After enjoying a stellar rookie season, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is wasting no time taking a second-year leap.
The Michigan State product has helped carry the Packers offense in the first half of Friday's season-opening matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil, scoring the team's first two touchdowns of 2024.
Reed, who had a touchdown wiped out by offsetting 12 men on the field penalties early in the first quarter, officially found the end zone for the first time with 10:24 remaining in the second quarter. The 2023 second-round pick made a 33-yard house call on a jet sweep to help give the Packers a 12-7 lead over the Eagles.
Philadelphia responded to Reed's rushing touchdown on RB Saquon Barkley's second TD of the night on the following drive, but it didn't take long for the Packers to strike back.
On Green Bay's next possession, which featured QB Jordan Love nearly throwing two disastrous interceptions on first and second down, Love connected with a wide-open Reed, who juked out Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson en route to a 70-yard touchdown.
Last season, Reed racked up a team-leading 793 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns in 16 games for the Packers. Despite his success as a rookie, there was some uncertainty about whether Reed would be the top target in a crowded, underrated Packers wide receiver corps this season. While it's only been one half of football, Reed clearly looks like the focal point of the Packers offense.
