4 minSports
Packers Look to Avoid 0-2 Start Against Jets in Week 2
Green Bay travels to face New York after a stunning collapse against Minnesota, while the Jets try to build on a convincing opening win over Tennessee.
The Green Bay Packers will try to avoid a 0-2 start to the NFL season when they face the New York Jets in Week 2, a game that carries early playoff implications for a team that entered the year with high expectations. Green Bay is a 3.5-point favorite despite dropping its opener, a line that reflects both the Packers' talent and lingering questions about how good the Jets really are after one game.
Green Bay's Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was one of the more surprising results of the opening slate. The Packers led 19-10 at halftime and appeared in control, but the game turned dramatically in the second half. Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 133 yards on 12-of-19 passing with three touchdowns after starter Kyler Murray left with an injury. Murray had thrown an interception on his first pass attempt as a Viking before exiting.
The final score was ugly for Green Bay: 39 points allowed on just 239 total yards by the Vikings. Two Packers turnovers contributed to the collapse, but the defensive breakdowns were the bigger concern. It was the kind of loss that has become oddly familiar for Green Bay, which seems to suffer at least one puzzling defeat early in nearly every season.
The Jets, meanwhile, opened with a win over the Tennessee Titans and looked sharp in doing so. New York scored two rushing touchdowns and added three field goals while keeping Tennessee from ever finding a rhythm. The Jets' defense held the Titans to 195 total yards and generated consistent pressure without needing to blitz heavily, finishing with three sacks.
That performance has raised expectations in New York, though the Titans are widely considered one of the weaker teams in the league. The Jets took advantage of an inferior opponent and a familiar face on the opposing sideline, but Week 2 against Green Bay will be a much stiffer test.
For the Packers, the stakes are straightforward. Half the league starts 0-1 each year, and it is rarely a death sentence. But falling to 0-2 creates a significant hole in the playoff race, especially in a competitive NFC North where every team believes it has a realistic path to the postseason. Green Bay cannot afford to dig that kind of early deficit.
There are concerns about the Packers' backfield, and the offense will need to be more consistent after a strong first half gave way to a scoreless and turnover-prone second half against Minnesota. But the Jets' defensive dominance in Week 1 may have been inflated by Tennessee's limitations. Green Bay's coaching staff has had a full week to correct the mistakes that cost them the opener.
Expect a more focused Packers team on Sunday. The offense should find more balance, and the defense is unlikely to repeat the kind of second-half meltdown that allowed Wentz to carve them up. Green Bay has the talent to win this game by a touchdown, and laying 3.5 points is a reasonable ask against a Jets team that has not yet proven it can beat a quality opponent.
The pick is Green Bay -3.5. The Packers avoid the 0-2 start and remind the league why they were considered a playoff contender entering the season.
