The Packers Need These 10 Players to Come Up Big Against Jets

It’s do or die for the Green Bay Packers this weekend. OK, not quite, but history would be stacked significantly against them if they were to start their season 0-2.

Barring a tie between Minnesota and Chicago, 0-2 also would mean starting the season with a two-game deficit in the NFC North, which is one of the Packers’ stated goals for the season.

Finally, only three teams have ever started the season 0-2 and won the Super Bowl. Those teams are the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, 2001 New England Patriots and 2007 New York Giants. Winning a title is always the standard in a city named Titletown.

Would Green Bay’s season be over if they were to lose on Sunday to the New York Jets?

No, but at some point, the bleeding has to stop. The Packers have lost six games in a row dating to last season, and a lot of them have looked similar with four of those games seeing the Packers play with a two-score lead in the second half.

Furthermore, the Jets are not widely considered to be a playoff team. Losing the first two games of the season to non-Super Bowl contenders would do little to inspire confidence the team would be able to recover even when Micah Parsons returns in the coming weeks.

To loosely quote Green Bay’s most famous head coach, this week, winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. To get it done, these 10 will have critical roles.

No. 10: Mother Nature

What’s the weather going to be like in New Jersey? That could be the million-dollar question for the Packers and their chances of improving to 1-1.

Rain is in the forecast, and it could be heavy at times, which might force some type of adjustment for Green Bay’s offense.

The best asset the Packers have is quarterback Jordan Love with their passing game. How well can they throw the ball if the rain is pouring down inside of MetLife Stadium?

“Well, I think it all depends on how hard it’s coming down,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “I feel like every time we go to the Meadowlands, it’s raining.”

If it’s going to rain hard enough for the Packers to make some adjustments, that could spell trouble for their offense. Green Bay’s ground game was anemic last week in their first test without Josh Jacobs. MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks were unable to get anything going on the ground. After Week 1, the Packers ranked 31st with 3.14 yards per carry as well as EPA per rushing play

The Jets, by extension, want to run the football. Both of their running backs, Breece Hall and former Wisconsin Badgers star Braelon Allen, would be starters for this version of the Packers.

If the weather turns this game into an untenable situation, forcing teams to play an old-school style of game, it’s a massive advantage for the Jets.

No. 9: DT Anthony Campbell

Warren Brinson (calf) and Javon Hargrave (concussion) are out. One of the next men up is the surprise standout of training camp, defensive tackle Anthony Campbell.

Campbell made the roster by making an impact play nearly every day, whether it was in practice or the preseason games. He was a healthy scratch last week, but likely will be active with two defensive tackles on the shelf.

“They run the ball heavy, so got to anchor down in there and try to be physical,” Campbell told Packers on SI. “It’s going to be a physical game. Got to do my thing out there.”

Campbell is right. The Jets want to run the ball. The Packers did a good job last week holding Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason in check to the tune of 99 yards on 27 carries.

A common moniker when a player is injured is looking to the next man up. Campbell is the next man up in this situation. Will he make good on being one of the best training camp stories in Green Bay in recent memory?

No. 8: S Xavier McKinney

Geno Smith has had an interesting career. He’s been effective at times but returned to the Jets, who drafted him in 2013, after being benched last season by the Raiders.

One thing about Smith is that he will put the ball in harm’s way. Smith led the league in turnovers last season. He did not turn the ball over last week, but the Jets certainly assigned him to be more of a caretaker than a playmaker.

Last year, the Packers played another turnover-prone quarterback at MetLife Stadium in Giants backup Jameis Winston. Winston tried desperately to give the Packers at least four interceptions, but the Packers only caught one. Javon Bullard had his first career interception broken up by Isaiah McDuffie running into him, if that gives you any idea how things were going last season in New Jersey.

This weekend, turnovers are going to be a key, as they are in any game. When Smith puts the ball in range for the Packers to make a play on it, they must capitalize.

Xavier McKinney has been Green Bay’s primary playmaker in the secondary since arriving in Green Bay, which makes him a logical choice to be tasked with making game-changing plays in a game of this magnitude.

Bounce-back Pack?

In our weekly duo of stories, here are three reasons why the Packers will beat the Jets. ⬇️https://t.co/UdOzAFzeBn
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 19, 2026

No. 7: LB Zaire Franklin

Zaire Franklin did not waste much time making an impact on his new team. On his second snap with the team, Jonathan Gannon sent him on a blitz and he was immediately in Kyler Murray’s face. Murray panicked and threw up an arm punt that was fielded successfully by Keisean Nixon.

Two plays, one takeaway. This week, Franklin will be asked to be an enforcer against a team that wants to run the football first and foremost.

Franklin is known for a lot of things, but physicality is certainly one of them. His presence in the middle of Green Bay’s defense gives them an enforcer they have not had since the days of Desmond Bishop roaming the middle of their defense. His goal as a team captain is to get his defense to continue to grow together.

“I feel like we’re still growing, still working through it,” Franklin said about the progression in Gannon’s defense. “Every week is a different opportunity and challenge. Minnesota provided a different opportunity. You knock the quarterback out of the game, you’ve got to adjust and work and do things on the fly because you’re facing a different type of challenge.

“Obviously, the Jets bring a list of problems we’ve got to work through, but I think J.G. does a great job of getting us prepared. At no point in the game did I feel like we were unprepared or unready. I think at the end of the day, we’ve just got to keep playing hard, keep playing fast and physical and make the plays when they come to you.”

Franklin is going to be asked to make plays that come to him again this week. If he plays well, the Packers have a good chance at slowing down the Jets’ ground game.

In pass coverage, he’ll have an opportunity against an offense that put five tight ends on the field last week. Communication is key with an odd formation like that. That’s Franklin’s job as the man who wears the green dot.

The Packers need their new linebacker to have a big week.

No. 6: DT Chris McClellan

Anthony Campbell is one of the next men up, but the other defensive tackle who will likely receive a good chunk of Javon Hargrave’s snaps is third-round pick Chris McClellan.

McClellan flashed through the preseason and looked like he made a potential game-changing play in his debut last week in Minnesota.

On third-and-3 in the fourth quarter, McClellan hit Carson Wentz as he let the ball go, forcing his pass to fall harmlessly to the turf. McClellan took Wentz to the ground in the process and was called for roughing the passer as a result. The penalty extended the drive and led to the Vikings’ go-ahead touchdown.

The Packers took the high road this week when discussing whether they thought McClellan committed a foul on the play in question.

“Yeah, they’re versed on what’s legal when you hit the quarterback and you talk about it. Every time we get a chance to hit the quarterback, you talk about it,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said.

Whether the call on McClellan was legitimate or not, it appears his ability as an interior defender is legitimate. Now, he’s going to be thrust into a bigger role with Hargrave out of the lineup.

That could mean as a rusher in subpackages or an early-down run defender. McClellan’s ability to do both of those things was a big reason why Brian Gutekunst drafted him instead of someone like Minnesota’s Dominique Orange.

McClellan has a chance to carve out a bigger role for himself as he steps into the lineup Sunday.

No. 5: WR Jayden Reed

The Packers need Jayden Reed to emerge from the shadows. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What was noticeably absent from Green Bay’s offense last week? Andy Reid used to say when he was the coach in Philadelphia that short passes were like an extension of the run game. Jayden Reed can certainly be an extension of the run game in that way. When it comes to running jet sweeps or catching the ball after moving in motion into the backfield, Reed is the most explosive of Green Bay’s skill players.

Maybe the Packers will be better on the ground this week than they were last week, but it seems clear that some creativity will be required to open some holes to work through. That could mean using Reed as a decoy in the spinner counter series that Matt LaFleur debuted in Malik Willis’ first start as a Packer in September 2024. That could mean giving him the ball on end-arounds and jet sweeps.

That could also mean flipping the ball out to him and letting him create something after the ball is in his hands.

Regardless of how, the Packers need to figure out a way to get the ball into Reed’s hands more, as he had just three catches for 20 yards in his 2026 debut.

“I mean, it’s not frustrating,” Reed said about his lack of touches. “Every read can’t go your way. When the ball finds you, you’ll get that opportunity. J-Love, he’s only got two eyes, you know what I’m saying? He can’t find everybody that’s open on every play. He’s going to go with his read and play fast and make the right read. He does a great job of that and, when your opportunity comes, you’ve just got to capitalize.”

No. 4: The Offensive Line

Admittedly, this is cheating, because that is a group that consists of five players. It’s also true that none of the five players who played up front last week acquitted themselves very well. Jordan Love got the hell beaten out of him to the tune of 18 quarterback hits, according to offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.

The process in how the Packers determined their starters can certainly be quibbled with. The process for how the Packers have built their offensive line can certainly be quibbled with, as well.

What cannot be debated is this group needs to play better. Whether it’s opening holes in the run game or keeping Jordan Love upright, the offensive line is going to play a key role this season as to whether or not the Packers are able to accomplish their goals.

If the Packers cannot figure out some semblance of a ground game, the offense runs the risk of remaining one-dimensional throughout the season.

There are three starters this week who are set in stone. Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Sean Rhyan at center and Zach Bako-Bewele at right tackle.

Both guard spots could be up for grabs, though, after last week’s poor performance, which could mean the return of Anthony Belton to the starting lineup.

“Yeah, we’re going to keep working that this week,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “With Zach kind of more situated at tackle, we’re going to rotate a few guys and just see what our best combination is, for sure.”

Last week, the Packers pulled a surprise out of their hat when the starter at left guard was Donovan Jennings. Will Aaron Banks be healthy enough to start? Will he be healthy enough to finish? If not, will Jennings get the call again?

This week, they stated they were trying to find continuity. Can they wash their hands of a poor performance in the name of letting a group gel?

We’ll find out Sunday in warmups. Whoever is playing, however, needs to do much better than what the Packers’ front did last week against Minnesota.

In Part 2 of our weekly duo of stories, here are three reasons why the Packers will lose to the Jets tomorrow.

Included is a fun story from Packers safety Evan Williams about Jets TE Kenyon Sadiq. ⬇️https://t.co/bieUXOgm9x
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 20, 2026

No. 3: LB Edgerrin Cooper

Shawn Merriman used to have the nickname “Lights Out” from his days as a star with the San Diego Chargers. That nickname is exactly how defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon described Cooper’s play from the first week of the season.

“Yeah, I thought he was lights out,” Gannon said. “He’s all over the place, deployed him a couple different ways, made a lot of plays for us, so he definitely impacted the game in a positive way.”

Cooper finished his first game of the season with six solo tackles, two tackles for losses and one sack. That doesn’t include a sack that was wiped off the board thanks to an illegal-contact penalty on Javon Bullard.

The key for the Packers defense this season is to unleash Cooper. Moving him around the defense was something that Jeff Hafley did not do as much last season.

It remains to be seen if Gannon’s approach will change when Micah Parsons returns, but for now, it sounds like Cooper is a primary piece of Gannon’s attack to opposing offenses.

“I think he has a multiple skill-set and I think we have to deploy him to affect the game, and when I say deploy him, what I mean by that is use him in different spots,” Gannon said.

This week, the Packers could need more of an old-school approach at linebacker with run fits and making plays on the ground, as opposed to Cooper rushing the passer like he did a week ago.

Regardless, he could be Green Bay’s best player on defense and needs to rise to the occasion in a must-win game.

No. 2: QB Jordan Love

Jordan Love did just about everything he could last week to win against Brian Flores’ pressure packed defense but eventually was snowed under as the Packers’ fourth-quarter lead turned into a deficit. Love turned the ball over twice with a fumble and interception that appeared to be tipped at the line of scrimmage.

It’s difficult to overstate how important winning this game is to Green Bay. It’s also difficult to overstate how hard it must be for Love to be ready to move on from the beating he took last week. It’d be understandable, even forgivable, if he did not trust his protection.

The thing about Love that has been true since he stepped into Green Bay’s locker room is that he’s as steady as they come.

“He’s, the one thing you know about Jordan Love, he’s, he is right here every day,” coach Matt LaFleur said while using his hand to mimic a straight line. “He’s so consistent, and he’s just ready to get back to work.”

Love needs to get back to work this week. Conditions may not be in his favor. The crowd will not be in his favor. Love is the quarterback, and whether that’s fair or not, it’s on him to dig his team out of the doldrums of a potential 0-2 start.

Love must be the rising tide to lift all ships and drag his team, if necessary, to a win.

No. 1: RB MarShawn Lloyd

As we mentioned at the top, Mother Nature is likely to play a factor in Sunday’s game. Even if the weather subsides to some degree, the Packers need more from their ground game. With all due respect to Chris Brooks, Marshawn Lloyd is far and away the most talented running back on the roster. The Packers are going to go as Lloyd’s legs take them.

He has the explosive ability to create plays out of thin air.

Lloyd’s been snake-bitten through two seasons of his NFL career but is healthy now and looking to make an impact in his second full game this season.

“I felt good. I felt good. There were just things that come hand in hand,” Lloyd said. “I enjoyed being out there, being such a drought for almost two years, just getting hit again in a real game. A joint practice is fine, preseason is fine, but when you’re in a season and in an actual game, it’s definitely a different type of mentality. It was good to just take hits and then just be able to get better each week.”

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