The Green Bay Packers defeated the Washington Commanders 27-18 after the Green and Gold held Washington to 230 total yards of offense and an average of 3.54 yards per play. This was the fewest offensive yards the Commanders have had since drafting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The Commanders also had no answer for Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 292 yards, two passing touchdowns, and 12 rushing yards.
Tight end Tucker Kraft helped the Packers score the first points of the night. On Green Bay’s second drive, he recorded two catches for 72 yards, which led to a five-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, his first TD reception of the season. That put the Packers ahead 7-0 to close out the first quarter.
These two squads couldn’t have looked more different through the first 15 minutes of this game. The Commanders had two three-and-outs and were held to 12 yards of offense. On the other end, the Packers finished the first with 161 offensive yards, including a 96-yard touchdown drive.
Packers special teamer and wideout Malik Heath made a gorgeous 37-yard toe-tapping catch on the sideline to move the offense into Commanders territory once again. A few plays later, running back Josh Jacobs found the end zone to increase the lead to 14-0. That touchdown run also extended Jacobs’ franchise record of consecutive games with a rushing TD to ten.
It might’ve taken a little while, but the Commanders finally put some points on the board in the second quarter. Jayden Daniels connected with wideouts Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown for 23 yards and picked up another five yards on the ground. That set up Washington with a 51-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-3. Daniels finished the evening with 200 passing yards, two TDs, and 17 rushing yards.
After forcing the Packers into their first punt of the evening, the Commanders used a 24-yard return to set up another field goal attempt. However, kicker Matt Gay missed the 58-yard field goal this time, giving Green Bay one more chance to put up some points before the break with 14 ticks left on the clock. But Brandon McManus missed his 48-yarder, so the score remained 14-3 at halftime.
The Commanders got off to a great start in the third quarter when new wide receiver Deebo Samuel returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Green Bay 44 yard line. After making it all the way to the 24, Jayden Daniels took a poorly timed 10-yard sack on third down, which forced another field goal that Matt Gay missed. McManus and Gay went three for six on field goal attempts in this game.
Starting with the ball at their own 42 yard line, Green Bay’s other tight end, Luke Musgrave, put the Commanders on notice by making two catches for 32 yards. Then, Tucker Kraft had a 19-yard catch-and-run that turned a 1st and 25 into a 2nd and 6. The drive stalled at Washington’s four yard line, though, so Green Bay hit a 22-yard field goal to go ahead 17-3.
On a 4th and 7 at Green Bay’s 37, Packers cornerback Nate Hobbs was called for a defensive holding that kept alive a drive that would’ve ended and allowed Green Bay to go into the fourth quarter with the football up by 14 points. Instead, the Commanders scored their first touchdown of the night a few plays later on a 20-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz to make it 17-10 with a little under 14 minutes to go in the game.
Tucker Kraft had a career-defining night. He recorded six catches for a career-high 124 yards. He also caught an eight-yard touchdown pass to put Green Bay ahead 24-10 with 8:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. Kraft’s 124 yards were the most by a Packers tight end since 2015.
Down by 14 and with time waning, the Commanders again had to go for it on fourth down, this time on their own side of the field. Unlike the last fourth-down attempt, though, the Packers had this one well-defended and forced a turnover on downs, which eventually allowed Green Bay to kick a 56-yard field goal to improve the score to 27-10. After converting 87% of their fourth-down attempts last season, Washington is just one for three to start the 2025-26 campaign.
Unsurprisingly, the Commanders wouldn’t go down without a fight. Jayden Daniels found Deebo Samuel for a ten-yard touchdown reception. On the next play, Daniels connected with wideout Luke McCaffrey for a two-point conversion to make it 27-18, which would be the final score.
Next week, the Packers will have their first road game of the season on September 21st, when they play the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Commanders will be at home hosting the Las Vegas Raiders.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
