It’s still super early in the season, but the Green Bay Packers look like a bona fide Super Bowl contender.
In its first two games, Green Bay (2-0) dismantled teams that made the playoffs last season. It beat the Detroit Lions (1-1) 27-13 in Week 1 and the Washington Commanders (1-1) 27-18 in Week 2. Here are five reasons the Packers should keep dominating.
1. They’re just scratching the surface with DE Micah Parsons
The Packers acquired four-time Pro Bowler Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys before the season and immediately signed him to a four-year, $188M deal. The investment is paying off.
Per Pro Football Focus, Parsons ranks eighth in the league in pressures (10) through two games. Keep in mind the Packers still have him on a snap count because he missed most of training camp with a back issue. He has played 77 snaps in two games after playing 113 in his first two with the Cowboys last season (via PFF). Head coach Matt LaFleur hinted the team could soon increase Parsons’ workload.
“Sometimes, from a coaching standpoint, you have too much time and can overthink things. The biggest benefit is for our guys to get healthy,” the coach said of Parsons on Tuesday, per Field Level Media.
The Packers have surrendered the NFL’s fourth-fewest points (15.5). Imagine how much better the unit will be when it unleashes fifth-year veteran Parsons, who has finished each season with 12 sacks or more.
2. QB Jordan Love’s magic number
Love turns 27 on Nov. 2, which has been the lucky number for Packers QBs. Aaron Rodgers (2010 season), Brett Favre (1996 season) and Bart Starr (1961 season) won their first championships at 27. (Starr captured his first title before the start of the Super Bowl era.)
Love is playing at a championship level. Through two starts, he ranks 12th in the league in passing yards (480), eighth in QBR (78.2) and is tied for sixth in TD passes (four). As of Wednesday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives him +850 odds to win league MVP, tied with Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert for the third best.
The QB should be more effective if he starts completing more deep balls. Per PFF, Love ranks fifth in the NFL in passing attempts (11) of 20-plus air yards but has completed just four of these throws. (Air yards are yards the ball travels through the air from the line of scrimmage.)
3. TE Tucker Kraft’s potential breakout
Kraft — a 2023 third-rounder out of South Dakota State — had seven receptions for a season-high 124 yards and one TD catch in Week 2 against the Commanders. Love believes that’s just the beginning.
“That’s who Tuck is every day,” the QB said, via Fox Sports’ Ben Arthur. “He’s very consistent right now. I don’t think it’s a secret for him to go out there and ball like he does. … It’s something that we just have to keep on with him, but Tuck is a guy who’s going to have a big year.”
A TE’s third season is when things can click. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, a 10-time Pro Bowler, reached his first during his third season in 2015. Kraft, 24, could do the same. Through two games, he’s averaging a career-best 70 receiving yards per game.
4. Youth movement
According to Jimmy Kempski of the PhillyVoice, the Packers were the youngest team in the NFL entering the 2025 season with an average age of 25.23. Like Kraft, many of these youngsters may be entering their primes. Second-year LB Edgerrin Cooper, 23, has the league’s third-most solo tackles (15) through two games.
The Packers’ youth makes them less experienced than other Super Bowl contenders, but it should make the team less injury-prone. That will be crucial near the end of the season when they’re aiming to secure a playoff berth and an NFC North title.
5. WR Christian Watson’s impending return
On Monday, Watson — who tore his ACL in Week 18 last season — said he expects to return to practice when first eligible. Since the Packers have a bye in Week 5, that would be in Week 6. The WR must remain on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list for two more weeks.
Watson’s return will be key for Love. It will ensure he has another option in the passing game after WR Jayden Reed broke his collarbone in Week 2 against the Commanders. On Tuesday, Reed confirmed he underwent successful surgery on his collarbone and a lingering foot fracture.
It should also help the QB hit on more of his deep balls. Watson — who has signed a one-year, $13.25M extension — has averaged a whopping 16.9 yards per reception since the Packers took him with pick No. 34 in the 2022 NFL Draft.