GREEN BAY – It may be too early in the season for the Packers' trip to Washington to become some sort of watershed moment of 2018.

But it's difficult to deny the franchise's last three visits to the nation's capital have defined Green Bay's season to one extent or another, so history would say there could be something important to learn about this version of the Packers on Sunday.

To review:

Back in 2010, the Packers left FedExField on the wrong end of an overtime loss, but it wasn't the result that mattered as much as how that game provided an overwhelming onslaught of adversity Green Bay would have to, and did, overcome.

By the end of the 16-13 defeat, tight end Jermichael Finley was on crutches on the sideline, linebacker Clay Matthews had his leg wrapped in ice, and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett and tight end Donald Lee had also left the game with injuries. All this on top of the Packers losing starting right tackle Mark Tauscher and inside linebacker Nick Barnett to season-ending injuries the previous week.

Finley was added to that season-ending list, but while the absences of Matthews, Pickett and Lee ended up being much shorter than feared, the next-man-up parade had begun in full force. Finley going down forced an almost complete revamping of the offense, which took close to a month to fully get back on track.