Jets can remove any caveats with a statement-making win against Packers

The Jets impressed people in Sunday’s 23-10 over the Titans. But as impressive as the Jets were, every evaluation of that game seems to come with a “but” as in, “but it came against the Titans.” 

How much of the Jets looking good Sunday was about the improvements they have made and how much is about Robert Saleh’s team looking like they met each other five minutes before kickoff? 

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But no such caveats can be made this week if the Jets beat the Packers and go to 2-0. Green Bay is a perennial playoff team with a well-respected coach and a quarterback considered among the league’s best. 

This is a statement game for the 2026 Jets. Win this one and suddenly the outlook for this team looks much different than what people thought this summer. 

“The Packers are one of those organizations that every year they’re in the running and they know what they’re doing,” Jets receiver Garrett Wilson said. “I love watching Jordan Love play and just honestly, [Matt] LaFleur and the way he calls that offense, the way they’ve done it for a long time, it’s just something that’s proved, that’s worked versus everyone, that works every year. For us to have a good opponent like this coming back home, it’ll be big for us, man. 

“We want to earn our respect in this league and we know that you do that by playing good football every week. So, there’s no exception this week. You know it happens to be the Packers and we’re excited for the challenge.” 

The Packers are coming into MetLife Stadium a little bruised and battered. They blew a 12-point lead in Week 1 against the Vikings and lost 39-22. It was Green Bay’s sixth straight loss after they dropped their final five in the 2025 season. That losing streak coincides with star pass rusher Micah Parsons tearing his ACL. Parsons remains on injured reserve and the Jets won’t see him Sunday. Green Bay is also without running back Josh Jacobs, who is on the commissioner exempt list. 

Even with the Packers not being full strength, this would be a major win for the Jets, who have not been 2-0 to start a season since 2015. The last time the Jets beat a team that was even in the same category as the Packers was nearly two years ago when they beat the Texans on Halloween. 

“I think each week we’re trying to make a statement. It doesn’t matter who it is,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “I think we all know our history and we’re trying to change that history. The only way to change that is to just take it each week and you make a statement by what you do each week. The opponent doesn’t matter to us. It’s really about us and how we go and operate. That’s what I talked to our guys about. That’s what our guys understand. Again, it’s really all about us and how we operate.” 

The Jets players know that people are still skeptical about their potential, even after dominating in Week 1 in Tennessee. 

“Nobody’s going to give us nothing,” cornerback Jarvis Brownlee said. “Nothing is just freely given to you. You’ve got to go earn it. So, this week, I think we gotta go demand our respect.” 

A win over the Packers would go a long way toward getting that respect. 

“I think in this league everyone kind of notices, there’s certain organizations, certain teams that have a different draw than others or earn a different respect than others and I would say the Packers are one of those,” Wilson said. “So, we’re excited.”