Long first-half drives spark Packers' victory over Commanders

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes and the Green Bay Packers turned back a fourth-quarter rally for a 27-18 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders 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. In the Packers' opening 27-13 victory over division rival Detroit, the defending NFC North champions 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.

--Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media