GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tucker Kraft was running down the seam. Bobby Wagner was hopelessly chasing him, frantically pointing to a safety that didn’t exist.
Jordan Love saw the mismatch—and the breakdown in coverage—and hit Kraft for a 57-yard gain, setting up Green Bay’s first touchdown in the Packers’ 27–18 win over the Commanders on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.
It was emblematic of the game when the NFL’s youngest, and perhaps best, team served notice against the league’s oldest unit.
“I love this team, this locker room,” said coach Matt LaFleur. “We’ve got great character guys. They care. And they’re going to be hard on themselves. I know it.”
Perhaps LaFleur knows the Green Bay lore, which says this is destined to be a Super season. Bart Starr won a championship when he was 27 years old. Brett Favre did the same in 1996. Aaron Rodgers matched the feat in the 2010 season. Love? He turns 27 on Nov. 2.
So far, the magic is evident in Green Bay. Through two weeks, the Packers have destroyed two teams that reached the divisional round and NFC title game, respectively. In the aggregate, Green Bay outscored the Lions and Commanders 54–16, excluding garbage time. The Packers also have eight sacks with four in each win, with Rashan Gary already having 2.5.
“Two weeks in, we’ve been able to execute the game plan in terms of rush lanes, understanding what types of quarterbacks we’re going against and understanding what types of running backs and receivers these teams have had over the past two weeks,” Gary says. “And once again, communication. Communication solves everything. We are all wrong or all right at the same time. If guys have an inkling that they can win a one-on-one that they have, just communicating so we can cover or watch out in case [the quarterback] does scramble.”
To Gary’s point, Jayden Daniels has started and finished 21 games, including in the playoffs, in the NFL. The Packers held him to 17 rushing yards, the fewest of his career.
After playing 30 snaps in Green Bay’s Week 1 win over the Lions, Micah Parsons saw action on 43 snaps four days later and showed why the Packers gleefully surrendered defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks for the All-Pro.
Parsons not only notched a half-sack, giving him 1.5 on the season, but also registered nine pressures and a team-high three quarterback hits while lining up over both tackles and both guards. Additionally, Parsons drew three penalties committed against him including holding (declined), hands to the face and a false start. Throughout the game, Washington attempted to single-block, double-team, slide protection and chip Parsons with a running back. Nothing helped.
Parsons’s imprint was everywhere, but even when he wasn’t on the field, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley had counterpart Kliff Kingsbury and his offensive line guessing all night with a dizzying array of simulated pressures and full-on blitzes, causing confusion along the front.
When Parsons was a spectator, Green Bay still held Daniels to 62 passing yards on 5.6 yards per attempt with three sacks. Overall, Washington averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per play while gaining just 15 yards and 2.5 yards per carry on designed runs with Parsons on the sideline.
“Relentless,” said LaFleur when asked to describe his defense. “Just physical, aggressive, attacking. The play style is exactly what we want from these guys. And it always starts with the energy and effort. That’s going to get you through and overcome some of the mistakes. I think our front is extremely disruptive getting after the quarterback. … I think [Hafley] has done a hell of a job. I think our players are doing a great job, feeding off one another. It’s definitely exciting to watch our defense go out there and perform.”
Offensively, Love did whatever he wanted, throwing for 292 yards and 9.4 yards per attempt with two touchdowns. It was also a banner night for Kraft, who set a single-game personal best with 124 receiving yards on six catches with a touchdown. Three other pass-catchers had at least three receptions including Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs and Chris Brooks.
The passing game should also only get better. On Thursday, the Packers were without their best offensive lineman in right tackle Zach Tom (quad) while their $77 million guard in Aaron Banks was also out (groin/ankle). Receiver Jayden Reed was also lost in the first quarter with a shoulder injury while Christian Watson is still rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 of last season. Unfortunately, the team will be without Jayden Reed for a prolonged absence, after the third-year wideout broke his collarbone in the first quarter.
But eventually Reed and Watson will be back, adding to what is already a dynamic attack.
“We had a goal coming into the season to start the season off fast and build on the things we’ve done last year,” Love said. “Obviously, I think we have a really good offense. We’ve been talking about the sky is the limit. Obviously it just comes down to coming out in the games and executing. We’ve been doing a good job making plays. We’ve got so many playmakers. We’re really deep on offense.”
Last year, the Packers only beat three teams with winning records. Barring massive regression from Washington and Detroit, they already have two such victories. Green Bay will have plenty of additional opportunities to prove itself with a remaining schedule that features six home and nine road games including dates with the Vikings twice, Lions, Ravens, Eagles, Bengals, Steelers and Broncos among others.
But right now, the Packers should fear no team based on what we’ve seen through two weeks. Especially with Parsons on their side.
“Just having him on the team changes how offenses look at us,” Gary said. “You understand that we can be aggressive. We have a couple guys on the [defensive] line that are able to get home at the same time. [Parsons] coming here is really just picking your poison among all of us, especially when it comes to me. You can chip him, then I’m going to get home. I’m going to get some type of pressure or shoot, when we’re both on the field, you’re going to chip both of us. … Having a guy like that, man, is like heaven.”
On Thursday, it was Bobby Wagner chasing the Packers.
This season, it could well be the entire league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Packers Serve Notice to NFL Elites With Dominant Showing vs. Commanders.