Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes as the Green Bay Packers held off a fourth-quarter rally to beat the visiting Washington Commanders 27-18 on Thursday night.
The Packers led 17-3 before the Commanders finally found the end zone with 13:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Jayden Daniels capped an 11-play, 50-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz, cutting the deficit to seven. A defensive holding penalty against Green Bay on fourth-and-7 kept the drive alive.
Green Bay answered with a 65-yard scoring drive, capped by Love's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tucker Kraft, who was wide open in the right side of the end zone.
On the ensuing drive, Daniels' fourth-down pass was incomplete and the Packers took over at the Washington 40 with 7:42 remaining. Brandon McManus' 56-yard field put Green Bay in front 27-10.
Daniels hit Deebo Samuel for a 10-yard scoring pass with 2:53 left and then found Luke McCaffrey for the two-point conversion to make 27-18 with 2:53 to go.
Washington's final possession ended with another fourth-down incompletion.
Love completed 19 of 31 passes for 292 yards without an interception. Green Bay's Josh Jacobs rushed 23 times for a team-high 84 yards and a touchdown. Kraft made six receptions for 124 yards.
Daniels finished 24 of 42 for 200 yards, with a long of just 20 yards. He threw for two TDs.
The Commanders (1-1) rushed for just 51 yards on 19 carries after starting running back Austin Ekeler was forced off with a suspected torn Achilles tendon.
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In the Packers' opening 27-13 victory over division rivals Detroit, the defending NFC North champions had managed just 46 yards on the ground.
Love directed first-half touchdown drives of 96 and 92 yards to put the Packers up 14-3 at the break.
The Packers (2-0) took a 7-0 lead with a seven-play drive from their own 4, capped by Love's 5-yard scoring pass to Romeo Doubs. Love keyed the march with a 57-yard completion to Kraft to the Commanders 20.
Green Bay made it 14-0 midway through the second period with a 10-play drive from its own 8. Love again set up the score with a long completion, a 37-yarder to Malik Heath to the Washington 43. Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run.
The Commanders responded with a 37-yard drive, culminating in Matt Gay's 51-yard field goal to make it 14-3.
Wicklow native Daniel Whelan had four punts for an average of 53.3 yards, the longest being 55 yards.
The downside for the hosts was the loss wide receiver of Jayden Reed, who sustained a broken collarbone.
Following the game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that the third-year slot receiver "is going to miss a lot of time," but added that he believes Reed has a chance to come back before the season ends.
Already without Christian Watson (ACL) until at least Week 6, the Packers will rely on Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and rookie Matthew Golden at the wide receiver position.
The team also has receivers Mecole Hardman, Will Sheppard and Isaiah Neyor on its practice squad.
