I’m not going to say like X amount of touches or anything like that, but we definitely want to get him the ball. He does have explosive and playmaking ability.”Jordan Love hands off to Marshawn Lloyd during the Packers’ preseason game against the Broncos. (Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)If the Packers do play the running back position by committee, that means more touches for Chris Brooks. Primarily a situational third-down back who’s adept at pass protection, Brooks has 63 carries for 289 yards and a touchdown in two years with the Packers, with 24 catches for 160 yards.“I think he’s done a nice job,” LaFleur said. “I think you saw it last year. He got a lot of opps versus (the Vikings) in that Week 18 game, and I know he was out there, but all their starters were out there. So yeah, I’ve got a lot of confidence in Chris.”It’s unclear whether newly acquired running back Kaleb Johnson has learned enough to be active on Sunday, while practice squad running back Pierre Strong Jr. missed practice Wednesday with an undisclosed injury.More clarity on Jacobs’ legal situation may come Thursday morning, when his attorneys are scheduled to appear for his first court hearing at the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay.Injury updatesDefensive tackle Warren Brinson (calf) and linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (Achilles) were the only two members of the 53-man roster not practicing on Wednesday.The limited participants included Bako-Bewele (knee), left guard Aaron Banks (knee), defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (knee), left tackle Jordan Morgan (knee), edge Barryn Sorrell (foot) and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (ankle).