Tonight’s TNF matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Green Bay Packers is more than just a second look at two teams trying to set the tone for their seasons, it’s a chance to try and sort out what from week one was genuine and what might have been a mirage.

For Green Bay, the story coming out of their opener was twofold. First and most obvious was the improvement on defense. The addition of Micah Parsons was always going to be a big positive, but the defense looked sharper and faster even when the standout rusher wasn’t on the...

First of all, I’d like to thank Andrew York of our sister site Hogs Haven, which covers the Washington Commanders, for sharing his time with us for this week’s edition of Five Questions With the Enemy. If you want to read the companion article where York asked me questions about the Green Bay Packers and this Thursday Night Football matchup, you can read it HERE.

1. Aside from quarterback Jayden Daniels, how many true “you have to account for this guy on every play” type of players do you think the Washington Commanders have?

Jayden Daniels is certainly the...

This week, the Packers are at home on Thursday Night Football to take on the Washington Commanders, one of the hottest young teams coming into 2025. But who were they in 2024, and why did they generate so much buzz?

Key additions

• RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (7th Rd, 245th Overall)
• WR Deebo Samuel
• WR Jaylin Lane (4th Rd, 128th Overall)
• LT Laremy Tunsil
• RT Josh Conerly (1st Rd, 29th Overall)
• DL Javon Kinlaw
• DL Eddie Goldman
• EDGE Von Miller
• EDGE Deatrich Wise Jr.
• EDGE Jacob Martin
• CB Trey Amos...

I know we’re all gearing up for the game tonight against the Commanders, but there are still a handful of plays kicking around in my head from the Packers/Lions game and I wanted to make sure they got a little time in the sun; if nothing else, as something to refer back to as this offense continues to shift and evolve throughout the season.

We’re not spending a ton of time on them. This isn’t a huge deep dive. We’re just running through a handful of things that caught my eye on offense.

I’ve got 5 plays, 4 of which...

Micah Parsons played 29 snaps on defense in his first game action for the Packers in week one and his impact was felt right away from the moment he first took the field on an early third down in the first quarter. He finished the game with 3 pressures per NFL NextGenStats (1 sack, 1 hit, 1 hurry) and made opposing Lions quarterback Jared Goff look uncomfortable on some key downs.

While he didn’t have any stops on run defense, he was solid there too and his contributions helped the Packers cruise to a 27-13 lead, a game that was...

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Last week, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 233 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions over 30 passes in a 21-6 win over the New York Giants. When you dig a little closer into the game flow, though, his stats weren’t as impressive as they seemed.

For whatever reason, the Giants thought it was a good idea to play a lot of man coverage against Daniels, a bold call against a mobile quarterback who can break the pocket with defenders’ backs turned to the passer. On the day, New York played 35 percent of their plays in some form...

The second week of the 2025 NFL season gets underway with a great matchup on Thursday Night Football. Two NFC teams that made last year’s postseason match up as the Green Bay Packers host the Washington Commanders.

Last week, the Packers demolished the Detroit Lions in a 27-13 victory, setting an early tone on the race for the NFC North this season. Meanwhile, the Commanders easily dispatched an outmatched New York Giants squad in a 21-6 win, pulling them to 1-0 along with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.

Tonight’s game sees the Packers favored heading into the game,...

The Green Bay Packers held their first true practice of the week on Wednesday after not doing on-field work on Monday and holding a walkthrough on Tuesday. With the quick turnaround for their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders, we already have the team’s final injury report for the week.

Here’s the bad news: Defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (groin) and cornerback Bo Melton (shoulder) have already been ruled out of action. Cox will likely be replaced by rookie Barryn Sorrell (knee), who was not given a game status today but was inactive last week. Melton’s snaps on...

I’m going to take you back to 2023. Bear with me. I’m going to talk about that play.

Yes, that one.

Former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator called a three-up, three-under blitz against the Las Vegas Raiders, which had 3-4 outside linebacker Preston Smith lining up in the slot against Davante Adams, who ran an option route with a two-way go. Adams, a former Packer himself, ended up taking a slant for an explosive gain. Las Vegas ended up winning that night 17-13.

This was shocking to many, and for good reason. First, it’s a terrible matchup. Second, it’s extremely...

The schedule makers sure didn’t ease the Packers into the 2025 season. Fresh off facing the 2024 NFC North champs, the Packers are now set to play host to the 2024 NFC runners-up.

In the first year of the Dan Quinn/Jayden Daniels era in Washington, the Commanders put up an impressive 12-5 record, including a win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Sure, the Eagles got the last laugh in pretty dramatic fashion, putting 55 points on the Commanders to earn a Super Bowl berth, but that’s not the point. The Commanders fast-tracked their Daniels and Quinn-led rebuild,...

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn’s history goes back to 2015, when Quinn, as a first-time head coach, hired LaFleur to be his quarterbacks coach with the Atlanta Falcons. LaFleur served in that role for two years, including the 2016 team that went to the Super Bowl, before leaving to become a non-play-calling offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams.

After a year with the Rams, he took a play-calling offensive coordinator job with the Tennessee Titans, which, after one season, led to him becoming the head coach of the Green Bay...