Two down, one to go. Now it’s week three, and the Packers head into their third and final preseason game with a 1-1 record. The first preseason game against the Jets was an ugly one. The game against the Colts was better, but still not the cleanest game. There is one more opportunity this preseason for the Packers to get some quality game-like work in before the regular season is here.
“I think there’s value every time you go out and compete,” said head coach Matt LaFleur last Saturday. “You’re always striving to win. It always feels good to win. That’s the name of the game.” Regardless of what the coaches say publicly, they don’t care whether the team wins or loses a preseason game. They aren’t planning or scheming up advantageous situations for their players; they want to see their players win their matchups and how they compete. If they win, great. But the preseason win-loss total doesn’t matter.
It’s not yet known which players will suit up for Saturday’s preseason finale. The Packers have a lengthy injury report, and they may choose to hold some players out if they have been recently injured. Any starters who are healthy should be preparing to play. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com shared that Malik Willis will play a decent amount against Seattle. So will some or most of the starters. It likely won’t be a long run, but don’t expect the Packers to have 30 players inactive for the game.
The players who do suit up should be chomping at the bit to get back onto the field to redeem themselves after last weekend’s disappointing performance. The Colts, on the other hand, will play many of their starters for about a quarter. It should be a great opportunity for some of the young Packers looking to make their mark. Before Saturday’s game, the Packers and Colts will participate in a joint practice this afternoon at 1:50 PM CT. Here’s everything you need to know heading into the weekend, including when, where, how to watch or listen, and what the forecast looks like.
- 📅 Saturday, August 23rd
- 🕗 3:30 CT
- 📍 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI
- 📺 NFL Network; Packers TV Network
- 📻 Packers Radio Network Affiliates
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What to Watch For
Final Positional Battles
Elgersma vs. Clifford
Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma are battling for that third quarterback spot. The Packers aren’t going to keep three quarterbacks on their active roster, but they will likely keep either Clifford or Elgersma on their practice squad. “I feel like in the games I’ve gotten into so far, I’ve felt extremely comfortable,” Clifford said. “I feel like I’m seeing the field really well, and I thought that was on display on Saturday this past weekend.” Clifford’s experience had given him a slight edge throughout camp, but it was Elgersma who got the most run last Saturday.
Despite the lack of experience, Elgersma’s talent is evident. “As soon as I picked up the football and started playing, I realized this is what I’m made to do,” Elgersma said. “I feel like I have the skill-set and the physicality and the size, the arm and the brain to be a quarterback. It’s just about putting it all together.” Elgersma got better as the game went on. The more he plays, the better he will get. The Packers will have a decision to make: keep the older, safer player? Or keep the talented, unknown player?
Heath vs. Hardman
It’s not a given that the Packers keep either player. They might be content with keeping only five wide receivers (Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Golden, and Williams). If the Packers decide to keep six, Heath probably has the upper hand. He has consistently gotten reps with the first-team offense, and he contributes on multiple phases of special teams. His training camp hasn’t been outstanding, but he’s been with the team for a few seasons, is a willing blocker, and has continued to get better throughout the preseason.
Hardman’s only chance to make the team is as a returner. He hasn’t gotten many reps with the first-team offense, and he doesn’t play special teams other than returning punts. The Packers could use a punt returner, though, and Hardman is an All-Pro return man. Hardman isn’t going to offer much on offense. He lines up primarily in the slot and won’t contribute much as a blocker. Hardman seems to be behind Heath in this competition right now, but there’s still time for that to change.
Colby Wooden vs. Warren Brinson vs. Nazir Stackhouse
The Packers are probably looking at keeping five interior defensive linemen, but six isn’t impossible. Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks are all locked into three of the spots, leaving Wooden, Brinson, and Stackhouse to battle out the last two spots. Wooden had a quiet start to training camp, but had a breakout game against the Jets. He has continued to get more priority reps than the rookies. It seems as though he is trending towards being the fourth man, but a solid performance this weekend would solidify that.
The Packers are giving Brinson as many opportunities as possible to make his mark. He’s played 71 preseason snaps thus far and is bound to play quite a bit against Seattle. Brinson offers more versatility than his competition, and the fact that he’s a draft pick also works in his favor. Brinson has shown his potential both in practice and games, but he needs to show more consistency. He’ll have one more chance to show the Packers why they drafted him.
Stackhouse is the rookie looking to make the team after going undrafted. He started training camp with a bang. He was making plays day after day. Once the preseason games started, his performance plateaued. He has continued to show flashes, but he hasn’t been reliable or consistent. His skill set works in his favor, though. He profiles as a big run-stuffer, and the Packers don’t have anyone else on the roster like that after losing T.J. Slaton in free agency. He’s been a fun player to follow throughout camp, but he will need a strong performance on Saturday to make the team.
Isaiah Simmons vs. Kristian Welch
Simmons has been one of the most disappointing players in the first two preseason games. There’s really not a nice way to describe his performance – it’s been bad. He has the lowest graded linebacker grade this preseason per PFF at 27.6. He offers versatility and production on special teams, but he needs to show that the team can trust him on the defensive side of the ball to justify keeping him on the team. Two weeks ago, Simmons was getting reps with the first-team defense and looked like a lock to make the team. He needs to perform well this weekend, or he’s going to lose a spot on the team.
Welch is the same guy every day. He isn’t great at anything, but he’s solid at everything. He’s known for his special teams’ prowess. Despite being sixth on the linebacker depth chart, the Packers have kept him on the top special teams units. He has made plays on defense, too. This is two seasons in a row that Welch has performed in the preseason. If Simmons continues to struggle and Welch steps up again, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Welch make the 53-man roster instead.
Kamal Hadden vs. Kalen King vs. Micah Robinson vs. Corey Ballentine
The battle for the fifth cornerback spot is as wide open as any. Hadden seemed to have the edge going into last weekend’s game against the Colts, despite missing a lot of time due to a hip injury. He was the starting outside corner opposite of Bo Melton. Unfortunately, he didn’t play very well. Hadden was bound to be rusty after missing so much time, but he couldn’t really afford an outing that poorly. Hadden needs an excellent week to show the Packers that his poor game against the Colts was due to his injury and missed practice time.
Unlike Hadden, King has performed fairly well throughout training camp. He has recorded a number of pass breakups throughout practice. Both preseason games have been strong, too. The biggest thing working against him is that he primarily plays slot cornerback. The Packers already have two or three guys who can play in the slot, so they might be looking for someone who can play on the perimeter. If King continues to perform well, it would be hard to leave King off the team regardless of where he lines up.
Micah Robinson has consistently been behind Melton and Hadden on the depth chart, but he’s quietly been steady. He doesn’t have the interceptions or pass deflections that some of his peers have, but his coverage has been consistent, and he continues to improve. Robinson even got some reps with the first-team kickoff unit. If the position battle doesn’t reveal a clear winner, the Packers may opt to keep Robinson on the roster since he was a draft pick. Another solid performance this weekend wouldn’t hurt his cause, either.
Ballentine is one of the biggest wild cards in this positional battle. He’s the oldest and most experienced, but he’s best known for his strong play on special teams. Ballentine has gotten the fewest snaps this preseason, but that could be because the Packers already know what he offers, and he joined the team later. Ballentine has proven he can step in on defense in a pinch and be serviceable. The Packers could play it safe and keep Ballentine around, but they may not want to risk one of the other three during roster cutdowns.
Finalizing the Starting Offensive Line
Jordan Morgan or Rasheed Walker? That’s the question everyone is asking. Rasheed Walker has been the starter for the last two seasons, and he’s been an above-average tackle. At the start of training camp, general manager Brian Gutekunst said, “It’s an open competition, but when you have 37 starts under your belt, there’s a comfort level that something would have to overtake that.” Well, that something has come. Walker has missed a lot of time this preseason due to injury, and it’s allowed Morgan to get a lot of work at left tackle.
The coaches have really liked what they’ve seen from Morgan through two preseason games, and it’s easy to understand why. Morgan has a 91.0 pass blocking grade per PFF in the two games, which is an elite number. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenovich shared, “I’ve liked it. He’s done a really good job, and that was the big thing to see how he goes out there and plays. He played against a really good D-end yesterday and did a good job. It was encouraging to see him out there, and it was good to see.”
The competition is wide open, per head coach Matt LaFleur, but that doesn’t have Walker too worried. “No one likes having injuries and stuff, but I feel like I play my best and I’m more valuable to the team when I’m healthy, so I had to take some time to get back healthy, and I had a minor injury,” Walker said on Monday, per Paul Bretl. “But coming back, I feel like I’ve picked up right where I left off, but when I came back today, I just tried to be really on top of my stuff to really show myself that I haven’t really dropped off or anything.”
It sounds as if both Morgan and Walker will get some work this weekend. Walker has 37 regular-season starts that have shown what he’s capable of, but Morgan (a former first-round pick) has really come into his own, too. At this point, it’s impossible to know what the Packers are going to do. “If we think these guys are good enough to be starters, and we just rotate guys, I’m comfortable with that,” said Adam Stenavich previously. It’s not a common approach, but one the Packers don’t seem to shy away from.
Luckily, the Packers have two guys who seem to be approaching the battle the right way. “I just come to work every day and go to work,” Walker said. “That’s all you can do. I’m a team-first guy. I’m with the Green Bay Packers, so shoot, I’m gonna come to work every day and do my job.”
Monitoring the Injury Report
The medical and training staff were busy this week. 16 players sat out of practice on Monday, and 14 on Tuesday. Amongst those who missed practice this week are Zayne Anderson (knee), Aaron Banks (back), Omar Brown (chest/lung), Kenny Clark (back), CB Nate Hobbs (knee), RB MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring), Xavier McKinnney (calf), Jacob Monk (hamstring), Collin Oliver (hamstring), Jayden Reed (foot), Barryn Sorrell (knee), Lukas Van Ness (back), Christian Watson (knee), Dontayvion Wicks (calf), John Williams (back), and Savion Williams (hamstring).
Clark and Van Ness returned to practice on Tuesday, and there didn’t seem to be much concern with those injuries long-term. “No concern. Just dealing with the back. We’ve got a bunch of guys dealing with backs right now,” said LaFleur. “It must have been those soft beds that we stayed at for a few days.” Unfortunately, it seems some of the other injuries will be longer-term.
There are a handful of players who can’t afford to miss any practice or games, though. Jacob Monk has been battling for a backup spot on the offensive line all of camp, and he needs another strong performance against Seattle to secure a spot. Savion Williams still has not played in a preseason game, which isn’t ideal for any rookie. Ideally, the Packers won’t play any of their starters who are banged up, but the team will want to see their younger players if at all possible. Hopefully, this injury report can start to shrink.
What to Expect from the Seahawks
Early on in training camp, Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald shared that the plan for this week was to give his starters a lot of reps in the joint practice, but not play in the preseason finale. “This is an opportunity for our ones and twos to be in this environment, practice against a good team, and get some great work in,” MacDonald said. “We’ll see how the joint practice goes, on how we want to play guys.”
MacDonald heads into his second year as the head coach of the Seahawks. He led the team to a 10-7 record, which was tied for the best record in the NFC West. Klint Kubiak heads up the offense. Justin Outten, the former tight ends coach for the Packers, is also on the offensive staff. Aden Durde is the defensive coordinator, but MacDonald calls the defense. Kirk Olivadotti, who spent time as the Packers’ linebacker coach, is also on the defensive staff. Jay Harbaugh, Jim’s son, is the special teams coordinator.
It was an active offseason for Seattle. They traded away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, but added Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, and DeMarcus Lawrence. They also brought back key contributors Ernest Jones and Jarran Reed. The Seahawks added a lot of quality talent via the draft, too. First-round pick Grey Zabel should help improve their offensive line. Second-round pick Nick Emmanwori will be expected to contribute in the defensive secondary. They also drafted quarterback Jalen Milroe, who presents a much different profile than Darnold. There are a lot of new faces in Seattle.
The Packers’ defensive backs will have their work cut out for them. Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njiba are both proven, productive wide receivers who can line up all over the defense. It will be interesting to see how the Packers’ secondary holds up. On the other side of the ball, the Packers’ wide receivers will also be tested. Seattle has some talented players in their secondary, including Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Julian Love, and Devon Witherspoon. It’s definitely a matchup to watch over the next few days.
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