Packers Preseason Overreactions After Blowout Loss to Jets

Football is one part ferocity and one part fundamentals. The Green Bay Packers, coach Matt LaFleur said, were guilty of “too many “penalties, drops, missed tackles” and bad decisions during their preseason opener against the New York Jets on Saturday night.

Otherwise, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

“If you do that,” LaFleur continued, “you’re going to get your ass kicked.”

Oh, they got their ass kicked. The final score was 30-10. The starters were outplayed. The top backups were outplayed. The young backups were outplayed. When everyone was outplayed, that probably means they were outcoached, too.

Based on social-media reaction, the Packers should forfeit the season and fire everyone. Our Overreactions aren’t as strong.

1. Offensive Line Depth Almost Nonexistent

Two things can be true. First, the Packers’ offensive line was horrendous against the Jets. Two, most of the problems were the backups, so maybe it won’t matter.

There were five holding penalties – three on Jacob Monk, one on Anthony Belton and one on Donovan Jennings. Sean Rhyan, who usually starts at right guard, was at center when he gave up the sack-fumble-touchdown.

The problem is the Packers don’t have an obvious backup center should new starter Elgton Jenkins miss time. Jenkins started every game last season but missed two games in 2023, two games in 2022 and half the season in 2021. Monk, Rhyan, Jennings and Trey Hill all have had extensive time at center during training camp and none have been good enough.

“I’ve just got to get better,” Monk said. “I haven’t done that at all in camp and gotten three holds like that in camp. Maybe this whole camp, who knows. But it showed up tonight and it’s something that I’ve got to continue to work on.”

The lack of depth is disconcerting considering the Packers drafted three linemen last year and two more this year. Of those five picks, 2024 sixth-round pick Travis Glover is on injured reserve and 2025 seventh-round pick John Williams hasn’t practiced due to offseason back surgery.

The best-case scenario is Rasheed Walker gets past his groin injury and returns to the starting lineup at left tackle, Jordan Morgan wins the job at right guard, Rhyan gets to focus on being a three-position interior backup and Belton gets to focus on being the backup tackle.

2. We Overrated the Receivers … Again

At this point last year, I thought the Packers’ lack of a true No. 1 receiver wouldn’t matter because they had more good receivers than any defense could cover. I got that wrong.

Before Saturday night, I thought there was a reasonable chance the Packers could take seven receivers into Week 1 – even with Christian Watson on PUP – because of Mecole Hardman’s return ability and Malik Heath’s physicality. Or maybe they’d be sellers before roster cuts.

With Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams and Watson out with injuries, Heath played 30 snaps on offense and Hardman played 22. Heath caught 1-of-4 targets for 4 yards with one drop. Hardman dropped his only opportunity on offense, fielded a punt at the 5 and muffed another to hand the Jets an easy score.

Really, it was a dreadful night for the entire position, with one notable exception we’ll get to in a second. Combined, every receiver on the roster caught 6-of-15 passes for 45 yards.

3. Packers Have Their No. 1 Receiver

The Packers will ease him along, because that’s what the Packers always do, but Matthew Golden continues to show he’s the real deal.

In golf lingo, you drive for show but putt for dough. Golden’s 4.29 speed in the 40 is the equivalent of a driver on a par-5. Golden’s route-running ability and hands are the equivalent of making a sloping, downhill birdie putt.

Golden has had a superb training camp, and it continued on Saturday. First, he converted a third-and-7 by catching a slant and taking a hit by veteran safety Andrew Cisco. Next, he converted a third-and-6 by drawing pass interference on premier cornerback Sauce Gardner.

On the first drive, Romeo Doubs couldn’t get enough separation from Gardner, who denied completions on first and third down. Golden got that separation.

“I think for anybody, especially coming in as a rookie, practice is one thing but then, obviously, you’ve got to go out there and do it in a game,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “M.G., I’ve seen a lot of great things from him in practice, and to go out there and execute a slant route like that and then obviously draw the P.I., it’s two good reps for him right there. 

“But there’s going to be so much more that we’re going to have to build on to keep building this thing, keep figuring each other out and understanding timing and different things like that.”

4. Don’t Cut Mecole Hardman Just Yet