For about 50 of the 60 minutes in Sunday's game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, it looked like the Packers were headed to 0-2. Unlike the team we saw last week, though, they woke up when they most needed it.
After rallying to tie the game and sending it to overtime, the Packers beat the Jets 20-17 in a game that really is the perfect example of "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat." The Packers probably had no right to win this one, but they did, and they're now 1-1, finally having won a regular-season game for the first time since the beginning of December 2025.
Plenty went wrong for the Packers on Sunday afternoon, but enough went right to get their first win of the year. As the team gets ready for an immediate turnaround on Thursday, let's take a look at some of the biggest reasons for the big win.
Five reasons for Packers' big win over Jets in Week 2
1. Lukas Van Ness
Ever since they drafted the edge rusher in 2023, the Packers have been looking for Lukas Van Ness to become an impactful player. Sunday, he finally showed off his talent. Without Van Ness, it's likely the Packers would've lost in embarrassing fashion, but instead the young player turned in the best game of his career in some of the biggest and most crucial moments of the game.
In total, Van Ness finished with 10 tackles (the highest mark on the team), 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits. Most importantly, he delivered on a number of big plays. Four of his tackles ended drives, including a massive stop on a 4th-and-1 attempt from the Jets that essentially sent the game into overtime.
Without Micah Parsons for a few more weeks, the Packers need production on the edge. Van Ness provided it in huge ways and will need to keep doing so. If this game is the start of him turning the corner, then the Packers will have some legitimate playmakers on both sides of the edge when Parsons returns, and the team's overall defensive outlook will rise considerably.
2. Defensive effort
Speaking of defensive effort, the Packers' defense as a whole deserves a shoutout. Last week, the team held the Vikings to under 250 total yards despite the score ballooning at the end. in Week 2, they once again shone when it mattered most.
They held the Jets to just 285 total yards, but most importantly, they got off the field when necessary. The Jets were just 8-of-19 on third-down opportunities and missed their only fourth-down try.
While the Jets did get off some big plays in the game, the Packers held them in check when it mattered most. After going down 17-7, the Packers allowed just two first downs on the Jets' next three drives and didn't allow the Jets to cross the 50-yard line for the rest of the game.
The team also didn't allow the Jets to score a single point for the rest of the game, which allowed the Packers' offense to finally get some rhythm and tie it late in the fourth.
While the Packers' defense hasn't faced off against any truly elite offenses just yet, you have to be excited by what you see so far. Jonathan Gannon has coached up two great games, so far, and despite some glaring holes at big positions, this unit has done enough to win both of the games they played, which is all you can ask for.
3. Skyy Moore
The Packers signed Skyy Moore to address a long-standing, woeful position on the team's special teams unit: return man. On Sunday afternoon, Moore showed the team just how special a good returner can be.
The two-time Super Bowl champion was about as impactful as you could be for a player that didn't get to do much on offense.
Moore finished the game with 208 return yards in total, including a 63-yard punt return in the fourth quarter that set up the Packers' game-tying field goal, and honestly should've set up for an even bigger score, all things considered. His 116 kick return yards were also big and included a 43-yard return.
For years, the Packers have been unable to generate any type of momentum on the special teams side. It's been a problem that has cost them at several points in various seasons. If Moore continues to play like this, though, the team may finally have a player capable of giving them a jolt of energy when they need it most, as he did in this game.
4. Daniel Whelan
Speaking of special teams, how about Daniel Whelan? It's not often that a punter is someone you're thanking for a victory, but Whelan was that good.
In total, Whelan finished with six punts and totaled over 320 yards with them. Better yet, only one of the six was a touchback, and three of them landed within the 20-yard line, pinning the Jets back and making it hard to get any sort of momentum. Whelan's punts averaged 54 yards, and he was unironically the best player on the field for Green Bay at various points in the game.
The Packers were often on the back foot, so Whelan's punts were key in keeping the team in it. Whelan has been one of the best punters in football for some time now, so it isn't exactly a surprise. While punters aren't usually someone you want being the MVP of a game, a game like this shows you why it's so important to have one of his caliber.
5. Matthew Golden
The Packers' offense really wasn't much to talk about. The unit gained just 199 total yards and had 16 first downs, while going 1-of-9 on third downs. However, Matthew Golden was once again a focal point of the offense and shined in a few big spots.
After garnering a team-high 12 targets last week, Golden once again played a big part in the Packers' offensive game plan. After an early drop in the game, Golden regained his composure and finished with a team-best 58 receiving yards. His biggest play of the game by far came in the fourth quarter, when Jordan Love found him twice for 18 yards in a drive that would eventually end in a touchdown.
Golden also drew a couple of big penalties in the game, and generally just seemed to be one of the main targets for Love, especially on the game-winning drive, when he took a quick pass 14 yards to set up the win. As Christian Watson continues to establish himself as the team's top target, Golden has settled into a role as a go-to safety net.
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