The Packers are walking into Week 2 with the same problem still hanging over them: they had control in Week 1, and they let it slip away.
Green Bay heads to MetLife Stadium on Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Jets on FOX, trying to shake off a 39-22 loss in Minnesota that turned on a brutal fourth quarter.
The Packers led 22-10 with 5:09 left in the third, then never scored again as the Vikings ripped off the final 29 points. Green Bay finished with more yards, 419-239, but the box score didn’t save them.
Jordan Love did plenty of damage through the air, going 21-of-42 for 387 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Christian Watson was the big-play spark, catching six passes for 147 yards and both scores. But the Packers also went just 3-of-12 on third down, committed 12 penalties for 98 yards and couldn’t answer after a key stop on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter.
Matt LaFleur had taken a field-goal chance off the board after a Vikings offside, then called for Love on a sneak. Minnesota stuffed it, and the game changed right there.
“We were playing well, but in the fourth quarter it took a turn with a couple unfortunate plays.”
Jordan Love, after the Week 1 loss
Love also pointed to the noise at U.S. Bank Stadium and the communication issues that came once Minnesota seized the momentum. That’s the part Green Bay has to clean up now, because the next test comes against a Jets team that already showed it can control a game with its run game and defense.
New York opened with a 23-10 win at Tennessee, leaning on Breece Hall and a defense that kept the Titans to 195 total yards. Hall carried 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Jets ran for 152 yards and two scores overall. Geno Smith was efficient, finishing 19-of-24 for 215 yards, as Aaron Glenn’s team stayed on schedule and handled business on the road.
For the Packers, the concern is bigger than one bad Sunday. Last January’s NFC wild-card game also ended with Green Bay coughing up a lead, this time after going up 21-3 on Chicago at halftime before losing 31-27.
The Packers have also dropped their last four regular-season games in 2025. At this point, a lead heading into the fourth quarter is no longer comfort.
It’s the warning.
The injury report gives Green Bay a mixed picture on defense. EDGE Lukas Van Ness cleared concussion protocol and was removed from the injury report.
DT Javon Hargrave, dealing with knee and concussion issues, is out and did not travel. Van Ness had four tackles and a sack against Minnesota, and with Micah Parsons still out as he works back from last year’s knee injury, Green Bay needs that edge pressure.
Saturday’s update also left DT Warren Brinson out again with a calf injury. Left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele are questionable with knee injuries, along with CB Benjamin St-Juste, who is dealing with a hamstring issue. If Banks or Bako-Bewele can’t go, Donovan Jennings and Anthony Belton are the next options.
The backfield remains a problem, too. Josh Jacobs is on the commissioner’s exempt list after misdemeanor battery and criminal-damage charges and cannot practice or play while the league reviews the case.
That leaves MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks to carry the load for now, and they combined for just 66 yards on 20 carries in Minnesota. Lloyd had 13 carries for 37 yards, and Brooks added seven for 29.
That puts more pressure on Love and the passing game, which still has real firepower. Watson already has an 81-yard touchdown this season.
Matthew Golden caught six passes for 95 yards in Week 1. Jayden Reed gives Green Bay another speed threat, and Tucker Kraft, back from last year’s ACL tear, had three catches for 65 yards and remains a major piece on third down and in the red zone.
The formula is obvious. If the Packers can’t get more from the ground game, they’ll need Love to keep winning through the air against a Jets defense that just sacked Cam Ward three times. New York wants to run the ball, control the clock and force Green Bay to beat itself again.
The Packers still have enough talent to win plenty of games. But that only matters if the fourth quarter stops looking like the one in Minnesota.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy May Be Forcing The Vikings Into A Decision
Kyle Van Noys status has become one of the more interesting roster calls facing the Vikings this early in the season. After being elevated from the practice squad for Week 2 against the Bears, the veteran edge rusher is in line for his second straight game with the team, a sign Minnesota may be weighing whether to keep him around beyond a temporary move.
Van Noy logged 25 defensive snaps in the previous game and is expected to remain part of the rotation off the edge, which gives the Vikings a useful layer of depth as they sort through their front seven. The same elevation also brought rookie receiver Dillon Bell onto the game-day roster, but Van Noys repeated call-ups are the part that could eventually force a bigger decision about how the Vikings want to handle his role moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings QB Debate Suddenly Has A Very Short Window
Kevin OConnell has already drawn the lines for the next two weeks, and they leave little room for a lingering quarterback debate. Kyler Murray has been ruled out for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears because of the concussion protocol, which means Carson Wentz will get the start there, but the Vikings coach said he expects Murray to clear protocol and be ready to return in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
OConnell also made it clear the job is not up for grabs while Murray is on the mend. Once he is medically cleared, Murray is slated to reclaim the starting role, which makes this more of a temporary holdover than a true quarterback battle. For Minnesota, the intrigue now is less about who will start long term and more about how Wentz handles a brief turn under center before the expected handoff back. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Exit Suddenly Looms Over Vikings Bears Rivalry
Caleb Williams exit in the fourth quarter of Sundays Bears-Vikings game put a sudden jolt into a rivalry that already had plenty riding on it. On a non-contact play, the Bears quarterback went down with a hamstring injury, then had to be carried off before being carted to the locker room, turning what had been a tense divisional matchup into one with a much bigger concern hanging over Chicago.
For the Vikings, the bigger picture is less about one play than what it might mean for a division opponent already dealing with uncertainty at quarterback. Medical experts who looked at the injury believe it is a hamstring strain, the kind that can force a player to miss time, and the timing could matter well beyond one afternoon in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]