By Alistair
Two games into September and the Packers already look like a team with a plan. On a cool Thursday night at Lambeau Field, Green Bay handled the Washington Commanders 27-18, a win built on a clean quarterback performance, a breakout night from a second-year tight end, and a defense that never let the visitor’s offense breathe.
The result moves Green Bay to 2-0 for the first time since 2020, and both wins have come against last year’s playoff teams. Washington slips to 1-1 after spending most of the night digging out from an early hole it never quite escaped.
What decided Packers 27, Commanders 18
Jordan Love was steady and sharp. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, posting a 113.9 passer rating with no interceptions. He didn’t force throws, he trusted his reads, and he kept the offense on schedule. When Washington tightened up, he took the profit throws. When coverage busted, he hit the shot plays over the middle.
The star of the night, though, was Tucker Kraft. The second-year tight end turned six catches into a career-high 124 yards and his first 100-yard receiving game at any level. He found soft spots in zone, broke tackles after the catch, and capped it with the moment that sealed it — an 8-yard touchdown from Love with 8:57 left in the fourth quarter. That score stopped Washington’s push and pushed the margin to two possessions.
Green Bay did its best work early. The Packers scored touchdowns in each of the first two quarters and took a 14-3 lead into halftime. They added a field goal in the third quarter, then closed with 10 points in the fourth to ice it. The flow mattered: Washington needed long, clean drives just to stay close, and the Packers kept trimming time off the clock with efficient possessions.
On the other side, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels showed composure but had to play under stress all night. He went 24 of 42 for 200 yards and two touchdowns without a pick, a tidy line considering the circumstances. The problem was the constant heat. Green Bay sacked Daniels four times for 21 yards and moved him off his spot on many others. Washington managed only three points in its first seven possessions, and that slow start forced Daniels into obvious passing downs.
Washington’s run game never got traction. The Commanders finished with 51 yards on 19 carries. Austin Ekeler had 8 rushes for 17 yards. Daniels scrambled a bit for 17 yards on seven attempts, but nothing consistent showed up between the tackles. When your ground game stalls and the pass rush is humming, drives stall. That’s exactly what happened for most of the night.
Green Bay’s defense looks faster and deeper up front, and it showed. The front seven won the line of scrimmage and funneled the ball inside. The Packers have talked all offseason about finishing plays, not just getting close. Against Washington, they finished. Offseason additions, including the headline arrival of edge rusher Micah Parsons, have raised the ceiling of a group that’s already playing with an edge and limiting big plays.
The scoreboard told the story, but the details backed it up. The Packers racked up 404 total yards and spread the ball around. They didn’t need a ground-and-pound night; they just needed balance and clean pockets. Love delivered both. Washington’s defensive plan tried to squeeze early downs and make Love win in third-and-long. Instead, Green Bay stayed out of bad down-and-distance, used play-action to slow the rush, and let Kraft and the wideouts work the seams and in-breakers.
For Washington, the path was narrow from the start. When early drives yield field goals instead of touchdowns and the run game goes sideways, your quarterback has to be near-perfect. Daniels was calm, kept his eyes up, and threw two touchdown passes, but the constant hits and sacks took a toll on timing. He avoided the big mistake — no interceptions — yet the offense couldn’t string together enough explosive plays to flip the script.
Situationally, Green Bay owned the pivotal moments. Red-zone execution showed up on crafted calls for Kraft and quick-game concepts that fit Love’s rhythm. On defense, timely pressure on second down created third-and-long. Those are hidden yards that don’t pop in a box score but decide drives. Washington’s best stretch came in the fourth quarter when Daniels sped up the tempo and found some answers in the quick game, trimming the deficit to one possession, but the Packers’ response — the Love-to-Kraft touchdown — shut the door.
Another piece worth highlighting: Green Bay’s tackling. Too often early in seasons, missed tackles inflate opponents’ drives. The Packers rarely whiffed in space. Washington’s receivers had to earn every yard after the catch. That discipline is part coaching, part roster continuity, and part buy-in from young players who are now past the “first-time starter” stage.
It also helps when your quarterback takes care of the ball. Love protected possessions and managed the middle of the field, where many young quarterbacks get baited into turnovers. He didn’t stare down throws, and he used his checkdowns when Washington bailed out deep. That patience forced the Commanders to tackle for four quarters. Most defenses don’t love that job in the cold.
As for Green Bay’s offensive design, there was a clear plan to get the tight ends and backs into favorable matchups. Kraft made the headliners with chunk gains, but those yards happened because the Packers layered routes well and sold the run action just enough to freeze the linebackers. That half-step is the difference between a 6-yard catch and a 26-yarder up the seam.
Washington’s defense showed flashes. The Commanders kept the game within range late, tightened in the third quarter, and forced a couple of punts when they badly needed stops. The problem was the cumulative effect of losing early downs and tackling in space for four quarters. When your offense can’t give you a breather, the dam usually breaks. It did with under nine minutes left.
What it means for both teams
This is the kind of September win that travels. Green Bay has beaten two playoff teams from last season by two scores each, and it’s not because of fluky plays or turnovers. It’s structure. The offense has answers, the quarterback is in command, and the defense is playing fast with a deeper rush rotation. If this is the baseline, the NFC North race gets interesting in a hurry.
For Washington, there’s no reason to panic in Week 2, but the tape points to clear to-dos. Protect Daniels better on standard downs so he isn’t living in second-and-9. Find something on the ground that isn’t just a draw or a quarterback scramble. Get into rhythm earlier so you aren’t chasing a two-score game on the road. The encouraging piece is Daniels’ poise. He didn’t blink, even while getting hit. That counts in the long run.
One more note on Green Bay’s defense: the blend of speed and closing burst showed up. Pressure forces quick decisions, and quick decisions shrink playbooks. Washington had to ditch deeper-developing concepts and live in the short game, which Green Bay tackled well. That’s a winning formula in primetime, especially in front of a crowd that knows when to get loud on key downs.
Plenty of season left, sure. But through two weeks, the Packers have done exactly what good teams do — stack wins, play clean, and get better at the stuff that lasts into December: pass rush, third-down answers, and tackling. On a Thursday night that can get sloppy, Green Bay looked tidy and tough. That’s usually a sign of more good nights ahead.
