Packers vs. Commanders Matchups: Who Has Edge?

Micah Parsons got the last of four sacks in the second half and was incredibly impactful in a limited workload. He had three pressures – one forced a checkdown, another forced an interception and the other was his fourth-quarterback.  

One of the key phrases this week will be about the Packers needing to maintain their rush-lane integrity. Doing so will help keep Daniels in the pocket. The Packers interior did a good job pushing the pocket against the Lions. That was how Lukas Van Ness combined with Rashan Gary for one sack.

The Commanders will rely on running back Austin Ekeler in the passing game as a weapon in the checkdown game. The Packers just finished taking on Jahmyr Gibbs, one of the best pass-catching backs in football, and limited him to 31 yards on 10 receptions.

The swarming nature of the Packers’ linebackers, especially Edgerrin Cooper, was a big part of keeping Gibbs in check, and they’ll be needed again.

“That’s probably one of my proudest moments as a coach,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said about his defense’s play style in Tuesday’s media availability. “They were relentless the entire game.”

The Commanders’ offensive line struggled against the Giants’ premier set of edge rushers, with Brian Burns notching two sacks and 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux and 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter combining for one sacks and seven pressures.  

If the Packers can pressure Daniels and keep him in the pocket, they’ll have a great chance of winning the game. Thanks to Daniels’ legs, however, this is too close to call. 

Advantage: Push

Commanders Rush Offense vs Packers Run Defense

We mentioned the element that Jayden Daniels adds to Washington’s passing game as a scrambler but, obviously, that works in the run game, as well. Not including three end-of-game kneel-downs, Daniels had eight carries for 71 yards against the Giants.

Daniels was second on the team in rushing to preseason sensation Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who had 82 yards on 10 carries. Unlike last week against Detroit’s David Montgomery, this matchup is a little different because Croskey-Merritt and Austin Ekeler are more likely to attack the edges of Green Bay’s defense.

If there’s a place you want to test Green Bay’s rush defense, it’s up the middle, where they’re breaking in two new starters and have some inexperienced players playing bigger roles.

For their first test, however, the Packers passed with flying colors. Jahmyr Gibbs had one carry of 14 yards. His other eight carries went for 5 yards. Montgomery added 11 carries for 25 yards. In total, Green Bay’s rush defense gave up 46 yards on 22 carries. That’s 2.09 yards per carry.

That’s a dream start for a team that had some major question marks about its run defense having to replace Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton.

It is just one game, but Washington’s run game is unconventional, and not a bad matchup for Green Bay’s group. This should work well for Green Bay if they can keep Daniels contained.

Advantage: Packers

Commanders Pass Defense vs Packers Passing Offense

Jordan Love set the tone against the Lions. The Packers got the ball first, and Love was dialed in from the beginning. He completed three passes to three different receivers for third-down conversions. The first two went to Dontayvion Wicks and Matthew Golden. The third went to Tucker Kraft for a touchdown and 7-0 lead.

Love finished the day 16-of-22 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The completions went to 10 players. No receiver garnered more than five targets, and the leading receiver on the day, Jayden Reed, had three catches for 45 yards.

We’ll see if that continues but, for now, it looks like the rotation at receiver is here to stay.

The new-look offensive line was off to an excellent start and were great at handling Detroit’s pressure packages, thanks in part to the blitz pickups of Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks.

That group likely will be tested again by Dan Quinn’s defense, and they could be playing without two starters. Left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom left Sunday’s game and did not return. They were listed as did not participate on Monday and Tuesday, and their status for the game is unclear at best.

Jordan Morgan (for Banks) and Darian Kinnard (at tackle) are the next men up based on Sunday’s game. Both performed admirably in relief.

“I thought they did a good job,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “They went out there and competed. They kept us going. Kept us efficient and did a nice job.”

On the defensive side for the Commanders, they’re looking to improve on last year’s group, which finished third in passing yards allowed per game. They got off to a good start against the Giants. While they registered only two sacks, they lived in the Giants’ backfield and exited Week 1 ranked fifth in passing yards allowed per attempt.

Dorance Armstrong had one of the two sacks but was credited with nine pressures, according to PFF. The other sack was defensive tackle Daron Payne. In addition, the team signed Von Miller this offseason as an attempt to put them over the top.

In the secondary, Marshon Lattimore was a trade acquisition for the Commanders last year. He struggled after the trade but should be set to bounce back with a full offseason under his belt. Trey Amos was a second-round pick this year and Mike Sainristil is the team’s primary nickel.

This will be a good test for Green Bay with its remade passing game trying to prove its past last year’s struggles. With the age of Washington’s front potentially struggling to recover and Green Bay’s improved pass protection, we’re buying in early.

Advantage: Packers

Commanders Rush Defense vs Green Bay’s Rush Offense

Washington’s defense got off to a good start by controlling the Giants’ ground game based around Tyrone Tracy and rookie Cam Skattebo. The Giants’ leading rusher on Sunday was quarterback Russell Wilson.

Washington’s rush defense is spearheaded by ageless linebacker Bobby Wagner, who used to torment the Packers during his time in Seattle. Wagner is coming off his 11th consecutive season of winning first- or second-team All-Pro honors. He’s been the leader of a young defense similar to the way that Zach Ertz was to Washington’s offense last year.

In front of the linebackers is the big defensive line group led by Daron Payne, a former first-round pick.

“They have a really big D-line group. They play five upfront,” Josh Jacobs said. “They have a lot of guys who are veterans in this league. I think they have one of the oldest defenses in this league. Obviously, you know they got Bobby Wagner on that linebacker side. No. 4 (Frankie Luvu), he’s been playing really good, high-level ball.

“It’s crazy because they have an older group but they’re all still very physical and they still move pretty good. It’s going to be a good test for us this week.”

That test will come after the run game was the most disappointing part of Green Bay’s win over Detroit. While the passing game was humming for most of the day, the run game was stuck in the mud. Jacobs finished with 66 yards on 19 carries and was stopped in two short-yardage situations.

With the Packers potentially going with a makeshift offensive line, this is a spot that could be a struggle again for Green Bay.

Advantage: Commanders

Special Teams

When the season began with a holding penalty on the opening kickoff return, it would have been easy to think this was going to be the same old special teams for Green Bay. They would have one more penalty on a kickoff return but, otherwise, played really well against Detroit’s strong units.

Savion Williams, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed handled return duties. They all showed flashes of comfortability and explosiveness. Reed had a 20-yard punt return.

Brandon McManus made all his kicks, which has been the standard since coming to Green Bay. The star of Sunday’s game on special teams, however, was Green Bay’s punter. Daniel Whelan kicked two missiles of more than 60 yards to flip the field in Green Bay’s favor and would later pin the Lions deep in their own territory, which helped set up Green Bay’s game-ending score.

On the other side, there will be tests for Green Bay’s coverage units. Deebo Samuel has been a good kickoff returner in his career and averaged 25 yards-per-return on Sunday. Luke McCaffery took one other kick for 36 yards.

After struggling at kicker for most of last season, Matt Gay was signed to replace Zane Gonzalez. Gay was perfect on Sunday, making all three extra points. He has made 85.5 percent of his field-goal attempts in his career.

Green Bay gets a slight nod here due to the excellence in their kicking game, but Washington’s return game is more explosive as of now.

Advantage: Packers