Packers Report Card: Grades From Victory Over Jets Includes Two A’s, Two D’s

The grades are in, and does it ever feel like a role reversal for these Green Bay Packers. For years, the Packers’ offense has had to cover up the warts of questionable defense and dreadful special teams play.

Sunday’s 20-17 win over the New York Jets was the exact opposite. Green Bay’s defense was not perfect, but it embodied that of a boa constrictor in the second half, squeezing the life out of the Jets’ offense.

The special teams made what was, in essence, the game-tying and game-winning play.

Big plays in those two phases made up for what was an underwhelming performance on offense. The Packers will happily take underwhelming in a win, as opposed to the excitement surrounding the offense in last week’s loss.

More on that, and the rest of the team, in our weekly report card.

Pass Offense

This is probably the most disappointing phase of the game. Pass protection, even with the loss of right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele, was pretty solid. Will McDonald was relatively silent. David Bailey and Kingsley Enagbare had a few moments, but Jordan Love certainly was not under siege like he was a week ago.

Love was sacked four times while throwing for just 145 yards. The Jets’ defense is better than it was a season ago, but nobody is going to mistake their secondary for Seattle’s Legion of Boom.

Matthew Golden and Christian Watson had modest numbers with four catches apiece for 58 and 41 yards, respectively.

The most disappointing part of the offense was the lack of inclusion of Tucker Kraft. In a game in which rain was falling for most of the game and the offense was struggling to find a path, getting the ball in Kraft’s hands seems like an easy solution.

Kraft finished the game with just two catches on three targets. Kraft did not do his part by fumbling one on possession, which Anthony Belton was able to recover.

The biggest disappointment, however, was Love. Decision-making was spotty. Ball placement was poor.

Love is largely an excellent player, and did enough in overtime to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but Sunday’s game was arguably the worst he’s played since 2024.

Green Bay’s offense can’t lean on its ground game, which means it will need its passing game to carry the load. Can it do that without Bako-Bewele and Jayden Reed, both of whom suffered injuries on Sunday?

They don’t have a choice, but their first test on Sunday was not encouraging.

Grade: D

Rush Offense

Both primary running backs put the ball on the ground. Kaleb Johnson’s fumble was recovered by the Packers, but Marshawn Lloyd’s was recovered by the Jets. Lloyd’s fumble came deep in Green Bay’s territory, which essentially gifted the Jets a field goal.

Johnson was the team’s leading rusher with 42 yards on eight carries. Lloyd added six carries for 20 yards.

There just is not enough semblance of a ground game to make this phase of the game passable. Matt LaFleur wants to be able to move the ball on the ground, but he’s going to have to find some creativity and likely lean into his short passing game more as an extension of the run game.

That prospect got more difficult with the loss of Jayden Reed. Creativity is supposed to be one of LaFleur’s calling cards, so he’ll need to find something to make this group better. The passing offense is not good enough in an individual sense to be one-dimensional.

Grade: D

Pass Defense

Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) celebrates a pass breakup against the New York Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Early in the game, it looked like Geno Smith was going to be comfortable in the pocket for most of the day as Green Bay’s four-man rush was not able to get home often enough.

As the game turned to the second half, Green Bay’s pass rush turned up the heat, with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon dialing up some timely blitzes.

Brandon Cisse was beaten for a touchdown but was mostly excellent. Evan Williams was spectacular, with a huge pass breakup in the second half on a play that could have been an explosive gain for the Jets.

The only thing missing was a takeaway. Javon Bullard got his hand on one pass that would have been a nice play for an interception but was unable to haul it in.

The biggest statement of the game, however, came in overtime. The Jets got the ball first and could have dictated the pace of overtime. Instead, Green Bay’s defense bowed its neck and suffocated the Jets’ offense.

Cisse and Barryn Sorrell combined for a sack on first down. Lukas Van Ness, who was arguably the best player on the field, sacked Smith on second down. Third down was a give-up play to get into better position for a punt.

The Packers would win the game on their ensuing possession, but largely on the backs of their defense.

This group was excellent, and could stand to get better with the impending return of its best player in the coming weeks.

Grade: B-Plus

Rush Defense

With the weather looking the way that it did for most of the game, it seemed pretty clear that each team was going to have to rely on their run game to some degree. The Jets would have no problem playing that style of game. They want to run the ball with their backfield duo that includes Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.

The Packers’ run defense was not having any of it. Hall and Allen combined for 36 yards on 21 carries.

Five of Allen’s 7 yards came on a touchdown run to tie the game in the second quarter.

Through two weeks, Green Bay’s run defense has been excellent. The linebacker duo of Zaire Franklin and Edgerrin Cooper appears to be a perfect marriage of skill-sets.

The defensive line, which was thinned out coming into the game was excellent in controlling the line of scrimmage when the Jets put the ball on the ground.

The biggest plays of the game included stops in short-yardage situations where Lukas Van Ness and Jonathan Ford were instrumental in forcing the Jets to turn the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter.

They forced Geno Smith to beat him, which thanks to some timely plays from their pass rush, he was not able to do.

Grade: A

Special Teams

Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack (28) celebrates after kicking a 26-yard, game-winning field goal. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cam Achord’s unit was a mixed bag last week against Minnesota. They had an explosive return, but also gave one up to the Vikings. Trey Smack made a 59-yard field goal but also missed a PAT. Daniel Whelan uncharacteristically shanked a punt, as well.

Against the Jets, the special teams has an argument for the best unit on the field. Skyy Moore’s 66-yard punt return helped set up Trey Smack’s game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Whelan was his usual, excellent self. Kick coverage was solid. The only real complaint was that the Packers were unable to recover two muffed punts in the first half that could have set them up in prime field position.

The final play of the game was Smack’s game-winning field goal. Yes, it was a chip shot, but the operation was clean and there was no doubt once the ball left Smack’s foot it was going between the uprights.

This was arguably Green Bay’s best special teams performance since the days of Micah Hyde returning punts and Mason Crosby kicking field goals in his prime.

Through two weeks, it’s not difficult to envision the Packers having not just a passable special teams unit, but a good one. When is the last time anyone surrounding the Packers could say that?

Grade: A

Coaching

Cam Achord and Jonathan Gannon’s units had good days. Matt LaFleur? That’s a bit of a mixed bag. Penalties are a significant issue through two weeks. The Packers were flagged a whopping 14 times. That includes multiple personal fouls and an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.

The most uninspiring sequence of the game came after Moore’s 66-yard return. The Packers trailed 17-14 and a touchdown would have given them a late lead that would have forced the Jets to drive the field and score a touchdown. With the way Green Bay’s defense was playing in the second half, that was a solid bet.

LaFleur’s play sequence was two inside runs that had little-to-no chance from the snap, and a passing play that was short of the sticks that forced a disappointing field goal.

LaFleur often defaults to his run game when a big play happens by his defense or special teams. Maybe that is something that can work better when Josh Jacobs is running behind the 2024 offensive line, or Aaron Jones is running behind the group that was in front of him in 2020.

With Kaleb Johnson and MarShawn Lloyd running behind this group that was banged up and shuffling throughout the game? They cannot default to their ground game in those situations.

For all the discussion about LaFleur’s teams lacking intestinal fortitude, however, the Packers easily could have folded up their tents after falling behind 17-7. They were able to put together a fourth quarter comeback, and put the game away with relative ease in overtime.

The Jets are not going to have anyone mistake them for the 1985 Chicago Bears, but that is impressive, nonetheless, and brings their grade to a respectable level.

Grade: C-Plus

Was it pretty? No.

Does a team that had lost six in a row coming into the game care about style points? Also no.

Here are @JacobWestendorf's winners and losers from the Packers' overtime victory over the Jets. ⬇️https://t.co/Jzd6z3KHHI
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 20, 2026

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