Green Bay traveled to Denver last night for their second preseason game. After a lackluster performance in their first preseason game against the Steelers, the Packers bounced back well. The Packers defeated the Broncos 33-13. Here’s what you missed.

Special Teams

This is the second game in a row that the special teams unit gets a shoutout. The biggest reason? Rookie kicker Trey Smack.

Trey Smack, once again, had an incredible night. Smack went 4/4 with makes from 38 yards, 43 yards, 51 yards and 59 yards.

Just an absolutely ridiculous kick for the rookie. It’s still early, but Smack seems to be the guy Green Bay was hoping for. Being a rookie, he’s bound to make mistakes along the way, but as of right now, he looks quite good.

Additionally, running back Pierre Strong Jr. had an impressive kick return for 68 yards. Strong, who was drafted by New England in 2022, is fighting for a roster spot. A 68-yard kick return on special teams helps, right?

Offense

The offense seemingly had a much better day than last week against the Steelers. The first drive of the game with the 1s was a fun watch. Jordan Love led the way and was definitely prepared for the Broncos defense.

Love finished 5/7 on the night for 56 yards, one touchdown and a 134.5 rating. His touchdown pass? That was completed to running back Marshawn Lloyd. An incredible night for the Lloyd as he continues to prove his injury misfortunes are over.

The second team offense was commanded by quarterback Kyle McCord, who may have just earned the QB3 spot behind Love and Tyrod Taylor. McCord was 12/19 for 118 yards. A solid performance for a guy who is fighting for a spot on the practice squad.

Will Sheppard, another roster bubble player, had an impressive night as well. Sheppard caught six passes for 47 yards and had an impressive touchdown catch while managing to drag both feet inbounds before being pushed out.

Sheppard brings up the idea that the Packers may want to keep seven WRs. Sheppard’s consistency has outweighed the other WRs he’s in competition with.

Defense

Yes, it is preseason, but the Packers defense bounced back significantly after allowing the Steelers to score 28 last week. With that being said, the performance from the 1s was not that impressive.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix led his offense down the field twice against the Packers starting defense. These drives resulted in 10 points. That’s less than ideal.

The pass rush from the starting defense did not exist last night. Van Ness made no impact. Yes, the Packers are still missing several guys, including Micah Parsons but with Parsons not predicted to return until week 6, this was what everyone was worried about.

The Packers also did not get to see Brandon Cisse in a ton of action last night, as he was banged up and sidelined for precautionary reasons. The state of the cornerback room remains the same.

Despite the underwhelming pass rush performance, the Packers did manage to grab an interception as yet another roster bubble player stepped up. Safety Mark Perry picked off Jarrett Stidham last night.

Perry went undrafted in 2024 and is looking to make his first 53-man roster. That interception may have sealed his fate as he looks to join the crowded safety room.

Onward and Upward

Preseason is important for a number of reasons. It’s important to assess what your team has and the depth at each position. This is the time for coaches to observe who deserves a spot on the 53. It’s also important to be able to see things in real time to see what needs to be tweaked.

The Packers had some highlights against Pittsburgh, though few, they were there. Last night, however, was much more promising and the coaches looked way more aware of what works and what doesn’t. That’s all you can ask for in the preseason.

Green Bay will continue finish out their preseason with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals next Friday. One last game for the coaches and general manager Brian Gutekunst to fully examine their team and prepare for the cuts to come.