After going a combined 0-6 against the Lions, Vikings and Eagles last season, the Green Bay Packers capped an impressive 2-0 start by beating the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last season, the Detroit Lions finished 15-2 and the Washington Commanders went 12-5. That’s a combined 27-7 to open the season for the Green Bay Packers, who went 0-6 against the NFC top teams in 2024.
After leveling the Lions on Sunday, they crushed the Commanders 27-18 on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.It was total domination statistically, even if it took awhile to secure the victory. After Green Bay’s defense forced a four-and-out and Brandon McManus drilled a 56-yard field goal to make it 27-10, it was 407-150 in yards. The Packers were in control for most of the first three quarters but led only 17-10 after Zach Ertz’s 20-yard touchdown catch with 13:45 to play.Starting at its 35, Jordan Love delivered the type of drive the big-time quarterbacks need to make. First, he hit Dontayvion Wicks for 11. Then, on third-and-6, he bought enough time for Tucker Kraft to get open for 8. Coach Matt LaFleur dug deep into the playbook. On second-and-8 from Washington’s 35, rookie receiver Savion Williams lined up as a wildcat quarterback, just like he did at TCU. Williams ran to the left, faked a reverse pitch to Love, got a block from left tackle Rasheed Walker and gained 16. Moments later, Love went play-action and found Kraft alone in the end zone for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead with 8:57 to play. Green Bay’s defense stopped Washington’s next possession, with Quay Walker’s blitz forcing a third-down incompletion and Keisean Nixon recording the fourth of his five pass breakups on fourth down.The Micah Parsons-fueled Packers defense had four sacks, 12 quarterback hits and eight passes defensed. Parsons had a half-sack and team-high three pressures. Offensively, Love was 19-of-31 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. His 113.9 passer rating was his second of better than 110 to start the season. Kraft had a huge night with six catches for 124 yards and one touchdown. Josh Jacobs had a hard-charging 83 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown. The Packers led 14-3 at halftime; it felt like it should have been a 21-point lead rather than only 11, though. Just like last week against the Lions, the Commanders won the toss and deferred. Unlike last week, Green Bay didn’t strike first. It should have, though. On fourth-and-3 from the 33, LaFleur turned down a 51-yard field-goal attempt and should have been rewarded with a touchdown. However, Love’s deep pass to Matthew Golden was underthrown and broken up. Washington went three-and-out – Rashan Gary and Parsons applied the pressure on third down – and Green Bay responded with a 96-yard touchdown drive. It was the Tucker Kraft Show. First, he turned a 1-yard pass into a gain of 15. Then, he was wide open over the middle for catch-and-run of 57 yards to Washington’s 20. Moments later, on third-and-9, Love ran over cornerback Trey Amos for a gain of 14, which set up Love’s 5-yard touchdown pass to wide-open Romeo Doubs. Green Bay made it 14-0 in the second quarter. Love overthrew Golden for what should have been a 92-yard touchdown. So, Green Bay methodically marched down the field. First, Malik Heath made a sensational catch at the sideline for 37. Next, Love hit Doubs, who was streaking across the middle of the field on a crossing route for 17. One play later, Kraft caught a 1-yard pass, tossed aside safety Will Harris and gained 17 to set up first-and-goal at the 7. Two plays later, Jacobs was in the end zone. Late in the half, with Washington trailing 14-3, Matt Gay missed a 58-yard field goal. That gave Green Bay the ball at Washington’s 48 with 14 seconds to go. A completion to Dontayvion Wicks and a run by Jacobs set up McManus for a 49-yard field goal on the final play of the half, but the reliable kicker drilled the upright.Green Bay led 17-3 midway through the third quarter. Deebo Samuel’s 50-yard return of the second-half kickoff had the Commanders practically in scoring position. But on third down, Cooper and Parsons combined to sack Daniels. Parson shot inside of right tackle Josh Conerly, drew a holding penalty and still was in on the sack. Like McManus at the end of the half, Gay plunked a 52-yard field-goal attempt off the upright. On the ensuing drive, Love completed passes of 23 and 9 yards to Luke Musgrave – the 9-yarder came on third-and-1 – and 19 yards to Kraft to make it first-and-goal at the 7. The drive stalled, though, and McManus kicked a 22-yard field goal.Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.
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