This is your giant disclaimer that, as we all know, this was a preseason game. This game, in the grand scheme, does not matter.
That being said, whew boy.
In what can only be described as a wet, defeated sound of a whoopee cushion deflating (you know what I'm talking about), the Packers return to Lambeau Field was not a triumphant one. It was a far cry from last season's preseason debut, in which Jordan Love hit Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown on the third play of the game. Believe it or not (it's true though), that 65 yard pass was more yards than all four quarterbacks managed to combine for on Saturday night. The defense was gashed, the offense could not stop holding, and everyone who watched that game probably walked away with a bad taste in their mouth. It being preseason, the team is able to walk away from this bout without a blemish on their regular season record, and really, if the team is going to get their ass kicked, it's probably better that it happens during the preseason. Last year it happened in Denver, and the team responded well with a win against the Ravens the following week. The Packers will attempt to do it again, beginning with a joint practice against the Colts, to be held on Aug. 14.
Colby Wooden & the entire second team defensive line
It looks like the offseason weight Colby Wooden put on over the summer has paid it's dividens. Big 96 was everywhere, swatting balls, stuffing runs and producing disruption at every turn. He wasn't alone either, and the entire second team defensive line was by far the best unit the Packers had on the field tonight. Rookie DE Barryn Sorrell had himself a nice game as well, coming on particularly in the third quarter. Nazir Stackhouse followed up on his impressive training camp with an impressive performance, and the undrafted addition appears to be a near-lock to make the final 53 roster. We can keep going, as Warren Brinson and Kingsley Enegbare also contributed nice showings. The Packers lack of depth on the DL was a weakness last season, which makes this group certainly one to keep an eye on as the preseason unfolds.
Daniel Wheilan & Brandon McManus
The Packers newfound stability in the kicking department continued on Saturday night. Brandon McManus has been near-perfect through training camp so far, and nailed his lone field goal attempt tonight. Rookie kicker and Ireland native Mike McNamee, despite arriving in Green Bay on Friday after a lengthy visa issue, handled kickoff duties with seeming ease. Punter Daniel Wheilan was the star, however. His 63 yard punt in the first quarter was impressive enough, but over his six punt workload he averaged 52 yards per, and
Amar Johnson's got zip
The Packers may have found themselves another stud UDFA. Johnson was a standout at the FCS level with South Dakota State, amassing over 3000 yards in his time with the Jackrabbits and brought some major pop to a Packers rushing attack that looked as flat as the rest. Contributing the team's only touchdown on the game is probably enough for a game ball all by itself, but Johnson looked good all night. The backfield is crowded on first glance, but with injuries to Lloyd and Wilson, Johnson will continue to get opportunities to showcase his 4.46 speed, and as the team searches for returners in both the punt and kick games, I wonder if Johnson will get more looks there.
Return of the Drops
It was the talking point all offseason. It was the thing that held the offense back, and it was supposed to be gone. It wasn't though, and the discourse will continue on. Five drops later, and it's items 1,2 and 3 for me. I've heard all the talk about how drops don't usually carry over season to season, but until I see a game with zero drops, it's an issue. Here's the thing too: consistent, recurring drops are mainly a mental issue, and I guarantee that the Packers receivers have heard the discourse themselves. The Malik Heath drop especially, to me, looked like a failure of concentration. Is this an issue the wide receiver room needs to conquer together?
3rd Down Conversions... or lack thereof
Look, I know it's a vanilla playbook. I know there's very little to be found in the way of offensive scheme, or real game planning. But anytime you go 1/10 on third down conversions in a game.is a game that you have to declare as a total disaster. There was a horrifying familiarity to the way the Jets managed to find wide open receivers in the middle of the field over and over and over, while the Packers just couldn't get out of their own way. From penalties, to the aforementioned drops, turnovers and everything in between. Again, for emphasis: 1 for 10 on third downs.
Jacob Monk & Mecole Hardman
On an individual level, there's not many ways to have a worse game than these two did, especially for a pair of players who were trending in the right direction to making the 53 man roster. Hardman especially had a very clear and obvious path, namely punt returns. Hardman's mistakes on return duties came in the second quarter, where first, despite being within the five yard line and with multiple Jets barring down on him, didn't call a fair catch or let the ball roll into the end zone. Instead, the Jets had a touchdown three plays later. Then the muffed punt, leading to another three points. Being the only player on the entire team with Superbowl experience, I had figured the Packers would lean towards keeping Hardman on the team, but with performances like this, that window may be closing.
Monk meanwhile, also turned in a disappointing performance. Three holding penalties and a sack allowed on third down won't earn you any brownie points with Matt LaFluer & Co. Despite being a fifth round pick last season, Monk was a healthy scratch during the stretch of late-season games last year, usually a sign of a player being in the doghouse with the coaches. Monk has seen reps at both center and guard during training camp, but he'll likely need to settle in at a spot and work his whopee cushion off to feel his seat cool down.
-- I was at the preseason game against Denver last year, and I can comfortably say that game was the most frustrating preseason experience in my time as a Packers fan. This one comes close though. The first team looked like they had zero chemistry out there, and it wasn't until the second stringers were playing each other that both teams looked like a real matchup. "Frustrating" is my word of the day, no doubt compounded by this being the first taste of real football we've had since February, and longer still since the Green and Gold have been in Lambeau.
-- Isreal Abanikanda was on kick return duty tonight, and had himself a solid showing in that role. Over five returns, he averaged 29.5 yards with a long of 36. His counterparts on the Jets also had a good day returning the ball, fielding three kicks and averaging 29.6 yards. Wait, why am I mentioning the Jets players? Why am I talking about the number of kick returns? Because they actually happened.
As we all know, the kickoff rules drastically changed before the 2024 season, which led to an epidemic of touchbacks all season long, as teams choose to allow touchbacks that would come out to the thirty yard line, rather than risk an actual return. This offseason, that rule was changed again, this time to move the touchbacks out to the 35 yard line, in order to encourage more returns. Through one game, the rule change seems to have done it's job. In the week one preseason game against the Browns last year, the Packers only had a single return compared to five this year. If there are no notable increase in injuries on kickoff plays, the NFL seems to have struck a happy medium.
-- Avoiding injuries is the name of the game in preseason, but we found out before the game even started that Jayden Reed is in a walking boot. It's unclear what exactly the injury there is, though Adam Schefter did call it a "sprained foot" on twitter. According to Matt LaFluer, his availability against the Lions is unfortunately in question, and he joins Xavier McKinney in being shut down for the remainder of the preseason. Reed himself described the injury as happening while making a cut at practice.
Packers WR Jayden Reed, who was in a walking boot today, on if his injury is a major concern or not👇
“I don’t wanna be wrong about anything. So I ain’t gonna be the one to say.” pic.twitter.com/pZ5qy8vG6X
— 97.3 The Game (@TheGameMKE) August 10, 2025
The Packers escaped the game without any obvious injuries to starters, and hopefully Zanye Anderson, Corey Ballentine and Aaron Mosby's injuries are all minor.