The Green Bay Packers made history with Thursday’s 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders. For the second time in four days, Green Bay knocked off one of the NFC’s top teams from one year ago. But it goes further than that.
For only the fifth time in 55 years, since the AFL-NFL merger, the Packers won their first two games of the season against teams that won 12 or more games the previous season, per John Breech of CBS Sports. The Detroit Lions, who Green Bay defeated 27-13 in Week 1, were 15-2 in 2024. The Commanders were 12-5 and made it to the NFC Championship game.
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That’s impressive.
Even more impressive is how Green Bay is taking care of business. The Lions and Commanders boasted two of the NFL’s top offenses in 2024. The Packers held them both to under 250 total yards. It was Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels’ worst NFL game. Even with Daniels struggling, he still didn’t turn the ball over.
Green Bay’s addition of pass-rusher Micah Parsons appeared to be the move that transitioned the Packers from a good to a great team. What some didn’t realize is that the Packers already had a terrific defense before the trade before adding one of the two or three best defenders in the NFL. Parsons had a major impact in the Packers’ win over Washington, even if it didn’t show up on the stat sheet. He wrecked the Commanders’ rebuilt offensive line.
Green Bay will likely cool off, just like Detroit and Washington will find some answers. The Packers are for real, though.
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The lesson here for Commanders’ fans is that Thursday’s loss was almost a perfect storm against Washington. Green Bay is really good. It was a short week, and the addition of Parsons is still fresh and new. The Commanders will be fine.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders’ loss to Packers was historic