The Packers enjoyed the first of their two mini byes this week. The time offers some extra opportunity for rest and recuperation, but also some reflection, especially in the wake of everything else that transpired over week two in the NFL.

After two weeks, there is no other team in the NFL that has been as impressive as the Green Bay Packers. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles remain the defending champs and thus the team to beat in the NFC–but they had close calls against a mediocre Dallas team and against a Chiefs team that many expect to no longer be the class of the AFC. 

The Packers physically dominated a previously physically dominant Lions team, and then did it to a Commanders team that was in the NFC Championship a season ago and was a trendy Super Bowl pick in the preseason.

Watching the Lions rack up 52 against the Bears was hilarious, of course, but it was also a reminder of the significance of what the Packers did in week one. Either the Packers are so good that they fully shut down a dominant Lions offense, or the Lions were so tilted by their first game against the Packers that they took all their anger out on the Bears.

Either way, the Packers are now in their heads rather than the other way around, as it’s been for the last several years.

And consider this: not since 1995 have the Packers opened their season by holding consecutive opponents to fewer than 250 yards of total offense. 

It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen a Packer team open with this degree of dominance. While the 2011 season saw the team reel off a ton of consecutive victories, that defense was entirely hapless and was shredded weekly by opposing offenses. This is the most well-rounded team the Packers have had to start a season since the mid-90s. 

So the question becomes, of course, will they be able to maintain? There are several factors that go into this. Health, obviously. Every team’s fate is determined in part by luck, and that includes luck with injuries. But it’s also coaching. You have to make sure the players are still pushed and driven to achieve the same level of excellence every single week. And that can be easier said than done, even when working with professionals.

But if that’s already this team’s biggest (or one of its biggest) problem or question mark after two weeks (can they keep being this great?!) then I’d say they’re in a good spot. 

Wisconsin Beer of the Week

Young Blood Brewing Company has made its name throughout Wisconsin in recent years for a lot of its sours and IPAs, but it has some pretty solid “traditional” beers as well. The Madison-based brewery is well worth a visit, by the way, if you ever find yourself in the capital. It’s just off of the capitol square!

This particular beer is R and J’s Rowdy Raccoon, a rye ale. Here’s how they describe what they refer to as a red rye lager:

“The Raccoon… the cutest little mischievous bandit that nature has to offer. These little guys are incredibly smart, playful, affectionate, and more food-motivated than a slightly overweight beagle. Now imagine having one or two as pets, launching sneak attacks on you as you enter the room, and helping themselves to a little snack whenever they feel like. That would be WILD!’

Okay, so… that doesn’t tell you much about the beer. But it’s basically what you’d expect from a red rye ale; the maltiness of an amber with just a slight bit of bitterness to make the flavor profile a little more complex. At 5.2 percent ABV, this one’s an easy drinker and one that is quite versatile for all situations and weathers. I paired it with a burger and fries and felt very satisfied with my decision.

This is one that should be available at most places in Wisconsin, but especially around Madison or Milwaukee. Young Blood’s distribution is starting to branch out a bit, so even in farther north areas of the state it is likely you’ll find their stuff.

What exactly ARE the weaknesses?

We’ve spent a lot of time praising the Packers for their performances in their first two weeks, and rightly so. But of course, this is a team with flaws like any other. So what are those flaws (or potential flaws) after two weeks?

• Special teams… still: It still doesn’t appear that things have gotten any smoother on special teams outside of punting. The coverage has been kind of all over the place, and there have already been several penalties. We need a bit more data to make any claims about the field goal kicking, but Brandon McManus did miss a 48-yard kick that has become almost a routine chip shot for many kickers around the league. The Packers extended Rich Bisaccia, who continues to be the league’s highest paid special teams coordinator, but it still doesn’t appear that much of his unit is to the caliber of the league’s average.
• Run blocking: Now, this could simply be a virtue of who the Packers have played the first couple weeks, but it hasn’t been particularly smooth going for Josh Jacobs. The Packers’ offensive line could get better at giving the man some room to run.
• Defending the middle: We’re really picking nits here, because the Packers have, again, allowed fewer than 500 total yards over the first two weeks of the season. But the few times they’ve shown any vulnerability in pass defense, it’s been over the middle of the field to tight ends. Of course, this has tended to come after the Packers have already had the game well under control. But if we’re seeing any kind of weakness on the defensive side, this is the closest thing to it.

Players benefiting from Micah Parsons

There have already been so many noticeable ways in which the Micah Parsons trade has changed the game completely for the Packers. There are multiple players on the defensive side of the ball who have particularly benefited from his addition.

These include:

• Keisean Nixon: Perhaps the player benefiting the most, honestly. Nixon registered five pass breakups on Thursday night after registering seven in all of 2024. That’s… insane, frankly. Nixon has never looked more confident playing in the secondary even after being forced into something of a #1 role. Amazing what a pass rush can do for a secondary that has seen some historical struggles. No pass rush last year, tougher job for the corners. This year, they’re able to sit on routes and play a little riskier, and it’s paying off.
• Lukas Van Ness: Van Ness has the look of a player who is really figuring it out in his third year. He’s been regularly affecting the quarterback and has demonstrated an ability to keep contain and force the passer back up into the pocket. It’s been huge for him.
• Quay Walker: Edgerrin Cooper has benefited as well, but he was already showing signs of stardom. Walker, though, was a former first round pick who was looking as though he might not get another contract. Already, he looks like a different player. He’s playing much faster and more downhill, and with Parsons’ addition and Cooper’s rise, he’s not being asked to shoulder as much of the responsibility on the defense.

On the Walker note, it’s also worth noting just how much a lot of the defensive improvement is clearly a result of Jeff Hafley as well. This was a defense loaded with former first-round picks, but Joe Barry could never put it together; in fact, the defense looked completely lost for most of his tenure. Hafley is finding ways to put all of these talented players with high draft stocks in position to succeed. All of Walker, Van Ness, and Devonte Wyatt are playing the best football of their careers to start this season. Rashan Gary has also been playing better as part of the rotation, and Parsons, of course, is a former first round pick himself. 

Amazing how much of a difference coaching makes in getting players to meet their potential. It’s another one of those times where you have to wonder how some famous busts might have turned out if they’d ended up in better situations with better coaches.

Around the NFC North

As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. 

• The CHICAGO BEARS keep winning that offseason championship, and yet they keep getting farther and farther away from actually having completed a rebuild. A full dismantling at the hands of the Detroit Lions revealed that this team has way more holes than an offensive guru like Ben Johnson can fix in a single season, and also sheds significantly more doubt on Ryan Poles as general manager (why did they re-sign him, again?). This might get worse before it gets better.

• The DETROIT LIONS were certainly feeling a bit of the sting from being embarrassed in Green Bay on opening weekend. Either that, or the Bears are just really, really bad (which, to be fair, is always a possibility). They were absolutely merciless in their assault, and so now the question becomes: has the team rebounded after a rough week one, or did the Packers truly expose something deeper in this team that will haunt them throughout much of the year? Maybe even a little of both?

• The MINNESOTA VIKINGS are going to have to protect the quarterback a whole lot better if they’re going to have any hope of going anywhere with a de facto rookie quarterback this season. JJ McCarthy was sacked five times in the first half alone, and you just cannot win games that way. A young quarterback needs to be able to build up a sense of rhythm. McCarthy has had moments where he’s looked like the real deal, but more often than not he’s looked every bit the young, first-year starter he is. And unfortunately for the Vikings, there was more bad than good on Sunday night.

Mr. Backes’s “This or That”

Every day I put a different “this or that” poll up on my whiteboard and have students leave tallies throughout the day. I then compile this information and post it here for laughs.

Here’s what we’ve seen over the last week:

• Mild salsa defeated hot salsa
• Music while studying defeated quiet while studying
• Homecoming bonfire defeated homecoming football game
• Coffee defeated tea

Week 3 NFL Picks

The Browns do have some pieces that could give the Packers some problems, including the outstanding Myles Garrett on the edge. But this is a team that has struggled mightily against much lesser competition so far this season. The Packers may be playing on the road, but they are a far better football team coming off a little extra rest. If they’re the team we think they are, they shouldn’t struggle too much.

Packers 30, Browns 13

And the rest of the week…

BILLS over Dolphins

VIKINGS over Bengals

TEXANS over Jaguars

COLTS over Titans

COMMANDERS over Raiders

EAGLES over Rams

FALCONS over Panthers

PATRIOTS over Steelers

PACKERS over Browns

BUCS over Jets

CHARGERS over Broncos

SEAHAWKS over Saints

COWBOYS over Bears

CARDINALS over 49ers

CHIEFS over Giants

RAVENS over Lions