The last time the Green Bay Packers celebrated a win before Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season was in early December of 2025.

To say that this win was a long time in coming is a bit of an understatement, and it didn't come pretty.

Credit to the New York Jets, because they put up a fight and defended their home turf. The Packers deserve credit as well, because they were down 10 points, 17-7, early in the fourth quarter.

We've become used to the Packers collapsing, but this time they actually showed some grit and found a way to claw back into a game that, for all intents and purposes, they should have lost.

The Pack was flagged for 14 accepted penalties for negative 133 yards, and they committed a few more that weren't accepted.d 

It was ugly, but several players stepped up when it mattered the most. Green Bay forced overtime, forced a three-and-out and then rookie kicker Trey Smack hit a 26-yard field goal to win the game for the Packers, 20-17.

There's a lot to break down moving forward and the Packers have a short week with a Thursday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons coming up next.

For now, though, here are the five star players from this contest.

Honorable Mention: Skyy Moore with 208 total return yards, including a 63-yard punt return.

The numbers won't blow you away, but Jordan Love quietly had the kind of game in Week 2 that the Packers needed from a leadership standpoint.

Once again, he was under duress for much of the game. He also had to contend with the weather, which made the football slippery, and a hand injury later in the game.

When the Packers needed him to step up and lead multiple scoring drives at the end of the game, though, Love delivered. He ended up completing 16-of-29 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

There was also this touchdown run, which didn't count because of penalties, but it showed a ton of grit and leadership when the Pack needed it.

Evan Williams was all over the field for the Packers, with no play being more impressive in Week 2 than this pass breakup late in the fourth quarter.

Williams brought speed and tenacity to the table for Green Bay's defense. He finished with 10 tackles, two passes defended, one quarterback hit and one tackle for loss and was simply everywhere.

Christian Watson has become everything you look for in a WR1 in the NFL. His big, fast and strong. He's also becoming extremely consistent and he seems to be overcoming the injury concerns.

Watson was targeted 11 times against the Jets, with the next-highest targeted player being Matthew Golden with six. Watson has clearly become Love's safety net out there.

He caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown and once again proved to be one of the best scoring threats in the NFC.

Let's give rookie kicker Trey Smack his flowers for his first game-winning kick at the NFL level. For it to come in Week 2 is pretty special, and Smack has been everything the Packers have wanted him to be, and more, so far.

He went 2-of-2 in field goals with a long of 34. The game-winning was a 26-yarder with 5:23 to go in overtime, and he made it twice because Jets head coach Aaron Glenn decided to ice him.

The rookie has been cool, calm and collected. He also showed off a clutch gene in Week 2.

Was this Lukas Van Ness' breakout game? It certainly seemed like it.

When general manager Brian Gutekunst selected LVN with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, this was the player he was anticipating getting.

Checking in at 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, Van Ness is big and strong, but he also flashed some pass-rushing quickness and a few moves against the Jets.

He was a game-wrecker and finished this game officially with 10 tackles, eight quarterback pressures, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss, including a massive fourth down stop.