Packers @ 49ers Preseason Preview: What to Watch For

The Green Bay Packers will fly out to California this week to take on the San Francisco 49ers for an exhibition match to kick off the 2022-2023 season. The Packers are unlikely to play many starters during this game, but there will be some clarity on who’s who when it comes to the depth of the eventual 53-man roster.

What’s On The Line?

Jordan Love will take the start at QB for the Packers and he’ll be facing Trey Lance, at least for a portion of the game, in what will be a battle of young first round quarterbacks.

The Packers would be smart to see as much of Jordan Love in the preseason as they feel comfortable with. You of course don’t want your only viable backup QB taking any serious injuries, but this is a crucial point in Love’s career to see how he’s developed and what kind of tools he’s got under his belt. Even if the Packers intended to trade Love and keep Rodgers around for another 2-3 years it’s still crucial that they allow him to put some plays on tape this preseason.

There are also some questions to be answered about the wide receivers on this team. How many will be kept around on the initial roster? Who is a lock to make the roster this fall? It’s becoming a point of contention to say that Sammy Watkins is a lock to make the roster, but if he sits for a significant chunk of Friday’s game it may imply he’s being treated as a starter — much like he has throughout all of training camp.

There will also be some clarity about depth throughout the course of the preseason. There have been questions about depth along the defensive and offensive lines that can only be answered so much by an unofficial training camp depth chart. Friday is one of three chances that stands to show us how this roster is going to shake out, and who is going to be directly behind the starters on opening day against the Vikings.

The last reason to catch this game is because football is back. We get to see two young first round quarterbacks sling the ball around as a bunch of guys try to secure their spots on rosters. Preseason games have no stakes when it comes to the win or loss collum, but rest assured there is still some fun to be had.

The Packers will take on the 49ers in their preseason debut on Friday night, at 5:30 local time.

Zack is a college student and cheesehead from California. When he’s not in class or writing, you can find him talking about the Packers on Twitter at @Zack_Upchurch.

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