Week one of the 2018 NFL Preseason has already come and
gone. Let’s dive right in and take a look at what the Packers did. It was an
impressive showing on Thursday night for the Packers. If the score is
important, they defeated the Titans, 31-17. It’s not the score that was impressive,
but rather how the players listened to the coaches, made adjustments on
defense, and how the back up quarterbacks gave it their best shot. Keep in mind that the Packers and Steelers face off this Thursday night.
Packers quarterbacks- Brett Hundley started the game for the
Packers as has become standard protocol in Green Bay for week one of the
preseason. He played decently. Hundley
finished the day 9-14 for 108 yards and a touchdown. However, he also had a bad
interception in the first half which negates much of what he did. Remember
though, they have seen this before from Hundley, great preseason performance,
so keep that in mind. To be honest, I
don’t think that there is much Hundley can do to lose his roster spot. Deshone
Kizer meanwhile got off to a slow start, and finished strong, going 9-18 for
134 yards. He was replaced by Tim Boyle, who had a monster finish to the game,
going 7-15 for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Boyle might be pushing hard to
pull the upset and be the backup quarterback this season. That is unlikely, as
he’s a young “pocket passer” without much in the way of running ability. He had
two deep ball passes that impressed the fans, but he’s a very raw talent.
Packers Receivers- The rookies and veterans looked great, save
for J’Mon Moore. “MVS”, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, finished the
night with 5 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Jake Kumerow, who won’t likely
make the roster and is playing to make it on another team’s roster, finished
with three catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. His age is working against
him, as well as the fact that the Packers invested a ton of money on receivers in
this past draft. Equanimous St. Brown,
who is pushing hard to be the fourth or possibly third receiver, finished with four catches for 61 yards. J’Mon Moore
meanwhile finished with 3 catches for 27 yards. One “bad” preseason game
doesn’t mean you discard a highly talented rookie receiver. Remember what
people once said about Davante Adams.
So what are we looking for this upcoming Thursday night at
Lambeau Field? For starters, we have the debut of Aaron Rodgers. How will that rebuilt collarbone feel
for Aaron, after healing during offseason ? Does he still have the same arm
strength? Can he still be Aaron Rodgers? We will find out. Also, fans would
like to see a better game out of the running backs when compared to last week. Granted, the starting offensive
line wasn’t in full form last week, but none of the running backs were very
effective. It will also be time for the tight ends to take the field, which
includes Jimmy Graham. This upcoming game will feature more of the starters on
both sides of the ball. At the end of the day, fans want to see the starters
get off the field without injury, and for the rookies to get more playing time
in before it all starts for real.
