Packers-Commanders: Five Key Players For Thursday Night Showdown

The Green Bay Packers will host the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field on Thursday night. Here are five players who will help determine the outcome.

Packers S Xavier McKinney

Xavier McKinney had a great year in his first season as a Packer. He showcased his impressive ball-hawking ability by hauling in eight interceptions, falling one short of the league lead. He also recorded 11 passes defended, making him top five among safeties. He added 88 tackles, which tied for fourth on the team.

He should have opportunities to show his ability to defend against the deep ball, as Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has a strong arm and likes to push the ball downfield. In Week 1, he was third in passes thrown 10 to 19 yards downfield and 10th in passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield.

Even with five tackles and zero passes defensed, McKinney had a quietly strong game against Detroit.

“Xavier McKinney didn't have an interception, so no one right now is talking about what Xavier McKinney did in that game,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Tuesday. “That's one of the best games I've seen him play. His disguise, his communication, there were some times -- when Evan intercepted the one pass, I didn't know if we were going be right and all of a sudden he popped out and got to where he was supposed.”

If the defensive front does its job of keeping Daniels in the pocket, McKinney will have to lead the way in keeping the top on the defense, especially with a player like Terry McLaurin on the other side off the line of scrimmage. McLaurin was second in the NFL last season with five touchdowns on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

After settling a contract dispute with the Commanders and signing a three-year extension worth up to $96 million, Terry McLaurin returned to the team that drafted him in 2019.

He was an instant star with 919 receiving yards as a rookie and more than 1,000 in each of the last five. Despite his continuous production, McLaurin had struggled to find the end zone in past seasons. That was until last season, when he broke out for 13 touchdowns, smashing his previous career high of seven in his rookie year.

McLaurin is off to a somewhat slow start this season. He was only targeted four times last week against the Giants, bringing in two catches for 27 yards and could not find the end zone.

With Nate Hobbs not playing last week and questionable for this game and Bo Melton out with a shoulder injury, the Packers’ secondary is already short on depth going into just Week 2 of the season. With Deebo Samuel now on the Commanders’ roster, the Packers can’t put all their attention on McLaurin, even though he can beat single coverage as well as anyone.

Packers DE Rashan Gary

Green Bay Packers' Rashan Gary (52) sacks Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the fourth quarter Sunday. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rashan Gary had a great game against the Lions in Week 1, with 1.5 sacks among his seven tackles. That was against one of the stronger defensive tackle duos in football with All-Pro Penei Sewell and solid veteran Taylor Decker.

Mostly last week, Gary lined up across from Decker – he bulldozed through Decker for his solo sack – while Micah Parsons went against Sewell. For Gary, it will be a bigger challenge this week against Laremy Tunsil, the five-time Pro Bowl left tackle who the Commanders traded for during the offseason.

However, Gary could feast if given some opportunities against Josh Conerly Jr., the rookie who will be starting at right tackle. Conerly didn’t have a debut to remember against the Giants, giving up one sack, two pressures and committing one penalty in 70 snaps.

With quarterback Jayden Daniels being so good at moving around the pocket and avoiding pressure, Gary is going to have to lead the way in collapsing the pocket and keeping Daniels from extending plays.

While Parsons had a strong debut and contributed in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet, he may not be fully ready mentally or physically, meaning Gary will have to step up and be the veteran presence the defense needs.

Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore

Marshon Lattimore has been a top cornerback since entering the NFL. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017, the first of his four Pro Bowl seasons. His problem has been staying healthy. The last three seasons, he played in only 26 of a possible 51 games with just one interception.

Washington acquired him at last year’s trade deadline. Finally healthy toward the end of the season following a hamstring injury, he played in two regular-season games and all three playoff games. Pro Football Focus charged him with a 62.5 percent completion rate with 16.0 yards per catch, two touchdowns and a 123.6 passer rating.

Lattimore leads a strong cornerback group. Second-round rookie Trey Amos has been impressive and second-year nickel Mike Sainristil was up for Rookie of the Year honors after recording 93 tackles, two interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 2024.

The Packers have a deep receiving room, showcased by Jordan Love completing 16 passes to 10 separate pass catchers against Detroit. Lattimore will need to lead the way in the Commanders secondary in order for them to slow down the Packers’ passing attack.

Packers RB Josh Jacobs

Jacobs had a relatively slow start to the year against the Lions. As the focal point of the Packers’ offense last season, the Lions made it a priority to slow him down. That didn’t stop him from running for 66 yards and finding the end zone, with most of the production coming in the second half.

Last season, the Commanders ranked 30th with 137.5 rushing yards allowed per game and 28th with 4.77 rushing yards allowed per attempt. They seemingly have stepped it up in that aspect of their defense this year, only allowing 74 yards against the Giants. However, the Giants were a bottom-10 rushing team last season and didn’t make many moves to improve in the offseason.

Coming off a down week and going against a team with a shoddy run defense, Jacobs should get the ball a lot against the Commanders and get back to his role of being the centerpiece of the offense.

More Green Bay Packers News

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the #Packers' first game was against Washington. In the unforgettable moment of the night, Chris Gizzi led the team onto Lambeau Field.

For the 24th anniversary, @JacobWestendorf caught up with Gizzi. ⬇️🇺🇸https://t.co/eyaBooNQv0
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 11, 2025