The Washington Commanders got their season off on the best possible footing with a comfortable success over the lowly New York Giants on home soil. However, their upcoming test in Week 2 represents something different entirely.
Head coach Dan Quinn is navigating a short week before the Commanders travel to Lambeau Field for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Green Bay Packers. This is an early battle between two clubs that harbor ambitions to go deep into the playoffs, so it could tell us plenty about Washington's capabilities to match its extraordinary efforts from the previous campaign.
Diminished preparation time is just one of several stumbling blocks for the Commanders to overcome. There is enough experience on the coaching staff and across the playing personnel to keep complications to a minimum, but the Packers' dominant triumph over the Detroit Lions to begin their 2025 exploits made a massive statement that put the league on notice.
The game plan must be concise. The execution must be supreme. And these five nightmare matchups must be won for the Commanders to improve their chances of a statement victory on the road with the entire NFL world watching.
Commanders facing nightmare matchups they must win against the Packers
Jacory Croskey-Merritt - Commanders RB
Matchup: Packers run defense
Not many had Jacory Croskey-Merriitt being Pro Football Focus' highest-graded running back league-wide (rushing) on their bingo cards in Week 1. The hype around him far exceeded a typical seventh-round rookie over the summer. This reached another level entirely after a sensational showing against the New York Giants.
Croskey-Merritt didn't start. He watched Austin Ekeler and picked up the pace of the game from the sidelines early on. When offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury called his number, he was more than prepared.
An early touchdown set the tone. Croskey-Merritt got the Commanders out of a tricky spot near their own goal line, too, bouncing off the edge and displaying his explosive play ability for a lofty gain. Gaining 82 rushing yards and one score from just 10 carries made this a debut to remember, but the Green Bay Packers won't be the same pushover.
Green Bay's run defense was relentless against the Lions, holding the prolific tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to 44 rushing yards from 20 combined attempts on the ground. Getting in an early hole didn't help their cause. Even so, this represents a stern test for Croskey-Merritt and Washington's other running backs.
Their defensive front is stout despite giving up Kenny Clark in the deal for Micah Parsons. If any running back does manage to get to the second level, Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper will be waiting.