The New York Jets welcome the Green Bay Packers for their home opener on Sunday afternoon. While New York is seeking to start 2-0 for the first time since 2015, the Packers are under pressure not to drop to 0-2. They gave up 29 unanswered points as they blew a double-digit lead in their opener against the Vikings.
The Jets won in Green Bay in the last meeting between the teams back in 2022, but that was their first win over the Packers since 2006. However, they lead the all-time series by nine wins
to five.
Let’s break down the Packers’ roster going position by position:
Quarterbacks
Packers quarterback Jordan Love is coming off his best season as a full time starter in terms of completion percentage, quarterback rating and touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, he still hasn’t earned pro bowl recognition as he enters his fourth year as a starter.
In game one, Love passed for 387 yards; just two less than his career-high. However, he only completed 50 percent of his passes, was sacked four times, fumbled twice and threw an interception. Can the Jets put some pressure on him?
In the event Love gets knocked out of the game, their backup is a familiar face: former Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor. As we’ve seen, he is still capable of being a competent short-term option.
Offensive Line
As noted, the Packers gave up four sacks on Sunday, and they also averaged just 3.1 yards per rush, but the more alarming number was 15 quarterback hits. The Vikings blitzed more than any other team in the league in week one, though. However, at the same time, Green Bay left more extra blockers in to pass protect.
The main issue was probably the fact that undrafted rookie Donovan Jennings was forced to start at left guard due to an injury to Aaron Banks. He was an obvious weak link.
Banks is the Packers’ highest-paid player other than Love, but he’s not exactly lived up to that price-point, as he was very inconsistent in his first year in Green Bay last season. His return in place of Jennings will still obviously help matters, but despite his return to practice, he is still bothered by a knee issue and is not certain to play. They listed him as questionable.
The Packers’ most reliable lineman is their right tackle, Zach Bako-Bewele (who changed his name from Zach Tom in the offseason). Last year, he didn’t give up a sack in over 600 snaps. However, he already gave up his first sack of 2026 in the opener. Bako-Bewele is also listed as questionable but it seems unfathomable that he wouldn’t play.
The current left tackle is former first round pick Jordan Morgan, who started games at four different positions last season. Center Sean Rhyan is also versatile, having started last year as the right guard until Elgton Jenkins’ season-ending injury in November.
The fifth starter is another inexperienced player, as Jacob Monk is the current right guard. He started the season finale last season, but otherwise had only played six offensive snaps in his career.
Green Bay’s main backup is Anthony Belton, who started eight games last year, including the last six games of the regular season, and the wild card game.
The rest of their bench has no starting experience between them. John Williams was a seventh round rookie last year, but did not play. Travis Glover was inactive last week and rookie Jager Burton was in uniform but did not see action.
Running Backs
Green Bay’s running game suffered a blow when Josh Jacobs was placed on the exempt list due to an arrest in connection with a domestic incident. He looks set to miss 4-6 weeks based on the latest reports.
Jacobs rushed for over 900 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, so his absence will be felt. MarShawn Lloyd is currently listed as a starter but was held to 37 yards on 13 carries in the opener. The former third rounder barely played as a rookie in 2024, then missed the entire 2025 season due to injury.
Chris Brooks is back in a reserve role, while Kaleb Johnson is also on the roster but didn’t play any offensive snaps in the first game.
Pass catchers
The Packers’ leading receiver in 2025 was Romeo Doubs, but he signed a free agent deal with New England, so Green Bay will be hoping for one or more of their recent draft picks to step up.
Christian Watson and Jayden Reed were day two picks in 2022 and 2023, while Matthew Golden was a first round pick last season. Watson was the one to step up in week one as he had 147 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yarder.
However, the speedster Golden saw the most targets and was also effective. He put up the most productive game of his career with six catches for 95 yards.
Reed, who averaged over 800 yards in his first two seasons, and caught 14 touchdown passes, was limited to just three starts last season.
Bo Melton provides depth off the bench, but had just one catch in the opener. Skyy Moore is mostly on the team for special teams duties and undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant was a healthy scratch to start the season.
At tight end, Tucker Kraft is a productive pass catcher who had 469 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just eight games last season.
They also added another veteran who Jets fans will recognize as a passing game threat in Jonnu Smith, as the Packers will employ plenty of two tight-end personnel packages.
Josh Whyle is back in a reserve role and youngster Mark Redman was added via trade in the offseason. Luke Musgrave, who started 10 games last year, is on the PUP list.
Defensive Line
The Packers operate with a 3-4 base defense and their starting linemen are listed as Karl Brooks, Javon Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt. However, it was a five-deep rotation on Sunday, also including Jonathan Ford, who started in place of Hargrave, and third round rookie Chris McClellan.
The 2022 first round pick Wyatt is probably the best known player in this group. He had four sacks in just 10 games last season.
The 33-year old Hargrave has been in concussion protocol and did not practice on Thursday, though. He’s listed as doubtful.
Green Bay did a decent job against the run in the first game, holding the Vikings to just 3.1 yards per carry.
Backups Warren Brinson and Anthony Campbell were both inactive on Sunday and Brinson has been ruled out due to a calf issue.
Linebackers
The Packers’ defensive star is edge rusher Micah Parsons. However, he got injured with four games to go in the 2025 season and the Packers haven’t won a game since. He remains on the PUP list as Green Bay tries to avoid a seventh straight loss, a stretch which includes last year’s wild card game.
With Parsons out, and both Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare having departed during the offseason, the starters are currently former first round pick Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell, who started just one game as a rookie last year.
Van Ness, who has been a disappointment, has also been in concussion protocol this week. He did practice on a limited basis all week, though, and is listed as questionable.
Fourth round rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton provides depth off the edge along with Brenton Cox Jr., who has just one career start.
The inside linebackers are Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin, who each played a full time role on Sunday. Cooper had 118 tackles as he played over 1,000 snaps last season. The 30-year old Franklin, who has had 125 or more tackles in each of the past four seasons in Indianapolis, was acquired via trade in March.
Ty’Ron Hopper, Isaiah McDuffie and Nick Niemann provide depth off the bench. McDuffie played over 550 snaps last season but only played one defensive snap in the opener. Hopper was inactive in game one.
Defensive Backs
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon was an all-pro kick returner but he’s now also established himself as a pro bowl cornerback. Nixon broke up a team-high 17 passes last season. He did have 13 penalties, though.
The other starter on the outside was Green Bay’s top draft pick, Brandon Cisse, who was selected 52nd overall; two spots after the Jets had selected D’Angelo Ponds. In his NFL debut, the rookie got beaten for a 39-yard touchdown by Justin Jefferson, although that was only completion he gave up all day.
The starting nickel, and primary slot corner, in week one was Javon Bullard. He had two penalties against Minnesota.
Depth comes from Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St. Juste and Kamal Hadden. Valentine is likely to be the first guy off the bench based on the rotations last weekend. Hadden is the backup in the slot. St. Juste has been listed as questionable for Sunday.
At safety, Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams are the starters. McKinney had 107 tackles and 10 pass breakups last season, while Williams led the Packers with three interceptions.
Kitan Oladapo is the only reserve safety currently on the roster, although Bullard can also play there.
Special Teams
Sixth round rookie kicker Trey Smack made an immediate impact in his debut last week as he made a 59-yard field goal on the Packers’ first drive of the season. He made another two field goals but did miss an extra point.
Punter Daniel Whelan is in his third season as Green Bay’s punter. He led the league with a 51.7 gross average last season; the third highest of all time.
Moore was brought in to boost the return game and he handled punts on Sunday. Reed backs him up.
Although Moore is listed as the kickoff returner ahead of Melton, it was Melton who handled those duties in week one and he impressed with a 59-yard return. Nixon obviously has experience there too.
Melton was also the team’s primary punt gunner last season and he handled those same duties with St. Juste in week one.
The Packers gave up a 68-yard kickoff return last week, but have some productive tacklers in kick coverage. Brooks led them with 14 tackles last season, two ahead of McDuffie and Niemann.
