This season has seen the Green Bay Packers clearly continuing their good form into 2025, comfortably seeing off the Washington Commanders, 27-18, on Thursday night. Performance reminiscent of the finest defensive sides in the franchise’s history comes to mind. 1993 was the year that Reggie White signed with the Green Bay Packers. Three years later, in 1996, the Packers boasted the best defense of any NFL team.
They won Super Bowl XXXI. That’s the only time since 1967 the Packers led the NFL in yards or points allowed in a season.
Putting Micah Parsons and White in the same tier is premature, no matter how good Parsons has been to start his career. And it’s way too early to say this Packers team is as good as that 1996 team.
But after two games, the parallels are hard to ignore. After shutting down the Detroit Lions in Week 1, the Packers did it again, controlling Jayden Daniels and the Commanders from start to finish. By the second quarter, Green Bay had built a 14-0 lead while outgaining Washington 243-43, registering 12 first downs to Washington’s one. It was a commanding display against a team that reached the NFC Championship Game last season.
Packers’ First-Half Prowess
The Packers’ first half was a masterclass on both sides of the ball. Despite a touchdown being called back due to a holding penalty and losing top receiver Jayden Reed to an injury on the play, Green Bay rolled up yards with two drives of 90-plus yards. Jordan Love was efficient, and Josh Jacobs extended his touchdown streak to 10 straight games.
Analysts noted
“The speed of the Packers’ defense made a huge difference in the first half. The Commanders rarely had any room to run.”
Parsons also made an immediate impact. On a third down, he lined up across from the left guard, ran a stunt, and drew an illegal hands to the face penalty that moved Washington back. Even when held by rookie Josh Conerly Jr. on the first drive of the second half, Parsons still recorded half a sack on Daniels.
If these first two games against last season’s top offenses are any indication, the Packers might have their best defense since 1996.
Commanders Fight Back, But Packers Seal the Win
Finally, in the eighth quarter of the season, the Packers gave up their first touchdown of 2025 not counting garbage time. For all their dominance, the Commanders closed to 17-10 after Zach Ertz scored early in the fourth quarter.
The Packers’ offense stalled again in the second half, but they answered when Washington threatened. Green Bay drove downfield, and Tucker Kraft, who achieved the most receiving yards by a Packers tight end in a single game since 2015, scored an 8-yard touchdown to restore a 14-point lead.
Every yard the Commanders gained was a struggle. Their running game was stifled, and they didn’t complete a pass longer than 14 yards in the first three quarters. While the Packers’ defense hasn’t seen Parsons fully comfortable yet after his pre-season trade, the results so far suggest an even stronger performance is ahead.
With two commanding wins to start the season, Green Bay is already establishing itself as one of the NFL’s elite teams, drawing early comparisons to some of the franchise’s legendary squads.
