If the first preseason game left us with more questions than answers, Week 2 finally gave Packers fans something to feel good about.
Green Bay walked into Denver and came away with a 33-13 win over the Broncos, but as always, the final score of a preseason game means very little. What mattered was how the players who will actually be on the field in September performed—and for the most part, there was a lot to like.
Jordan Love and the starting offense got one possession. That’s all they needed.
The Packers marched 63 yards on 12 plays, converted multiple key downs and finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown from Love to MarShawn Lloyd. It wasn’t perfect, but it was exactly the type of drive you wanted to see from an offense that will likely be asked to carry this team early in the season.
After spending most of the offseason talking about question marks, injuries and position battles, Friday night finally offered a glimpse of what this offense could look like when everything starts coming together.
And perhaps most importantly, MarShawn Lloyd finally gave us a reason to believe.
MarShawn Lloyd Is the Missing Piece
I’ve written about it before, and I’m going to continue saying it until he either proves me right a healthy MarShawn Lloyd can completely change this offense.
Friday night was our first real glimpse of it.
Lloyd finished Green Bay’s opening possession by catching an 11-yard touchdown from Jordan Love on a choice route out of the backfield. It wasn’t some spectacular 60-yard run or broken-play touchdown, but that’s almost what made it more encouraging.
It showed how Matt LaFleur can actually use him.
Josh Jacobs is still the unquestioned RB1 and one of the most important players on this offense. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. But Lloyd offers something different. His acceleration and ability as a receiver give Green Bay a legitimate change of pace without forcing the offense to completely change personnel.
For the first two seasons of his career, we’ve mostly talked about Lloyd in hypotheticals.
If he can stay healthy.
If he can get on the field.
If he can finally put everything together.
At some point, those “ifs” have to turn into production. Friday was a small step, but it was still a step.
If Lloyd can stay healthy and become a legitimate weapon behind Jacobs, LaFleur suddenly has another player defenses have to account for every time he’s on the field.
That’s something this offense has been missing.
Jordan Love Looked Ready
Jordan Love’s night wasn’t long, but it didn’t need to be.
Love completed 5-of-7 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, finishing with a 134.5 passer rating. More importantly, he looked comfortable and in control of the offense.
That’s really all I wanted to see.
The Packers didn’t need Love playing three quarters of a preseason game. They needed him to get onto the field, command the huddle, move the offense and leave healthy.
Mission accomplished.
One of my favorite plays from the drive was Love finding Matthew Golden for 20 yards on fourth-and-short. Green Bay used play action, rolled Love outside and Golden found space over the middle to extend the drive.
It’s another small example of the connection we’ve heard about throughout training camp between Love and Golden.
Golden doesn’t need 10 catches in a preseason game to prove anything. At this point, I think we’ve seen enough throughout camp to know he’s going to have a significant role in this offense.
The starting offense took the field, moved the football and scored a touchdown.
Pack it up. See you Week 1.
Trey Smack Might Have Solved the Kicker Problem
Remember when we were worried about Trey Smack?
That feels like a long time ago.
After another perfect night in Denver, Smack has gone from one of my biggest concerns entering the preseason to someone I feel increasingly comfortable with heading into the regular season.
Smack went 4-for-4 on field goals Friday, connecting from 38, 43, 51 and 59 yards while also making all three extra points.
A 59-yard field goal in the preseason doesn’t automatically mean Green Bay has found its kicker for the next decade, and Denver obviously isn’t the worst environment for kicking a football. But you can’t ask him to do much more than what he’s done through two games.
The biggest thing for Smack was always going to be confidence and consistency.
Training camp had its ups and downs. There were misses from distance and enough inconsistency to make you wonder whether Green Bay made the right decision going into the season without a veteran option.
Then the games started.
Suddenly, he can’t miss.
There will eventually be a miss. That’s football. What I’m more interested in seeing is how he responds when that happens.
For now, though, Packers fans can breathe a little easier.
The Offensive Line Still Isn’t Settled
Of course, I can’t write about this Packers team without bringing up the offensive line.
I’ve spent enough time talking about it over the past few weeks, but Friday didn’t completely eliminate my concerns.
Jacob Monk got the start at right guard, while Jager Burton continued to receive opportunities as Green Bay sorts through its interior offensive line combinations. Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele didn’t play despite returning to practice, leaving the Packers without two players they expect to be important pieces up front.
There were some encouraging moments, but the group still isn’t where it needs to be.
The good news is that we’re starting to get some clarity.
Jordan Morgan appears to have established himself at left tackle. Sean Rhyan looks comfortable at center. Zach Bako-Bewele should eventually return to right tackle.
That leaves the two guard positions.
Maybe Banks returns and immediately stabilizes the left side. Maybe Monk continues to make the right guard position his own. Maybe Burton develops into the versatile interior backup Green Bay needs.
But with Week 1 approaching quickly, the Packers need to stop experimenting soon and start building continuity.
At some point, your starting five needs to actually play together.
Don’t Forget About Will Sheppard
The Packers’ wide receiver room is crowded, which makes what Will Sheppard did Friday night even more important.
Sheppard finished with six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown, including an impressive score from Tyrod Taylor where he secured the football and managed to get his foot down near the boundary.
These are exactly the types of performances that win players roster spots.
Matthew Golden, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed aren’t going anywhere. Savion Williams has a defined role and enough upside that he’s essentially guaranteed a spot as well.
That leaves a limited number of opportunities behind them.
Throughout camp, we’ve talked about J. Michael Sturdivant, Isaiah Neyor and others competing for those final receiver spots. Now Sheppard has firmly inserted himself into that conversation.
The unfortunate part was seeing Sturdivant leave after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit. Hopefully he’s able to get healthy quickly because he’s been one of the more interesting young receivers throughout camp.
But the NFL doesn’t stop because someone gets hurt.
Sheppard got his opportunity Friday night and took advantage of it.
Brandon Cisse’s Injury Scare
For about five minutes Friday night, Packers fans probably collectively held their breath when Brandon Cisse left the game with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury.
Fortunately, early indications are that it isn’t anything serious.
Cisse has arguably been the biggest defensive riser of training camp and has put himself in position to play significant snaps at cornerback this season.
Against Denver, he only played six defensive snaps, but one of them came against Courtland Sutton, where Cisse stayed with him downfield and forced Bo Nix to throw the football over both players.
That’s exactly what I wanted to see.
We’ve heard all summer about what Cisse is doing in practice. Eventually, you want to see whether it translates when he’s lining up across from legitimate NFL receivers.
So far, it has.
I’ve made my feelings about Green Bay’s cornerback situation pretty clear over the past few weeks. The Packers need someone to emerge opposite Benjamin St-Juste, and I’d much rather see the rookie earn that opportunity than go through another season hoping Keisean Nixon suddenly becomes something he hasn’t consistently shown he can be.
If Cisse is healthy, I think he needs to be on the field.
A Much Better Showing
Week 1 of the preseason was ugly.
Green Bay lost 28-9 to Pittsburgh, struggled to move the football consistently and walked away with plenty of questions.
Week 2 felt completely different.
The starting offense scored a touchdown. Jordan Love looked sharp. MarShawn Lloyd finally found the end zone. Trey Smack continued to look automatic. Young players like Will Sheppard, Pierre Strong Jr. and Mark Perry made plays that will make roster decisions significantly more difficult over the next week.
There were still mistakes. Denver’s starting offense moved the football against Green Bay’s first-team defense, including a 35-yard completion on third down and a 21-yard touchdown to R.J. Harvey.
That can’t be ignored.
This defense will eventually get Micah Parsons back, but until then, other players have to create pressure and prevent explosive plays. Bo Nix and the Broncos provided a good reminder that there is still work to do before Week 1.
But that’s what preseason is for.
The Packers didn’t need to look like a finished product Friday night. They needed to look better than they did against Pittsburgh.
They did.
Now comes the final preseason game against Arizona, followed by roster cuts and the games that actually matter.
For the first time this preseason, Green Bay gave us a glimpse of what this team could look like when things are clicking.
And if Friday night was our last look at Jordan Love and the starting offense before Week 1, I’ll happily take it.
