First Preseason Game This Week

Finally, after eight long months, we get to watch the Green Bay Packers play football this week.

Sure, it’s only preseason football. The final score doesn’t matter, the playbook will be vanilla, and by the fourth quarter most casual fans probably won’t recognize half the players on the field. But after months of offseason speculation, the draft, free agency and now training camp, Thursday gives us our first opportunity to actually see this team against someone other than itself.

Based on reports coming out of camp, it also appears we could see at least some of the starters take the field. Following Family Night last Friday, a few questions surrounding this roster were answered, while others were only accentuated. If the starters do play Thursday, we should finally get a better idea of where this team stands.

The bigger question might be who exactly those starters are.

Starters Playing?

Matt LaFleur has traditionally been cautious with his starters during the preseason, often choosing to prioritize health and controlled practice reps over live game action. At times, that approach has made Week 1 of the regular season feel like an extension of the preseason, with the offense taking time to find its rhythm.

This year, the approach appears like it could be different.

If that’s the case, I think it’s a welcome change for a Packers team that needs to hit the ground running. Green Bay can’t afford to spend the first few weeks of the season figuring out its offensive line, secondary or depth at several key positions.

There’s obviously a balance. Nobody wants to watch Jordan Love or another important starter get hurt during a meaningless preseason game. At the same time, there is value in getting the offense on the field together, establishing some rhythm and giving the coaching staff actual game reps to evaluate.

For fans, seeing the starters is exciting. For the coaching staff, figuring out exactly who those starters should be is much more important.

Matt LaFleur Learning From Past Mistakes?

After signing a three-year extension following another heartbreaking playoff exit, LaFleur talked about going back through the tape, identifying what went wrong and figuring out how the Packers could learn from those mistakes.

Hopefully, that evaluation extended beyond individual plays and included some of the coaching decisions made from the beginning of last season through its disappointing finish.

Going into last year, several question marks on the roster were largely masked by the acquisition of Micah Parsons. Adding one of the best defensive players in football understandably changes the conversation around a team, but it didn’t suddenly fix every weakness on the roster.

Eventually, some of those weaknesses caught up with Green Bay.

That’s what makes this preseason interesting. Some of those same questions still exist, and injuries have already created new ones. If LaFleur is willing to give his starters meaningful preseason snaps, the Packers have three weeks to evaluate real game tape and determine whether their current answers are good enough.

If they’re not, Brian Gutekunst still has time to do something about it.

Right Guard = Weakest Link

Family Night is ultimately a glorified practice, but it’s still one of the first opportunities for fans to get an extended look at how individual matchups are developing. Unfortunately, one of the biggest takeaways was something that has been a concern throughout camp: right guard.

Anthony Belton struggled, and those struggles haven’t been isolated to Family Night.

In response, Green Bay gave converted center Jacob Monk an opportunity at the position. Monk came in and almost immediately surrendered a sack on Jordan Love. Not exactly the reassuring performance you want from the guy potentially replacing the player you’re already concerned about.

The reality is that right guard has become somewhat of a revolving door in Green Bay. Jon Runyan Jr., Sean Rhyan, Jordan Morgan and now Anthony Belton have all received opportunities there over the past several seasons. Green Bay has continually found ways to piece together a quality offensive line, but at some point, constantly moving players around stops being versatility and starts becoming a sign that you haven’t found a long-term answer.

That’s why Thursday matters.

Belton doesn’t need to suddenly look like an All-Pro, but he needs to show progress. If the struggles continue throughout the preseason, Green Bay has to seriously consider its other options.

Maybe that’s Jager Burton. Maybe Monk settles into the position with additional reps. Or maybe Gutekunst has to look outside the organization and bring in a veteran like Kevin Zeitler who is also from Waukesha.

Whatever the answer is, the Packers have three weeks to find it. Protecting Jordan Love can’t be something they’re still figuring out in September.

What I’m Watching For Thursday

Right guard will obviously be near the top of my list Thursday night. Personally, I’d love to see Jager Burton make a push for the job and establish himself there, much like Sean Rhyan eventually did when given his opportunity. At this point, I don’t particularly care who wins the job—I just want someone to take it and end the discussion.

I’m also watching the tight end room closely. Somebody, anybody, needs to establish himself as TE2.

Unfortunately, the Packers released RJ Maryland, one of my favorite undrafted free agents, earlier this week, so we can officially cross him off the list. With the uncertainty surrounding Luke Musgrave, there is a legitimate opportunity for someone else to earn meaningful snaps behind Tucker Kraft. Thursday will be the first real opportunity to see if anyone is capable of doing it.

Wide receiver is another position I’m excited to watch, particularly the battle for WR5.

J. Michael Sturdivant and Chris Hilton Jr. have both made enough noise during camp to make this an interesting competition. Neither guy needs to dominate Thursday, but preseason games are where players at the bottom of the depth chart can separate themselves. One explosive play on offense or a big contribution on special teams can completely change the conversation. I could realistically see either player making the final 53-man roster.

Defensively, I’m probably most interested in Brandon Cisse.

I want to see him look the part against another NFL team and continue building on what has reportedly been an impressive training camp. If Cisse can put together a strong preseason, I’d love for there to be absolutely no question about who deserves that starting cornerback job heading into Week 1.

Because, quite frankly, I don’t think my heart can handle another full season of watching Keisean Nixon get picked on in coverage.

Finally, we need to talk about Trey Smack.

I don’t need anything spectacular Thursday. I don’t need a 60-yard game winner or some heroic moment that immediately makes everyone forget about the concerns we’ve had throughout camp.

I just need him to make his kicks.

If he gets three field-goal opportunities, make three field goals. If he gets four extra points, make four extra points. Give Packers fans one boring, uneventful night where the kicker comes onto the field, does his job and walks back to the sideline.

After everything we’ve seen from the kicking position over the past few seasons, boring would be a beautiful thing.

Ultimately, that’s what makes Thursday’s game worth watching. The result won’t count toward anything, and we’ll probably forget the final score by Friday morning. But for a Packers roster that still has legitimate questions at right guard, tight end, cornerback, wide receiver and kicker, the individual performances absolutely matter.

Training camp can tell us a lot. Family Night can tell us a little more. But eventually, you need to line up against someone wearing a different jersey.

Thursday, we finally get that opportunity.