ClutchPoints
Both the Commanders and Packers come into Thursday Night Football feeling optimistic after Week 1. Washington cruised to a 21-6 win over New York, while Green Bay authored an emphatic 27-13 victory over Detroit. But something’s got to give in Week 2.
The Commanders and Packers must navigate a short week and get ready for a quality opponent. Both organizations made the playoffs in 2024 and each have their hopes of getting back to the postseason this winter. As a result, this early-season game could have playoff seeding ramifications down the road.
That makes getting a win on Thursday night all the more important.
But which team will come out on top? And what will be the keys of the game?
Here are three bold predictions for the Commanders vs. Packers matchup in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.
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Modern NFL quarterbacks are expected to have some threat of mobility. That’s part of what makes Jordan Love and Jayden Daniels such dangerous quarterbacks.
The threat of a quarterback scrambling with the football can put a ton of stress on opposing defenses. It allows teams to scheme up creative run-focused plays and gives quarterbacks a rip cord they can pull if the pocket is breaking down.
Love in particular may not be the most potent rushing quarterback. But he can make defenses pay if they don’t account for him.
And Daniels, of course, is an electric runner in addition to being a great passer.
I predict that both Love and Daniels will score a rushing touchdown on Thursday Night Football.
The Love portion of this prediction is the risky part, as he’s only had five rushing touchdowns in this NFL career.
Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt received a ton of hype this offseason.
The rookie running back out of Arizona was a popular fantasy football pick based on his expected role. Croskey-Merritt proved that theory correct in Week 1.
He logged 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Giants on Sunday. Croskey-Merritt also led the Commanders in rushing yards, though Daniels had the most carries on the team with 11.
So why am I down on him in Week 2?
Part of the prediction is the out of control expectations placed on the seventh-round running back.
Croskey-Merritt still shares a backfield with Austin Ekeler. He also has rushing production vultured away from him by Daniels and Deebo Samuel.
None of this to say that the rookie is a bust. However, I think many NFL fans may need to reevaluate their expectations for him during his rookie season.
I believe this Packers game will be a real wake-up call in that regard.
Green Bay bottled up Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who are individually much more dangerous than Ekeler or Croskey-Merritt.
Don’t panic too much, the rookie will still get...
