Packers Will Kick Off Preseason vs. Jets; Who’s Favored?

The Green Bay Packers will face a familiar foe when they kick off the NFL preseason on Saturday night against the New York Jets.

The Jets’ new head coach is Aaron Glenn, who was the defensive coordinator during the Detroit Lions’ rise to NFL power.

“I think Aaron Glenn does a great job,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before a game against the Lions last year. “They’ve done a really nice job of [producing turnovers]. They’re all punching at the ball.”

Packers-Jets is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday. At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are 2.5-point favorites with an over/under of just 34.5 points.

Of course, the wild card in all preseason games is who will play and who will be kept in bubble wrap on the sideline. Last preseason, Jordan Love threw two passes against Cleveland in the opener, then sat out the rest of the preseason. Josh Jacobs had one carry. Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Christian Watson had zero catches. Xavier McKinney played eight snaps; Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary played only four.

Could the Packers take a more aggressive approach with a focus on “urgency” to start the upcoming season, especially with a Week 1 showdown against the NFC North-rival Detroit Lions on the docket?

Could Glenn play his starters, including quarterback Justin Fields, receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, in hopes of getting his regime off to a fast start? Maybe. Unlike the Packers, the Jets are doing live tackling at training camp.

“I love it because there’s a fine line,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said via The New York Post. “Everybody is worrying about getting hurt, and you know, this is football. But I told the coaching staff, the defensive guys, you see the first two, sometimes three games, guys are losing because of that – missed tackles.

“So, he’s doing a hell of a job because he’s trying to prepare us for exactly what we are going to see. I don’t know how you can go through the process, particularly when some guys may not even play in preseason, and then all of a sudden, when you get to the season, think they are going to be ready to tackle.”

The Packers capped a physical week of practice at Family Night on Saturday. This week, there are three practices before facing the Jets. Next week, there’s a joint practice in Indianapolis before facing the Colts in the preseason. The following week, there’s a joint practice against Seattle before hosting the Seahawks in the preseason finale.

“What a great environment, man,” LaFleur said after Family Night. “That’s great for our football team to get out there and experience our fans in that environment. I think everybody’s juices are flowing to get to our preseason games and get the Jets here next week.”

The Packers will start the regular-season schedule with a Week 1 showdown against the Lions at Lambeau Field. Green Bay is a 1.5-point favorite at FanDuel. Most of the bets and money are on the Lions.