The 2026 NFL season finally began last week, so we’ve had our first taste of football. The Week 2 slate isn’t quite as stacked as the opener’s was, but after a long offseason, a full day of games is a welcome sight. That even goes for a matchup like this one between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets. Could we get a second straight win for a long-tormented franchise here?
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. Here’s a preview, prediction and pick for Packers vs. Jets in NFL Week 1 on Sunday.
Packers vs. Jets prediction, preview
If you didn’t know the scores from the Week 1 schedule and tried to guess which of these teams is 1-0 and which is 0-1, you’d almost certainly guess incorrectly.
The Packers took on the Minnesota Vikings in the opener but fell short in a 39-22 loss on the road. The absence of Josh Jacobs, who remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, was absolutely felt as Green Bay tallied just 66 rushing yards on the day. Despite leading 19-10 at the half, the visitors ultimately collapsed down the stretch as the defense cratered to allow 29 second-half points, 22 of which came unanswered in the final frame.
While Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns, he also faced constant pressure behind a poor offensive line and was sacked four times – it probably should’ve been more, too. To be fair, the emergence of pass-catching talent was admittedly nice to see. Christian Watson posted six grabs for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns in one of the best games of his career; Matthew Golden showed signs of a breakout with six receptions for 95 yards on a team-high 12 targets. Tucker Kraft also looked healthy following his ACL recovery, logging three grabs for 65 yards. It’s become quite obvious that this team will be turning to the pass if the ground game can’t get rolling behind MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, especially if the defense isn’t going to play complete games. There are some holes on that side of the ball, so perhaps projecting some higher-scoring games makes sense for the moment when it comes to Green Bay.
The Jets were surprisingly competent in their own Week 1 matchup. There are still plenty of questions about whether Aaron Glenn is cut out to be the head coach of this franchise in the long term, but coming off a 23-10 win to start the new season is a feel-good story for New York, nonetheless.
Sure, it was the Tennessee Titans who the Jets beat. Still, look at how that game played out. New York outgained its opponent 367-195 on the day and hit at a clip of 5.8 yards per play. Veteran Geno Smith got the job done with an efficient 19-for-24 passing line and 215 yards in his reunion with the franchise that drafted him. Breece Hall looked plenty healthy with 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries after a preseason injury scare. Garrett Wilson did his thing as the top receiver with six grabs for 79 yards. While he was far from the top name on the board, first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq saw creative usage that got him a three-yard carry for a touchdown at the goal line… as a tight end. There were plenty of things to feel good about with a stable offense, and to top it off, No. 2 selection David Bailey recorded four tackles with his first NFL sack on the other side of the ball. It was a feel-good story for the Jets, but they’ll be tested more moving forward.
Packers vs. Jets pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Packers as a -3.5 road favorite against the spread with -198 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Jets are a +164 home underdog to win outright with the game total set at 44.5 combined points.
Is it wild to think that New York could escape with a win here? Honestly, probably not. The offense looked just fine last week and will be able to run the ball behind a strong line; defensively, the duo of Bailey and Will McDonald IV brings a ton of upside off the edge against a weak Green Bay trench. If they can use their athleticism to win off the edge and force Love into off-balance throws, there’s an avenue to keep this Packers offense in check.
Now, is the upside for the Pack way higher than that of the Jets? That’s a fair assessment given the abundance of pass-catching talent and the fact that they’re far more proven than this New York squad. One win doesn’t make the Jets a contender by any means. But stability is the name of the game for now in the Big Apple, so it’s tough not to feel encouraged by what we saw last week. On the flip side, last week’s collapse by the Packers was discouraging and showed there are some glaring issues for this team.
In the home opener, this is a matchup in which Jets +3.5 might actually play. You can’t say that often, but I’m willing to take a chance here.
