The Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers both kicked off the 2025 NFL season with statement wins against division opponents, providing early momentum before a short week. Kicking off Week 2 with the Commanders vs Packers duel, potentially one of the best Thursday Night Football games of the season, Green Bay demonstrated once again why it’s viewed as a top Super Bowl contender.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the Packers’ 27-18 Thursday Night Football win over the Commanders.
Winner: Jordan Love Shines Under the Lights
NFL: Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Wm. Glasheen-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
What’s so remarkable about quarterback Jordan Love’s performance on Thursday Night Football is that he still left some big plays on the field. He also delivered this showing behind a Packers offensive line that was missing two of its best starters (Aaron Banks and Zach Tom). Love’s ability to stand tall in the pocket with pressure around him, or extend the play with his legs and launch a downfield strike, highlights what he’s capable of at his best. He also delivered a critical 14-yard run for a first down, a reminder that he’s a dangerous threat to run. Again, there are a few things Love can clean up to reach that top-five quarterback level, but he’s showing more and more flashes of it this season.
Jordan Love stats vs Commanders: 19-of-31, 292 pass yards, 9.4 ypa, 2-0 TD-INT, 13 rush yards, 113.9 QB rating
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Loser: Marshon Lattimore’s Rough Commanders Tenure Continues
NFL: Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline, the Commanders traded third-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks to the New Orleans Saints for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The hope was that he could step in, once healthy, and provide Dan Quinn’s defense with the No. 1 corner it desperately needed. Instead, he missed multiple games with injury and then allowed a 105.4 QB rating in coverage when he played.
Related: Game-by-Game Commanders Predictions 2025
Lattimore didn’t look any better on Thursday Night Football. He was beaten by Romeo Doubs twice on Green Bay’s first drive for big receptions and then was called for defensive holding. Jordan Love kept targeting him, including on a 37-yard sideline grab by Malik Heath and a 17-yard reception by Doubs two plays later. Lattimore’s play has been inconsistent throughout his career, and the downside of it was on display tonight.
Winner: Tucker Kraft’s Emergence as a Star Tight End
Thursday Night Football, Washington Commanders vs Green Bay Packers
Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin-Imagn Images
Tucker Kraft has quickly emerged as the best Packers pass-catcher over the last year. He got off to a relatively quiet start last season, averaging just 25.7 receiving yards per game. Since then, he has been one of the most productive pass-catching tight ends in the league, totaling 646 receiving yards with 8 touchdowns and averaging 14 yards per reception across his last 15 games coming into Week 2.
Kraft’s explosiveness was on display once again on Thursday Night Football. With Green Bay pinned at its own 6-yard line, Kraft got open quickly and turned that snag into a 15-yard catch-and-run. Two plays later, he found space downfield and hauled in a deep pass from Jordan Love, taking it 40 more yards to the Commanders’ 20-yard line. He finished the night with a touchdown and the most receiving yards by a Packers’ tight end in a decade. A year removed from having the fifth-most YAC (456) at his position, Kraft is once again shaping up to be a go-to playmaker in one of the league’s best offenses.
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Loser: Dan Quinn Still Can’t Figure Out Matt LaFleur’s Offense
Thursday Night Football, Washington Commanders vs Green Bay packers
Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Dan Quinn is well-regarded for his defensive mind, orchestrating Super Bowl defenses and often elevating units beyond expectations given their talent. However, football remains a chess match, and Quinn has routinely found himself outmatched by Matt LaFleur. In three head-to-head matchups coming into Week 2, per AcmePackingCompany.com, LaFleur’s quarterbacks posted a 152.2 QB rating with a 10-0 TD-INT ratio and a 77 percent completion rate against Quinn’s defenses. Thursday night provided Quinn with an opportunity to change the narrative, but he was outsmarted again.
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Even with a touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty, Love had over 300 total yards of offense with two touchdowns against Quinn’s defense. Green Bay’s offense also outgained Washington by more than 150 yards, with a yards-per-play average of 6.7. The Packers missed a few additional opportunities, which could have made the score even more one-sided. Needless to say, Quinn still has no answer for LaFleur’s game plans.
Winner: Micah Parsons’ Impact Looms Large
NFL: Washington Commanders at Green Bay Packers
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
It’s always about more than just the box score with Micah Parsons. He’s still not playing a full allotment of snaps for this Packers defense, but when he’s on the field, he impacts the game in countless ways. Parsons led the Packers in QB hits (three) on Saturday night, while splitting a sack with Edgerrin Cooper. When the All-Pro edge rusher wasn’t getting to Jayden Daniels, his presence created opportunities for Rashan Gary and Devonte Wyatt to record sacks. He has single-handedly transformed this Packers pass rush, putting Gary on pace for a double-digit sack campaign and helping both Wyatt and edge Lukas Van Ness take a big step forward.
Read More: NFL Week 2 Predictions
Loser: Terry McLaurin Off to Quiet Start After Big Contract
Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Terry McLaurin made the right decision for himself and his family in training camp, holding out and insisting on a new deal. Unfortunately, negotiations got drawn out and the downside of holdouts – players being less effective early on – is popping up with McLaurin to open the 2025 campaign. A week ago, he finished with just 27 receiving yards on four targets. Despite drawing a good matchup against a suspect Packers’ secondary, McLaurin was held under 50 receiving yards on nine targets. We fully expect Washington’s No. 1 receiver to return to the form that made him so phenomenal in 2024. However, both sides have to be wishing they had resolved their contract dispute much earlier this summer.
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NFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. ... More about Matt Johnson