A win is a win in any sport, but especially in the NFL. For as many reasons as there are to tear down the Green Bay Packers for their ugly performance for the second week in a row, we must first embrace that this team defied the odds and won a game in which, by most measures, the New York Jets should've beaten them.
That can be chalked up to willpower, resilience, a strong game plan, or even luck, but the victory should be embraced and applauded regardless. Nevertheless, this was a markedly ugly game from the Packers — so much so that the history of the league shows that Green Bay had very little business coming away with a win.
According to ESPN's statisticians, the Packers became the first team since these stats were first recorded in 1941 to win a game in which they had fewer than 200 yards of offense, more than 100 penalty yards given up, and a negative turnover margin. Prior to Sunday's OT victory, teams to hit these dreadful benchmarks were 0-44.
By virtue of defying history like this, the Packers earned their victory, but this is not a sustainable way to operate if they want any shot at being a serious football team this season.
Green Bay eked out a win they didn't deserve by the numbers, so they must learn from their mistakes.
So often, games are decided by the turnover margin, yardage totals, or differential in penalty yards. To win a game in which you lost all three categories, against a team that won three games last year, is not something the Packers should hang their hats on. Thankfully, their quarterback has the right mentality about how to process, based on Jordan Love's postgame comments about the offense:
"We have a lot of stuff to look at, clean up, and improve on, because definitely, it was not pretty," Love said. "Offensively, we've got to do a lot better."
Taking accountability is the first step, but making actionable change is the most important step that follows. That's the mentality we need to see from the Packers as they prepare for their first game back in Green Bay after starting their 2026 slate with two unforgiving road matchups. For Love, that means the processing speed and willingness to get rid of the ball when under pressure need to be better.
But more importantly, the offensive line needs to do a far better job of protecting Love. Sure, the weather played a role for everyone involved, but that's no excuse for a team based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where you're a shoo-in for at least a couple of windy, precipitous games every winter.
The offensive line has arguably been the worst group at that position in the entire NFL through two games. Along the same lines, accruing 26 penalties in two games is atrocious, and they're extremely lucky to have a 1-1 record with that many flags against them. Much of that falls back on Matt LaFleur, who's coming under some well-deserved heat for the Packers' ugly start to the season.
Luckily for him and everyone involved, there's still plenty of time to play a sharper brand of football that aligns with what we expect in Green Bay and grow into the team they know they're capable of becoming... so long as they learn from their mistakes over these first two games.
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