The Green Bay Packers have been given a reason to be optimistic by ESPN after their brutal Week 1 loss.
On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers started the 2026 season how they ended their 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, despite dominating most of the game, Matt LaFleur and company ended up being outscored 22-0 in the fourth quarter and losing 39-22 to the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.
While there were some bright spots throughout the game, including the play of Jordan Love, Christian Watson, and others, the majority of the reaction has been negative.
Fans cannot be blamed for the frustration. Under LaFleur, the Packers have been unable to close out games. That has cost Green Bay dearly.
That being said, Week 2 is already right around the corner. The Packers are set to hit the road for a big matchup against a New York Jets team that looked improve during their Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Keeping that in mind, ESPN has given Green Bay fans a reason to be optimistic about this week's game.
ESPN's matchup predictor has shared the Packers' chances of defeating the Jets. They have given Green Bay a 61.7 percent chance of moving to 1-1 on the young season.
At the end of the day, the Packers played a very strong three quarters against the Vikings. All they had to do was finish strong to pull out a convincing start to the season. It's clear that Green Bay has the talent to win.
However, there are clear problems on both sides of the ball that need to be addressed. Most notably, the offensive line was a massive failure. Love was hit 15 times throughout the course of the game and was sacked on four occasions.
If the offensive line can't figure out the issues, the Packers are going to be in for a long season.
On the defensive side of the ball, penalties were problematic. Green Bay was flagged 12 times for 98 yards throughout the course of the game. That cannot continue happening.
Entering Week 2, the Packers should be the favorites to defeat the Jets. Green Bay is the better team on paper. The main question simply becomes, can the Packers take care of business or will they continue choking like they have consistently under LaFleur?
Only time will tell. A win would help quiet down the outside noise, but a loss would take that criticism and frustration to the next level.
Green Bay is scheduled to kick off against New York on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET. Fans will be able to watch the game on Fox.
