Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.
It's the last thing the Green Bay Packers need ahead of a high-pressure game against the New York Jets in Week 2. But when it rains, it pours.
OK, that's enough weather jokes, although I could keep 'em coming all day. You've probably figured it out: rain is forecast at MetLife Stadium. According to the latest update from AccuWeather, there is an 85 percent chance of precipitation on Sunday afternoon, with heavy rain possible.
While the Jets are 1-0 and coming off a dominant win over the Tennessee Titans, and they are more talented than many people realize, the Packers are favorites for a reason. They have the receivers to attack the Jets' secondary, but rain could level the playing field.
Green Bay's offensive line is a mess. There is no run game to speak of. The Packers will win and lose with Jordan Love and how much Matt LaFleur is willing to let him cook, especially with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden coming off big games, but sloppy conditions could make things particularly uncomfortable.
How rain could make life far more uncomfortable for Packers vs. Jets in Week 2
If there's one clear advantage the Packers have in this game, it's through the air on offense. Green Bay's receivers could create all sorts of problems for a Jets secondary likely without Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas start at corner for the Jets. Stephens is coming off a solid Week 1 performance, but it was a different story in 2025. Per Pro Football Reference, quarterbacks completed 71.8 percent of their passes in Stephens' coverage for 678 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions last season.
Jets second-round rookie D'Angelo Ponds could make his NFL debut after recovering from a calf injury that has sidelined him for much of training camp. He could rotate with Jarvis Brownlee Jr. at nickel. But Ponds has missed a lot of time, so it's unclear how much he will play.
The trio of Watson, Golden, and Tucker Kraft combined for 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings, despite some awful offensive line play.
Rain, though, could change things.
Put this game in a dome, and the Packers' speed and explosiveness at wide receiver would be a mismatch. Rainy conditions can create chaos – it's harder to catch the ball, and it's harder to maintain control of the ball. It can lead to wild exchanges between the center and quarterback. Receivers can slip in their routes, or at least be slowed down by the wet turf.
It favors a team that can run the ball and control the clock. That is not the 2026 Green Bay Packers.
MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks combined for 66 tough yards on 20 carries last week. How bad was the run blocking for them? Of the 64 qualifying tackles graded by PFF, Jordan Morgan and Zach Bako-Bewele are 52nd and 45th in run blocking, respectively. Of 64 guards, Donovan Jennings and Jacob Monk rank 55th and 42nd. Fun times.
The Jets are built to run the football. They had 39 carries against the Titans in Week 1, piling up 152 yards and two touchdowns. New York held the ball for a little under 39 minutes.
That will be their game plan regardless of the weather. Slow down the tempo, keep Love and the Packers' offense on the sideline, and run early and often. Rain will only make that a better strategy, creating the type of game Green Bay doesn't want.
Some rain in the air is hardly a nightmare scenario. It doesn't doom the Packers. They can adjust, and it affects both teams. Who knows, maybe the Jets' pass rushers will slip over and give Love extra time to throw (the offensive line can't be trusted to slow them down).
But the Packers should hope the rain stays away on Sunday. There's already a lot of pressure going into this game against a Jets team with nothing to lose. They are 1-0, have low expectations, and can play the underdog role here.
For Green Bay, it's about as close to a must-win as it gets in Week 2. It already felt like a potential slip-up game, and rain in the air won't exactly calm those fears.
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