Kicker Trey Smart had a nice NFL debut. (Photo: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, USA TODAY Sports)
By Mark Eckel
There wasn't a lot of good to come out of the Green Bay Packers first preseason game — a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Let's start with the obvious — rookie kicker Trey Smack, the team's sixth-round pick out of Florida, was perfect. Smack made three field goals, actually four, and two were from 58 yards out. His first 58-yarder was good, but there was a penalty on Pittsburgh that resulted in a first down for the Packers.
Smack had some concerned when he struggled early in training camp. Not only were all of his field goal attempts good they were all right down the middle. His kickoffs were good too, pinning Pittsburgh inside the 25 every time.
What else was good in the 19-point loss?
Skyy Moore, a free agent pickup from San Francisco, looked good on his lone punt return — a 14 yarder. Moore also had an 11-yard catch and a six-yard run.
The first-team pass rush was impressive. Lukas Van Ness got a sack and was active in his brief action. Brenton Cox also had a sack and forced one of the few Steelers throw-aways. Warren Brinson missed as easy of a sack as he'll ever see, but got inside pressure and had a tackle for a loss.
New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon showed early he's going to blitz and he's going to blitz everyone from both of his linebackers to his safeties.
Finally, maybe the best news of the night was running back MarShawn Lloyd played, carried the ball four times (for 13 yards) and came away healthy.
Here are some other take-aways from the preseason opener.
Old Friends: Much was made pre-game about the Packers facing their old quarterback and old head coach in Aaron Rodgers (who did not play) and Mike McCarthy. Not much was mentioned about tight end Robert Tonyan and running back Lew Nichols. Tonyan caught four passes for 61 yards and set up Nichols one-yard touchdown run.
Battle for QB2: It is expected that veteran Tyrod Taylor will be Jordan Love's backup this season and Kyle McCord will fight for a spot on the practice squad. It's just one preseason game, but McCord looked a lot better than the 37-year-old Taylor. McCord, who had one bad decision when he took a sack on third down that might have cost the team a field-goal attempt, was 12-for-16 for 102 yards. He took the offense to a field goal at the end of half with a 46-second drive. And then put them ahead with a field-goal drive in the third quarter. Taylor looked his age with a 4-for-8, 21-yard effort.
Bad Backups: The second-team defense, along with projected starting cornerback Keisean Nixon struggled badly. How badly? Pittsburgh's trio of quarterbacks, which did not include Rodgers completed 27 of 33 passes for 313 yards. Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Aller all finished with QB ratings over 100.
Well Guarded: Rookie Jager Burton and Jacob Monk started at guard and from all indications played well, especially in pass protection. Jordan Love, who played just one series and took the team to a Smack field goal , had plenty of time on all five of his pass attempts.
Injuries: Offensive lineman Darien Kennard and defensive tackle Anthony Campbell both suffered leg injuries. It's not known how serious either was.
5 Things To Watch For - Packers vs Steelers
It's Preseason Week One! The Green Bay Packers head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in Preseason Week One. While it's only Preseason, the starters on each side are expected to have a few drives each. Here is five things to watch for as Jordan Love takes on his former mentor, Aaron Rodgers once again.
GREEN BAY, WI: The Green Bay Packers head to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in Preseason Week One. While it's only Preseason, the starters on each side are expected to have a few drives each. Here are five things to watch for as Jordan Love takes the field against an opponent for the first time in the 2026-27 Season.
1. STARTERS
Matt LaFleur stated that the players going through team, including starters, "should be ready to play" come tonight. While that could mean only certain players, or even change, it will be interesting to see who takes the field, and for how long. When you look at the starters, while they might only get a drive or two, it will be big to see who can make an impact in the limited snaps tonight. Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed are going through warm-ups fully dressed, but it isn't confirmed if they are playing or not as of now. Should they take the field, it will be interesting to see what having three defined starting Wide Receivers can do for an offense, as well as Jordan Love.
2. The Second Team
When you look past the starters, the second team, even the third team for depth, are just as big to watch tonight as the starters. The depth that will make up the back end of this team will be a huge thing, as it is for every team. The offense, commanded by Tyrod Taylor, will look to gain some momentum on the backs of a few camp standouts in J. Michael Sturdivant, Isaiah Neyor, as well as Will Sheppard as they all look to show who can be a seventh receiver on this team. Taylor will look to show his veteran presence once again tonight as the offense will look to put up a good showing. On the defensive side, you will have a lot of guys rotating in and out, but the biggest part will be to see who gets a lot of those snaps, as well as who appears to be getting promoted up to the second-team guys as well.
3. Camp Standouts
A few names that I will be watching for tonight besides the big standouts in Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, and Brandon Cisse will be some guys on the depth teams. A few names I have picked out start with MarShawn Lloyd, or tonight's Running Back One. Lloyd, who is looking to put together his first healthy season, has still shown the explosive nature that he has always had during this Training Camp. If healthy, his speed can add a new dimension to the Packers' Offense. A few other names for me personally include Receivers, J Michael Sturdivant, Isaiah Neyor, and Will Sheppard, as well as Cornerback, Jaylin Simpson. All four of those players have been all over the field with the 2's and 3's, sometimes even earning reps with the 1's. I expect those four to show out in some form tonight, but it will be interesting to see who becomes the most consistent. When looking at the trenches, some names to watch include Anthony Campbell and Nazir Stackhouse along the Defensive Line, while Jager Burton will be one to watch on the Offensive Line.
4. Position Battles
One of the biggest parts of these games is the position battles that go on throughout camp. A few that I am looking for tonight include the Cornerback Room, the Quarterback Room, specifically Quarterback Three, as well as who can fill in the depth on the Defensive Line tonight. I expect both Kyle McCord and Kyron Drones to get a lot of time tonight, so it will be interesting to see who can separate themselves.
5. Young Stars
The young stars on this team are too many to name in just one line, but there are plenty of them playing tonight. The headliners are the receiver trio of Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, and Jayden Reed, as well as Brandon Cisse, Evan Williams, Xavier McKinney, and company, who headline the Defense. While their snaps may be limited, it will be exciting to see who can make an immediate impact for the starters when they take the field in Pittsburgh tonight.
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