Packers and Commanders meet in primetime

The Packers will welcome the Commanders to Lambeau Field for a Thursday night matchup.

• It is only the second time the Packers will play on Thursday night in Week 2 (2012 vs. Chicago).
• It is the first primetime game against Washington at Lambeau Field since a Monday Night Football game on Sept. 24, 2001 (it was the first game after 9/11).
• The first game between Green Bay and Washington took place in 1932 and the Packers lead the regular-season series, 20-16-1 (.556), while also winning two of three postseason contests.
• Green Bay has won two of the last three matchups.
• Five of the last seven contests between the two teams have been decided by 14-plus points (including play- offs).
• The Packers are 3-1-1 against Washington in the month of September.
• Five of the Packers' eight regular-season home games are against 2024 playoff teams, including both teams that made it to the 2024 NFC Championship Game (Washington on Thursday, Philadelphia in Week 10).
• It is the first time since 2018 that Green Bay will play its first two games at home.
• It marks the first time since 2012 that Green Bay has opened the season with two home games over a five-day span.

WITH THE CALL

The game will be broadcast across the country on Amazon Prime Video. If you live in the Green Bay market, it will also air on WGBA-TV, and if you live in the Milwaukee market, it will be shown on WITI-TV.

• Play-by-play man Al Michaels joins analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 97.3 The Game – WRNW-Milwaukee begins its fourth season as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst), and three-time Packers Pro Bowler John Kuhn (sideline reporter) call the action.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio on Channel 83 or 225 or through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).
• Westwood One will be broadcasting on radio to a national audience with Ryan Radtke (play-by-play) and Devin McCourty (analyst) on the call and Scott Graham hosting pregame and halftime shows.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

Packers vs. Commanders:

• All-time, regular season: 20-16-1
• All-time, postseason: 2-1
• All-time, regular season at home: 13-5-1
• Streaks: Green Bay has won the last six matchups at Lambeau Field.
• Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 23, 2022, FedExField, Commanders won, 23-21

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 68-33-0, .673; (3-5 postseason); 7th NFL season
• Dan Quinn: 56-47, .544; (5-3 postseason); 8th NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 1-0 vs. Quinn
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 1-1 vs. Commanders; Quinn 3-2 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his seventh season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Is in his 17th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first six seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 67 wins are the second most in league history by a head coach in his first six seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (75 in 1989-94). Green Bay's 67-33 regular-season record since 2019 is No. 4 in the NFL and ranks No. 1 in the NFC.
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• Led Green Bay to the playoffs last season for the fifth time in six years (tied for No. 3 in the NFL over that span), guiding the two youngest playoff teams in the NFL over the past 45 seasons in 2023 (weighted age of 25.25) and 2024 (25.72).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to guide the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

DAN QUINN…In his second season as the Commanders' 31st head coach.

• Has 22 years of NFL experience, having previously spent three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (2021-23), six seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2015- 20), four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2009-10, 2013-14), two seasons with the New York Jets (2007- 08), two seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2005-06) and four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2001-04).
• In his first season as head coach in 2024, helped guide the Commanders to their highest regular-season win total (12) since 1991 and became the first head coach in franchise history to win 10-plus games in his first season.
• Last season, helped guide the Commanders to their first appearance in the NFC Championship since 1991.
• Was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2021 as defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE PACKERS-COMMANDERS SERIES

• The Packers first met the Washington Commanders (then Boston Braves) in 1932, five days after Franklin D. Roosevelt won his first presidential election. The Packers won, 21-0.
• The clubs met memorably in the 1936 NFL championship game. That year, team owner George Preston Marshall, upset with his fans' lack of support, was moving his team to Washington and didn't want to host the championship in Boston. The NFL moved the game to New York's Polo Grounds, where Green Bay claimed its fourth world championship, 21-6.
• The teams played in the second-highest-scoring game in Monday Night Football history on Oct. 17, 1983, at Lambeau Field, a contest that featured a combined 11 TDs in the 48-47 Green Bay win.

CONNECTIONS

Packers players and staff from the Washington D.C. area: T Rasheed Walker is from Waldorf, Md., and attended North Point (Waldorf) High School…Chief of staff Darryl Franklin went to Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md. …Vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan attended high school at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy…Packers players and staff who played college football in the Washington D.C. area: WR Dontayvion Wicks played at Virginia from 2019-22… QB Malik Willis played two seasons (2020-21) at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. ...Packers coaches who have coached in the Washington D.C. area: TEs coach John Dunn was the TEs coach/recruiting coordinator at Maryland from 2011-15…Commanders with connections to Wisconsin: LB Nick Bellore is from Whitefish Bay, Wis., and attended Whitefish Bay High School…C Tyler Biadasz is from Amherst, Wis., attended Amherst High School and played at Wisconsin from 2017-19…C Michael Deiter played at Wisconsin from 2015-18…WRs coach Bobby Engram was the offensive coordinator/QBs coach at Wisconsin in 2022…Former Commanders: Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Washington's QBs coach from 2010-13…Executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball was Washington's director of football administration in 2001…Assistant DL coach Vince Oghobaase was on Washington's practice squad in 2010... Former Packers: Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. spent 11 seasons with the Packers, serving as a defensive quality control coach (2008), secondary/ cornerbacks coach (2009-17) and defensive pass game coordinator (2018)…TEs coach David Raih worked for the Packers for five seasons, serving as coaching administrator (2014-15), assistant OL coach (2016), offensive perimeter coach (2017) and WRs coach (2018)…Defensive pass game coordinator Jason Simmons was with the Packers for nine seasons, serving as defensive assistant/secondary coach (2011-15), assistant special teams coach (2016- 17), secondary coach (2018) and DBs coach (2019)… Notable NFL connections: LaFleur was the QBs coach for the Atlanta Falcons (2015-16) when Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was the Falcons' head coach… LaFleur was the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator in 2018 when Commanders QB Marcus Mariota played for the Titans…Packers DL Micah Parsons crossed paths with Quinn, Whitt Jr., Biadasz, Commanders DE Dorrance Armstrong, WR Noah Brown, CB Noah Igbinoghene, assistant defensive line coach Shariff Floyd and player development coach Pete Ohnegian during his time with the Dallas Cowboys from 2021-24…Packers K Brandon McManus was teammates with Commanders LB Von Miller with the Denver Broncos from 2014-21…Packers DL coach/run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington worked with Commanders CB Jonathan Jones and DE Deatrich Wise Jr. during his time on the New England Patriots' coaching staff, including when he served as defensive coordinator in 2024…Quinn and Packers OL coach Luke Butkus were both on the Seattle Seahawks' coaching staff in 2010…Packers G Aaron Banks, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley crossed paths with Commanders general manager Adam Peters when Peters worked in player personnel for the 49ers (2017-23)…Banks and Commanders WR Deebo Samuel Sr. were teammates with the 49ers from 2021-24…Simmons worked with Packers CB Nate Hobbs when he was the defensive passing game coordinator/DBs coach for the Raiders from 2022-23… Offensive quality control coach Rob Grosso was on Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's staff when Kingsbury was the Arizona Cardinals' head coach from 2019-22…Notable college connections: Packers CB Keisean Nixon was teammates with Commanders DT Javon Kinlaw and Samuel Sr. at South Carolina…Butkus tutored Commanders G Nick Allegretti when Butkus was the OL coach at Illinois from 2016-18…Kingsbury was the head coach at Texas Tech when Packers DBs coach Ryan Downard was on the coaching staff in 2013…Packers G Sean Rhyan was teammates with Commanders LB Ale Kaho, LB Kain Medrano and TE Colston Yankoff at UCLA… Floyd worked with Packers DL Brenton Cox Jr. and LB Ty'Ron Hopper when he was on Florida's coaching staff from 2021-22…Packers CB Carrington Valentine and T/G Darian Kinnard were teammates with Commanders RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. at Kentucky...Other notable connections: Commanders DBs coach Tom Donatell's father, Ed, was the defensive coordinator for the Packers in 2000-03.