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TNF Takeaways: A wild night of football

The Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers had a highly anticipated Week 2 matchup on Thursday Night Football. Once the game began, it was clear the Packers had control from the jump.

Green Bay looked like a much more complete team, despite it only being in the early stages of the NFL season. The recent addition of Micah Parsons proved to be a game-changer for the defense. The run and the pass were working for Green Bay, with the defense creating pressure and shutting down the Commanders in nearly every step.

It wasn’t all bad for the Commanders, though, as they showed some fight in the fourth quarter. Running against the Packers wasn’t an option, and injuries reared their ugly head in the contest, putting the Commanders in a difficult spot.

Commanders and Packers battle through injury

Josh Taylor, Washington Commanders writer for A to Z Sports, broke down the impact of those injuries in the contest, where Washington lost a handful of key players throughout the game.

“We saw two big pieces on both sides of the ball get carried off with the cart during the game, as starting defensive end Deatrich Wise left emotionally with a quad injury and was quickly ruled out. Then, starting running back Austin Ekeler left in the fourth quarter with an Achilles injury on a cart as well. Wide receiver Noah Brown and tight end John Bates also left the game at some point and never returned.” —Josh Taylor

Losing your star running back is difficult to overcome, and was part of the reason that the team finished with only 51 rushing yards. Jacory Corksey-Merritt (four carries, 17 yards), Austin Ekeler (eight carries, 17 yards), and Jayden Daniels (seven carries, 17 yards) just couldn’t get anything going against the Packers’ defense. A sharp contrast to their Week 1 performance, where the team had 220 yards rushing against the Giants.

It wasn’t just the Commanders who had some big injuries. Packers receiver Jayden Reed broke his collarbone during the victory, and he’s going to miss some substantial time. Speaking after the contest, head coach Matt LaFleur provided an update.

“He’s going to miss a lot of time. He broke his collarbone, so he’ll be down for quite some time,” LaFleur revealed. “We’ll see how fast he can recover and heal. I would expect him back at some point this season. It’s a big blow to us. He’s a catalyst for our offense and our football team. The energy he brings. He’s a dog. He comes out there and he’s going to compete. He plays tough, physical. He’s a playmaker.”

Parsons leads suffocating Packers defense

Parsons was brought to Green Bay to help bolster their defense, and he did just that in the victory over the Commanders. Through two games, Parsons has made a huge impact. Wendell Ferreira, Green Bay Packers writer for A to Z Sports, shared just how dominant Parsons was in the contest.

“Less than three full quarters in, Parsons had already been credited with six pressures by PFF—he finished the game with eight, including one on the very last offensive play of the Commanders. It’s an insane level of impact on every play he’s on the field. Not only because of what he does, but how easier everything gets for everyone around him. That production is the best driver for the secondary as well—Keisean Nixon had five pass breakups during the game, including one on fourth down late in the game.” —Wendell Ferreira

However, it wasn’t just Parsons getting in on the dirty work; it was a group effort that made a stand during the matchup.

“Upfront, the Packers completely dominated the first half. The Commanders generated only 82 total yards before halftime. Micah Parsons, as you could expect, is a force of nature. Whenever he’s on the field, he’s making an impact. Pressures, energy, grabbing the attention of the offensive line.

“But it’s not only Parsons. Lukas Van Ness has been excellent against the run, and the Packers generated significant pressure from the interior with Devonte Wyatt.

“The thing about the quality of this defense is that it doesn’t depend on turnovers to be efficient. If last year’s defense was too reliant on interceptions to get off the field, this year’s version is much more sustainable—Jayden Daniels didn’t make many mistakes, but his life was miserable for most of the game. He had to get rid of the ball quickly, and the defenders ran to the ball every single time to finish the play. The Commanders’ offense didn’t reach 100 total yards until late in the third quarter.” —Wendell Ferreira

Jordan Love shines, Tucker Kraft has career day

If you had big money on Kraft in this contest, you are sitting pretty this morning. Taylor opened up about the defensive struggles in containing Kraft and the disappointing efforts in trying to shut down the run in the matchup.

“Another group that looked great last week was the defense, and they were a major letdown today. The quick turnaround looked like it was too much for the defense, which was gassed and couldn’t keep up with the Packers’ motion plays and crossing routes. Players were wide open all game, and Jordan Love looked the part with 269 yards through the air with two touchdowns. Tight end Tucker Kraft had a career day with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. That’s an average of 20.7 yards per catch. Just completely unacceptable.

“Josh Jacobs was stopped for a majority of the game, but he eventually wore down the defense at the end and finished with 23 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. Even though the Commanders were able to get a few stops or hold them to a field goal, it felt like the Commanders didn’t have an answer for the passing concepts the Packers threw at them, and they were scrambling in coverage every play.” —Josh Taylor

Daniels and the offense scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Green Bay answered with a touchdown and a field goal of their own, keeping the game ultimately out of reach. With it being Week 2, there is still plenty of time for Washington to bounce back after the deflating loss in Lambeau.

Two weeks in, the Packers look every bit like an NFC contender — and the Commanders have questions to answer with injuries piling up.

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