Week 2 Preview – Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers

By: Sam Myer 9/9/25

The Washington Commanders travel to Green Bay on Thursday Night Football to face off in Lambeau Field against the Packers. Washington hasn’t won a game in Lambeau Field since 1988 but are looking to break that streak in week two. Both teams are coming off of dominant week one victories against division rivals and will be looking to build off the momentum that builds from division wins. The Washington Commanders defense looked to be vastly improved from top to bottom, but the offense had a slow start to their standards last week. The Packers on the other hand completely dominated the Detroit Lions in all three phases. A high-profile litmus test is on hand for Thursday Night Football in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Washington Commanders Keys to the Game

-            Establish the run in the exact fashion as in week one

o   Bill Croskey-Merritt and Deebo Samuel needs to build on a solid week 1

-            Creating opportunities for Terry McLaurin in space

o   Terry proved his game-breaking ability in the playoffs last season and needs to get back on track in this marquee matchup

-            Get the ball out of Jaydens hands quickly

o   The Giants front is elite, but Micah Parsons presents a unique challenge

-            Slow down Josh Jacobs

o   Jacobs didn’t have a huge game against the Lions, but the Commanders defensive line needs to continue its running game dominance from week 1

-            Don’t allow Jordan Love to hit his back foot

o   Love is at his best letting it rip on his first or second read and struggles with accuracy issues and decision making when off-schedule

Green Bay Packers Keys to the Game

-            Get to Jayden Daniels quickly

o   Jayden tends to get phased when pressured immediately and will typically attempt to run out of the pressure

-            Shut down Terry McLaurin

o   While there is much more to their offense this year including the run game, shutting down Terry is always going to make Washingtons offense worse

-            Stretch the field in the passing game

o   Green Bay has big play threats all over the field and Washington has a good but inexperienced secondary

-            Win the line of scrimmage

o   Washingtons entire game plan centers around winning in the trenches and they get very uncomfortable when they’re on the back foot

Key Matchup to Watch

-            Laremy Tunsil vs Micah Parsons

o   This may be one of the best lineman matchups in the NFL this season and the winner may determine the winner of the game

Key Players

Washington Commanders

-            Deebo Samuel – The focal point of the passing game in week 1 and changed the complexity of the offense

-            Dorance Armstrong – Led the defense in pressures in week one but needs to continue his strong start

-            Zach Ertz – Shaky start in week one but caught a touchdown; Needs to return to his safety blanket role with Micah Parsons looming

Green Bay Packers

-            Edgerin Cooper – Led the team in tackles in week one and will have his hands full with Deebo Samuel, Zach Ertz, and Jayden Daniels

-            Jordan Love – Making quick reads and spreading the ball around in the bread and butter of this offense and needs to continue to start 2-0

-            Jayden Reed – The ultimate playmaker needs to be schemed into space, which is something Washington seldom handled in week 1

Matchup Prediction

The Green Bay Packers are the hottest trending Super Bowl bet since adding Micah Parsons and they made a big statement on Sunday against Detroit. They dominated for the full 60 minutes and are looking to build on their huge win on the national stage on Thursday Night Football. On the other hand, the Washington Commanders are coming off their best season in over 30 years and the expectations have never been higher. In week one they dominated on defense and, by their standards, were middling on offense.

Score Prediction – Green Bay Packers 24 Washington Commanders 27

-            Despite the addition of Micah Parsons, the Washington offense is able to get back on track with Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin

-            Washingtons secondary makes the biggest impact, constricting the space for Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft to operate in