- REWATCH: Commanders-Packers replay on NFL+ Premium
- READ: Packers WR Reed likely to miss 6-8 weeks with broken collarbone
- READ: Commanders RB Ekeler believed to have torn Achilles
- READ: Parsons hoping for more snaps: ‘Can’t hold a dog back’
- READ: WAS O has worst output of Daniels era in loss to Packers
- Parsons powers Packers’ terrific defensive effort. Micah Parsons was even more impactful in his second Packers game, consistently disrupting the timing of the Commanders offense, which didn’t get anything going until midway through the second half. A quick glance at his relatively meager stats (two tackles, 0.5 sacks) tells nothing of his dominance, drawing three flags (one declined) and giving the Commanders’ tackles fits. This seemed -- just like in Week 1 -- to light a fire under the rest of the Green Bay defense, which suddenly looks like one of the league’s most feared. Rashan Gary, Devonte Wyatt and Edgerrin Cooper were all highly active and disruptive. It wasn’t perfect, as Quay Walker missed a tackle and Nate Hobbs had a late holding call, but the Packers consistently shut the Commanders down and got two fourth-down stops late. Yes, Parsons’ impact has been undeniable, but the rest of this unit also deserves respect.
- Commanders offense looked tepid at best. Through two games, the Commanders have lacked consistent production and explosiveness. The Packers defense appears legitimate, but Washington’s inability to move the ball readily until late in the game was a curious sight. The Commanders didn’t turn the ball over technically, but they had far too many empty possessions -- four punts, two missed field-goal tries and two turnovers on downs. Watching Dan Quinn take the ball out of Jayden Daniels' hands at the end of the first half on fourth-and-4 to try a 58-yard field goal -- with three timeouts and 14 seconds left -- was curious. Daniels was under fire much of the game, pressured 21 times and sacked four times. Deebo Samuel had a long kickoff return and scored a touchdown in garbage time, but he and Terry McLaurin were bottled up early. Washington all but abandoned the run in the second half, outside of short yardage and Daniels scrambles. He threw for only 200 yards on 42 attempts and never made a dent in the game with his legs.
- Packers offense left points on the board, but potential is there. The Packers led five scoring drives, rang up 404 yards of offense and put the game out of reach with touchdown and field-goal drives in the fourth quarter. Tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave combined for 156 yards, with Kraft quickly becoming one of the league's best. But the Packers also left points on the board with a red-zone turnover on downs, a TD called back and a missed field goal. Jordan Love had some misses, and Matt LaFleur -- perhaps wanting the field-goal team to come on -- appeared angry after the early failed fourth down, one of two big-play misses by Love to Matthew Golden. But Love was mostly good, even with the injury to wide receiver Jayden Reed in the first half, hitting some big throws and converting one emphatic first-down run. It was good, not great. This offense isn’t quite there yet, and the injuries are piling up, but there were more positives than negatives Thursday.
- Commanders suffered some big injuries. Late in the game, with the Packers up comfortably, running back Austin Ekeler started to run and suffered a non-contact Achilles injury. That’s not good for an older running back, and it puts more pressure on rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt to perform. Another serious-looking injury hit the defense in the first half, with Deatrich Wise’s lower leg being rolled up on following a Packers extra point. Wide receiver Noah Brown suffered a groin injury, being ruled out quickly after leaving the game, and cornerback Jonathan Jones and offensive tackle Brandon Coleman also got hurt -- though Coleman returned -- making it a tough night all around for the Commanders. To add insult to injury, they missed two field-goal tries from 50-plus yards, which harkened back to their long-distance issues from last season. They have the mini-bye to rest up for the Raiders, but the severity of a few of those injuries suggest the Commanders will have to patch some holes.
- Packers’ patchwork offensive line survived but struggled at times. Green Bay entered Thursday night without starting right tackle Zach Tom or left guard Aaron Banks, and the effect was felt. Rookie Anthony Belton, who played the final three snaps of the Week 1 win over Detroit, started in Tom’s place and was flagged for holding in the first half, wiping out a 39-yard TD to Jayden Reed (who was hurt on the play). He was replaced for the next two series by Darian Kinnard, but Belton would finish out the game. Overall, the Frankenstein O-line was up and down, missing some early run blocks and earning three total flags. Jordan Love faced some pressure and took two sacks, with Rasheed Walker struggling on a few reps. The run game also required some schemed-up touches to Matthew Golden and Savion Williams to beef up the per-carry production. For this offense to reach its full potential, it needs this unit to get closer to full health.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Commanders-Packers (via NFL Pro): Jordan Love's 37-yard pass to Malik Heath had a completion probability of 7.9%, the third-most improbable completion in the NFL since 2018. Love’s pass had an air distance of 51.2 yards, and Heath had a target separation of 1.5 yards and a sideline distance of minus-0.3 yards.
NFL Research: Josh Jacobs scored another rushing touchdown Thursday night, becoming the fourth player since 2000 to record a rushing TD in 11 consecutive games (including playoffs). Jacobs joins Hall Of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (12, 2004), Jonathan Taylor (11, 2001) and Priest Holmes (11, 2002) as the others to do so.
