Folks, the Green Bay Packers have finally won a game in the year 2026. After six straight losses dating back to December of last year, the Packers traveled to New Jersey to face off against the New York Jets, and gave us the ugliest win I’ve ever seen. The game started off on an extremely rough note, with a scary neck injury suffered by WR Jayden Reed which saw him transported to a local hospital. Not long after, the team’s best offensive lineman, RT Zach Bako-Bewele, went down with a potentially
long-term leg injury. The offense looked dejected on every drive, but the defense kept them in it until the very end.
The Packers clearly aren’t trying to break the scoring record (even though I think they scored more than 3 against the Vikings? Someone confirm?), but they got the job done with 20 points this week. Let’s explore the good and bad from the team’s 20-17 win in OT.
Winner: Trey Smack
With the other kicker who will not be named, I’m not sure the Packers win this game. The Packers rookie was perfect today, nailing both of his XP attempts, as well as a 34 yard FG, and the game-winning 26-yarder. He had one job. He did it.
Winner: Javon Bullard
The Packers safety turned in one of the better games of his career on Sunday. He was there at the point of catch to prevent some big plays, and broke up a couple of passes as well. He nearly had a pick, a play I’m sure he’d love to get back, but overall, he helped limit any major damage from the Jets’ passing game. Bullard finished the game with 7 tackles (2 TFL), and 2 PDs. Others probably won’t agree, but I’m very unmoved by the taunting penalty he was given in the first quarter—I think most taunting penalties are very silly, and that Jets drive ended with a punt anyways. No harm, one (1) foul.
Winner: Lukas Van Ness
The former first round pick had the game of his LIFE on Sunday, and it was a huge reason for the team’s win. With Micah Parsons set to miss at least a few more weeks, fans have been hoping and praying someone will step in so his loss isn’t so deeply felt. Van Ness has been doing a stellar job so far.
The edge rusher had stop after stop today, and when he wasn’t making tackles, he was making Jets QB Geno Smith run for his life. One of his biggest plays of the day came in OT, as the Jets were dealing with 2nd and 16, when Van Ness led a host of defenders into a game-changing sack.
He put it all out there today, the Packers are reaping the benefits. Van Ness tied with Evan Williams for a team-high 10 tackles (3 TFL), 1.5 sacks, and 4 QB hits. He also generated a career-high 9 pressures.
Baby’s First Touchdown: MarShawn Lloyd
Welcome to the club, MarShawn.
Loser: *gestures wildly*
I don’t think the Green Bay Packers are a good football team. The offensive line puts QB Jordan Love at risk of injury each time the ball is snapped. Losing Zach Bako-Bewele long-term makes an already-bad line even worse. There’s no feasible way to play a winning season like this—the offense is not a threat to anyone they play, until the line improves. The line will not magically improve.
With a line as detrimental as Green Bay’s, Matt LaFleur’s abilities as a play caller are extremely limited, and I’m left wondering what the Packers offense can even do at this point to continue to win games. The organization has put together an extremely talented young roster, except perhaps where it matters most. Because of the lack of reliable bodies on the line, Jordan Love and Co. are suddenly unable to make any mistakes without the team suffering some disastrous consequences.
I’m not done with Matt LaFleur! The play calling! I understand things are a mess up front, but it seems like every play is still the wrong one. When games are close or tied, and the Packers have the opportunity to score a dagger of a touchdown, LaFleur always seems to play for the tie, or for the FG. There’s no punch.
Case in point: one of the Packers’ final drives of the game, when the team was down by 3. With under 5 minutes to play, WR Skyy Moore returned a punt 63 yards, an unheard of feat in Green Bay. The Packers offense was already on the Jets 19-yard line—a gift to an offense who struggled all game to move the ball past their first set of downs. The call on 1st and 10? A Chris Brooks run, good for 4 yards. The call on 2nd and 6? A Chris Brooks run, for a loss of a yard. The drive would end in a FG, and overtime began shortly thereafter. Will Matt LaFleur punch someone in the mouth already?
Good news everyone: we get to do this all over again in just four short days, as the Packers finally play their home opener against the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football at 7:15 PM local time. Can the team claw their way to a 2-1 record during a short week? *fart noise*
