After a decisive 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders that pushed the Packers to a confident 2-0, Jordan Love let a secret slip. In a league of copycats, Love admitted to pulling a page right out of Tom Brady’s playbook. “I think that’s just the cool part of our offense,” Love said with a grin, “it’s just some of the stuff that we can keep building on…trick plays.”

Under the hoodie of Bill Belichick, the Patriots operated with a magician’s disdain for convention. They had more gadgets, as Tom Brady once noted, “than we could ever call in a season.” From Julian Edelman’s 37-yard pass to James White against these very Packers to put New England at the 2-yard line, to the infamous “Philly Special” precursor where Danny Amendola hit a wide-open Brady for 36 yards, their legacy is built on moments of breathtaking misdirection designed to exploit aggressive pursuit. That same spirit of inventive ambition now lives in Green Bay.

Leading 17-10 in the fourth quarter and facing a 2nd & 8, Head Coach Matt LaFleur decided to dig into the bag of tricks. The call was a direct snap, but not to Jacobs. Rookie Savion Williams came into motion, slicing behind the center. The entire stadium held its breath, expecting a flip from Love that never came. Instead, Williams took the snap directly. He turned the corner, hit the seam 16 glorious yards. “It’s cool, man,” Love would later say. “I wish he didn’t slip. He looked like he was gonna take it to the house.”

“But yeah, that one looked pretty good until the end”, Jordan Love admitted. As Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore closed in with a desperate angle, the Lambeau turf betrayed the player. Williams’ feet shot out from under him, and he crashed down in a cross-position, the touchdown stolen by a slip more than a tackle.

It brought to mind another legendary quarterback’s foray into trickery.

A lesson from the goat’s playbook for Jordan Love’s team

Years ago, in a loss to the Eagles in 2015, Brady didn’t just throw for 312 yards; he finished with more receiving yards than his top wideout on a single, brilliant trick play. A direct snap to James White, a reverse to Danny Amendola, and a lofted pass to a wide-open Brady, who trotted 36 yards down the sideline. It was the second catch of his career and the longest play of the entire game. It was a moment of joyful, unpredictable genius from a master of the conventional. That followed in Raiders, too, as Brady became the minority owner of the team.

Last year, it was fourth-and-four deep in their own territory, and everyone in the stadium expected Antonio Pierce to send AJ Cole out to punt. But instead of kicking it away, Cole shocked the Broncos. He took the snap, looked up, and fired a pass to a wide-open Divine Deablo, who rumbled 34 yards downfield and flipped the field to Denver’s 36.

The Packers’ win was a comprehensive showcase of their Super Bowl-caliber arsenal. Love finished with a cool 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the engine of this offense was its breathtaking depth. When primary target Jayden Reed went down early with a shoulder injury, it could have spelled disaster.

Instead, it became an opportunity for others to shine. Tight end Tucker Kraft erupted for a career night, hauling in six catches for 124 yards and a score, including a massive 57-yard reception that ignited the Packers’ first scoring drive. Josh Jacobs ground out 84 yards on 23 carries and punched in a touchdown, extending his remarkable streak to eleven consecutive games with a rushing score.

But the real story was a defense that moved with a predatory swiftness Washington simply couldn’t match. They held the Commanders to a paltry 230 total yards, smothered the run game (just 51 yards on 19 carries), and made life miserable for Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels, sacking him four times. New addition Micah Parsons, a man familiar with hunting Daniels from their NFC East battles, made his presence felt all night, splitting a sack and constantly disrupting the pocket.

The Packers’ 2-0 start is a statement. It’s a statement written in the creative cunning of a playbook that now, famously, includes a little borrowed Raiders flair, a touch of Patriots-like genius. In the end, the slip on the field didn’t matter. The attempt itself was the message: Green Bay is for real, they’re learning from the best.