History for the Taking at Lambeau Field

 By Eric Goska

Commanders fans visited Lambeau Field on Thursday.
(photos by Eric Goska)

Making history, denying history – the Packers of 2025 are off to a flying start.

Offense, defense – Green Bay flashed an abundance of both in running its record to 2-0.
 
As they did against the Lions in the season opener, the Packers jumped in front of the Washington Commanders and never trailed in securing a 27-18 victory at Lambeau Field. Green Bay rolled to 404 yards while allowing just 230 in notching a second straight win over a playoff team from a year ago.
 
Jordan Love and his offensive mates uncorked touchdown drives of 96 and 92 yards in building a 14-3 halftime lead. The first advance consisted of seven plays while the second utilized ten.
 
Go ahead. Scour the scoring summaries from every one of the more than 1,400 regular-season games the Packers have played since 1921. Not once will you find two Green Bay touchdown drives of 90 or more yards occurring in the same half.
 
Digging into the past yields four games in which the Green and Gold twice rang up touchdowns on drives of 90-plus yards. But in all four instances, those end zone excursions were separated by halftime festivities.
 
Two chunk plays aided Green Bay on its first two six-point payouts. Love connected with tight end Tucker Kraft for 57 yards on the first long-distance salvo and he found Malik Heath for 37 on the second.
 
Just twice did the Packers encounter third down, once on each advance. Love erased a third-and-nine with a 14-yard scramble and Josh Jacobs overcame third-and-one with a 3-yard rumble.
 
Love completed six of eight passes for 148 yards and a TD (156.25 passer rating) on the two drives combined. Jacobs rushed for 26 yards on eight carries including the score that put Green Bay ahead 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
 

Former Packers kicker Chris Jacke signed autographs before the game.

While the Packers’ offense cruised to a franchise first, their defense prevented Jayden Daniels from making history of his own. Green Bay defenders held the elusive quarterback to 17 yards rushing on seven carries, leaving him 24 short of 1,000 for his career.

 
Had Daniels gotten to 1,000, he would have done so in his 19th regular-season game. That would have been two games faster than any quarterback who ever suited up in the NFL.
 
Seemingly forever, dual-threat passers – those who can run as well as throw – have been the bane of the Packers.  Think Jalen Hurts grabbing 157 on the ground in the Eagles’ 40-33 win in 2022. Or, Michael Vick reeling off 103 in the 2010 opener.
 
For you old timers, harken back to Bobby Douglass producing an even 100 as the Bears prevailed 31-17 in 1973. Or, Greg Landry gliding his way to 76 on a quarterback sneak – yes, a sneak – as the Lions pounced 40-0 to kick off the 1970 campaign.
 
Nothing of the sort happened on Thursday. Colby Wooden, Edgerrin Cooper (twice), Javon Bullard (twice), Quay Walker and Kingsley Enagbare each tackled Daniels before the 24-year-old could inflict serious damage.
 
Daniels’ long gain was eight. He was held to one or fewer yards on five occasions.
 
Not once did he earn a first down with his feet.
 

As a rookie last season, Daniels helped revitalize Washington’s rushing attack. The Commanders gained 1,027 more yards in 2024 (2,619) than they did in 2023 (1,592).
 
Six times did the club surpass 200 yards rushing. Six times did the club win.
 
In limiting Daniels, Green Bay continued its run-stifling ways. Through two games, its opponents have managed 97 yards on 41 tries (2.37 per attempt).
 
Though Daniels didn’t boost his career total above 1,000 against the Packers, he can do so when Washington hosts Las Vegas in Week 3. If the second-year veteran does so against the Raiders – in his 20th regular-season game – he will have gotten there faster than record-holders Robert Griffin III, Lamar Jackson and Justin Fields, all who needed 21 games to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards.
 
In a Rush
Quarterbacks who needed the fewest regular-season games to attain 1,000 career rushing yards. Jayden Daniels has gained 976 in 19 games.
 
G       Quarterback               Year
21       Robert Griffin III           2013
21       Lamar Jackson               2019
21       Justin Fields                    2022
22       Michael Vick                   2002
23       Cam Newton                   2012
23       Josh Allen                        2019
24       Kyler Murray                  2020
 
Driving 90
The five regular-season games in which the Packers engineered more than one touchdown drive of 90-plus yards.
 
No    Date                     When
2        Sept. 11, 2025       2 first half
2        Oct. 8, 1939          1 first half, 1 second half
2        Oct. 5, 1952          1 first half, 1 second half
2        Oct. 21, 1984        1 first half, 1 second half
2        Dec. 23, 2018       1 first half, 1 second half