In 1993, Reggie White signed with the Green Bay Packers. Three years later, the 1996 Packers had the perfect protection in the NFL. They received Super Bowl XXXI. That’s the one time since 1967 the Packers led the NFL in yards or factors allowed in a season.
Putting Micah Parsons and White in the identical tier is untimely, regardless of how good Parsons has been to start out his profession. And it’s means too early to say this Packers crew is pretty much as good as that 1996 crew.
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But after two video games, the Packers ought to see the parallels.
The Packers shut down the Detroit Lions in Week 1, and if anybody thought that was a fluke, they did the identical to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on Thursday night time. The Packers have been spectacular but once more in dismantling the Commanders, 27-18.
By the time the Packers took a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, they have been outgaining Washington 243-43. The Packers had 12 first downs and the Commanders had one. It’s a Commanders crew that received 12 video games final season and made the NFC championship sport. The Packers made the Commanders look utterly inept, similar to they did to the Lions final weekend.
It’s solely two weeks, however the Packers appear to be the perfect crew in soccer.
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Packers have a unbelievable first half
The first half for the Packers was past spectacular, on either side of the ball.
Despite having a landing referred to as again as a result of a holding penalty — Green Bay also lost top receiver Jayden Reed to an injury on the play — and a fourth-down overthrow by Jordan Love on the primary drive, the Packers rolled up the yards in the primary half. They had two landing drives of 90-plus yards in the primary half. Love was environment friendly and Josh Jacobs scored a landing for the tenth straight sport. The Thursday night time viewers tuned in for a aggressive sport between two of the NFC’s finest groups, however the Packers have been clearly the superior crew from the opening kickoff on.
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The pace of the Packers’ protection made an enormous distinction in the primary half. The Commanders not often had any room to run. Parsons made an influence, too. On a 3rd down, he lined up throughout from the left guard, ran a stunt and drew an unlawful palms to the face penalty that moved Washington again. On the primary drive of the second half, Parsons received held by rookie Josh Conerly Jr. and nonetheless ended up getting a half of a sack on Daniels.
If the primary two video games, in opposition to two of the perfect offenses in the NFL final season, are a sign of what’s to come back, the Packers may need their finest protection since that 1996 season.
Commanders tighten it up in the 4th quarter
Finally, in the eighth quarter of the season, the Packers gave up their first landing of the 2025 season not counting rubbish time. For as a lot because the Packers had dominated the sport, the Commanders trailed simply 17-10 after Zach Ertz scored early in the fourth quarter.
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The Packers are off to an amazing begin, however for the second straight week their offense stalled for many of the second half. But when the Commanders received again in the sport, Green Bay constructed a drive that virtually put the sport away. The Packers marched downfield and Tucker Kraft, who had essentially the most receiving yards by a Packers tight finish in a sport since 2015, scored an 8-yard landing to push the lead again to 14 factors.
Every yard the Commanders gained was troublesome. The run sport was non-existent, with no play longer than 8 yards deep into the fourth quarter. The Commanders didn’t have a completion longer than 14 yards in the primary three quarters. Perhaps that may be an indication to fret about Washington, had the Packers’ protection not handled the Lions the identical means in Week 1.
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And the Packers nonetheless have not seen Parsons absolutely snug but after he was traded to Green Bay proper earlier than the season began. The Packers’ protection may get even higher because the season goes on.