NFL Thursday night preview: Packers and Micah Parsons take on Commanders after dominant opener Frank SchwabSeptember 11, 2025 at 8:49 PM 0 The NFL knew it had a good matchup for Thursday night in Week 2.
- - NFL Thursday night preview: Packers and Micah Parsons take on Commanders after dominant opener
Frank SchwabSeptember 11, 2025 at 8:49 PM
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The NFL knew it had a good matchup for Thursday night in Week 2. Then the league and Amazon Prime got a nice break when the Green Bay Packers became one of the biggest stories in football.
Just before the regular season started the Packers made a massive trade to acquire defensive end Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys, then might have had the best performance in the entire NFL in Week 1. They have gone from a very good team to being in the top tier of marquee teams in the league.
The Packers were absolutely dominant last week. They kept the Detroit Lions out of the end zone until a meaningless touchdown in the final minute, and that was with Parsons playing just 30 of 67 defensive snaps due to his back injury and sitting out training camp due to a contract dispute with the Cowboys. The Packers offense looked good too, with Jordan Love playing an efficient game until the Packers stopped passing the ball because they were comfortably ahead. It will be interesting to see if that dominance carries over to Week 2.
Thursday night's opponent, the Washington Commanders, aren't a bad opponent either. Jayden Daniels is one of the most electric quarterbacks in the NFL and the Commanders are 1-0 after making the NFC championship game last season. It should be a fun game at Lambeau Field.
Defensive end Micah Parsons celebrates his first sack for the Green Bay Packers. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) ()Who needs it more?
Both teams are feeling pretty good at 1-0. If the Commanders go to Green Bay and drop a game, it won't be that terrible for their season. But if the Packers lose at home, after how dominant they looked in Week 1, it will take a lot of the momentum away. Green Bay feels like a Super Bowl contender right now. It's harder to make that case if you can't beat the Commanders at home. It's far from a must-win for the Packers, but a loss would feel like a pretty big step back after a great opening day win.
Key player: Commanders WR Deebo Samuel
Samuel might be back, and if he is then the Commanders' trade for him will be one of the biggest heists in the NFL over the offseason. Samuel, who was acquired for the fifth-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers after a down season, looked like prime Deebo in Week 1. Samuel led the Commanders with 10 targets, twice as many as any other Washington player. No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin had only four targets. Samuel turned those looks into seven catches for 77 yards, and he also had a 19-yard touchdown run. The Commanders needed to get another playmaker for Jayden Daniels in the offseason, and might have found one at a pretty cheap price from the 49ers.
Betting market watch, by Ben Fawkes
After seeing the Packers dominate the Lions in Week 1, it's no surprise that the majority of bets are on Green Bay in this Week 2 matchup against the Commanders. The line opened at Packers -3 at most books and is up to -3.5 at BetMGM. One oddsmaker told me the ticket count is currently 3-1 on Green Bay, but the money is pretty balanced overall.
Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub
Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski
The Washington at Green Bay matchup for Thursday has a posted total of 47.5 points, one of the higher lines of the week, so offense is on the menu. Here are three fantasy things to watch for.
Can any Green Bay WR get enough volume? The Packers didn't have an 80-target player last year, and nobody got to six looks last week. If Matt LaFleur keeps the rotation alive, it's hard for any receiver (or even TE Tucker Kraft) to get home for fantasy.
How fresh is Terry McLaurin? Newcomer Deebo Samuel outplayed McLaurin in the Washington opener, although Jayden Daniels missed McLaurin for one long pass. Is McLaurin ready to pop again after a summer of limited activity?
What's next for Jacory Croskey-Merritt? The Washington rookie was nifty in his debut, 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, although he played on just one-third of the snaps. The tape suggests he's ready for a bigger slice this week.
Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub
Source: "AOL Sports"
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