Sunday’s home opener at MetLife Stadium may come with a lot of rain, and that could be exactly what the New York Jets want.
The forecast in East Rutherford, N.J., is calling for an 80% chance of rain during the day Sunday, according to The Weather Channel as of 8:21 a.m. EST on Wednesday.
That means a gloomy afternoon for fans. On the field, though, it could tilt things in New York’s favor against the Green Bay Packers.
The reason starts with Green Bay’s biggest problem: life without Micah Parsons.
The Packers opened 2025 at 9-3-1 after trading for the star defender from Dallas, but everything changed after Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15. Green Bay went 0-5 without him to finish the season, including the game in which he was injured and a playoff loss. During that stretch, the Packers gave up 28.8 points per game, which was a 9.8-point spike from their first 13 games.
That absence has carried into this season, and the early returns have been rough. Green Bay was blown out in Minnesota after leading 22-10, then surrendered 29 straight points in a 39-22 loss to backup quarterback Carson Wentz. The Packers are now 0-6 while allowing 30.5 points per game without Parsons.
The defense has been the obvious mess, but the offense has not been able to cover for it. Jordan Love can still drive the ball downfield, and Green Bay has some explosive playmakers to work with, but that’s about where the comfort ends.
The offensive line was overwhelmed in Week 1. Brian Flores blitzed Love on more than 80% of his dropbacks, and Love ended up pressured on a league-high 54% of them.
Per Pro Football Focus, Green Bay finished with the worst pass-blocking grade of the week at 37.7. Dallas Turner alone hit Love seven times.
The ground game did not offer much help, either. The Packers managed just 66 rushing yards on 21 carries, good for only 3.1 yards per attempt.
Their 58.7 run-blocking grade ranked 22nd. With Josh Jacobs out because of off-field issues, Chris Brooks and MarShawn Lloyd combined for just one forced missed tackle on 20 carries.
That is why a rainy forecast matters. It would put even more pressure on an offense that already struggled to protect Love and establish the run, and it would limit the one area Green Bay looked most dangerous in Week 1: the passing game.
Christian Watson starred with six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Matthew Golden added six receptions for 95 yards, Tucker Kraft had three catches for 65 yards, Jonnu Smith chipped in two for 50, and Jayden Reed is still waiting to get going after a quiet opener with three catches for 20 yards. Green Bay’s receiving grade of 78.6 from PFF ranked third in the NFL and stood more than 15 points above any other offensive category for the Packers.
Rain would dull that edge and force Green Bay closer to the run game, which is not where this group wants to live right now.
New York, on the other hand, looks built for this kind of matchup. The Jets’ offensive line was excellent in Week 1 against Tennessee, creating room in the run game and giving Geno Smith a clean pocket even though he held the ball for more than 3.1 seconds on average. That performance came on the road in another team’s home opener, and now the Jets get to do it at home in front of their own crowd.
That matters for offensive line play, too. Home-field noise helps the offense communicate up front while making life harder for the visiting line.
And Tennessee’s front was no joke. Jeffery Simmons is arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL, and John Franklin-Myers was a solid starter for the Denver Broncos defense before joining the Titans.
The Jets handled that group away from home. Now they get a Packers defense that has looked far less stable without Parsons.
If the rain shows up Sunday, the matchup looks even better for New York.
In Other News...
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Shepards arrival also takes on a little more weight with Tim Patrick now on injured reserve because of a groin injury, leaving the Jets looking for dependable depth wherever they can find it. For a team already managing multiple absences, the next few weeks could determine how much it needs from Shepard and whether he becomes more than just a temporary insurance policy. [Read more 🡒]