Instant takeaways from Packers Week 1 loss to Eagles

Paul Bretl | 9/6/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Ultimately there were too many miscues and missed opportunities that the Packers had to overcome in what became a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, all that matters at this time is Jordan Love’s health.

As always, and now for the first time during the 2024 regular season, here are my instant takeaways from the Packers’ performance.

Win or lose, the No. 1 priority is Love’s health after he exited the game with an apparent lower leg injury. When Matt LaFleur was asked post-game about Love’s injury, he did not have an update at that time.

“I don’t know,” said LaFleur afterward when asked about Love.

Missed opportunities. At the end of the day, there were too many missed opportunities by the Packers. The offense was just 1-for-4 in the red zone. While the defense forced three turnovers, the Packers scored only nine points off those. Contributing to those missed opportunities were penalties. In total, the Packers were flagged 10 times in this game.

“All of us are responsible – myself, it starts with me, it goes down to our staff and then to our players,” LaFleur said. “I challenged everybody. We’ve got to learn from this because, just watching the tape, and I’m not trying to take anything away from Philly – they battled and they played their game – but I think there was a lot of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on.

“When you don’t do that, you get beat. Specifically, the red area was a huge problem tonight. I would say a year ago we were pretty damned good in that area and we got destroyed in that area tonight.”

Overall, and this can be the case in Week 1, there was rust to shake off. Love completed 50 percent of his passes, including some off-target and off-balanced throws. There were what looked like some dropped passes as well and, in general, the offense could never quite find a consistent rhythm. The defense, meanwhile, was playing in its new system for the first time against a high powered Eagles offense, and that showed.

“It was definitely a sloppy game, I think, from us,” said LaFleur. “There was some uncharacteristic things that we did as a staff, quite frankly, and that trickled down to our players. So, ultimately, we’ve all got to look ourselves hard in the mirror and find ways to get better because tonight, obviously, wasn’t good enough.”

Rotation at right guard. Sean Rhyan took the bulk of the right guard snaps, as expected, but the Packers also had rookie Jordan Morgan worked in every few series as well. As I wrote about earlier in the week, this always felt like the path the Packers were going to go down as it gave Morgan an opportunity to get live reps after missing the entire preseason without having to put it all on his plate.

The offensive line play wasn’t good enough, particularly against the run. After a slow start for Josh Jacobs, the offensive line started to carve some more running lanes for him after halftime. Where the offensive line did struggle was in the red zone–a more condensed part of the field. Where they found some success on the ground was when the offense had the ability to spread the Eagles out, along with using Rhyan as a pulling guard from the right to left side. Without a consistent run game to lean on, it made moving the ball more difficult because of playing behind the sticks and then being in predictable passing situations.

“They was just shooting the gaps,” said Josh Jacobs. “They had a great game plan for the calls that we was calling and once we made adjustments, we kinda did a little better.”

We are going to see a lot of two tight end sets this season, but Tucker Kraft seemed to out-snap Luke Musgrave by quite a bit. Kraft is likely considered the more well-rounded of the two, able to impact both the run and passing games.

For the most part, the Packers defensive front did well containing Jalen Hurts and not letting him get outside the pocket to create many big plays. However, against a stout Eagles’ offensive line, the pressure on Hurst from the Packers front wasn’t all that consistent. We also saw Jeff Hafley send a number of linebacker and nickel cornerback blitzes, but they weren’t all that effective for the most part.

The honeymoon phase is over for Hafley and the new defense. One game–whether it was good or bad–wouldn’t make or break what this 2024 Packers’ defense can be, but against a very good Eagles’ offense that can win on the ground or through the air, they were able to spread the Packers out at times and take advantage of that spacing. Inconsistent pressure plus having to cover AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith resulted in some big passing plays. Missed tackles didn’t help things either.

“I think we’ve just got to be better all around the board execution-wise,” Xavier McKinney said. “I don’t think we, I really don’t think we executed well today and we kind of gave up just little things that, it was like, very uncharacteristic from us. So, we’ve just got to be better all around the board, myself included. So, like I said, we’ll get it fixed once we watch the film and be critical of ourselves, we kind of already know what we could have been better with.”

Coming into the season, the linebacker unit seemed to be the big positional question mark for the Packers and that group took some lumps in this performance. Playing mostly from nickel, Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie played the bulk of the snaps with Eric Wilson the Will linebacker in base–which we saw all of training camp. Edgerrin Cooper saw a few defensive snaps and flashed his speed.

A positive for the defense is that the Packers forced three turnovers, two of which were interceptions. The Packers came away with only seven interceptions in all of 2023. They also were able to get off the field on third downs with the Eagles converting only four of their 14 attempts.

“I thought our defense, to force three takeaways against a really good offense, I feel like you should win the game,” LaFleur said. “The stats will tell you it’s about 90 percent win ratio when you have plus-2 on the ball, but we didn’t capitalize on those opportunities. To come away with nine points off three turnovers, that’s not good enough. That’s not going to get it done.

“Do I think we need to play better defensively? Absolutely. We can’t give up 30-some-odd points a game (garbled audio). That’s usually a recipe for disaster. When I look at it, I think it’s a collective loss.”

With all of the options on offense that the Packers have, we saw a healthy variety of formations and play calls from Matt LaFleur. Jayden Reed led the team in receiving with 105 yards. Reed very much came on strong at the end of training camp, and don’t forget, he led the team in receptions and yards through the 2023 regular season. His speed coupled with how LaFleur uses him in motion makes him a difficult matchup, and he draws a lot of one-on-one matchups with help from the other Green Bay pass catchers.

“Man, with this room,” said Jayden Reed, “it’s any given week, anybody can make those plays I made today in the room. So we’re very dynamic in that room, so I don’t look at it as a wide receiver 1 thing. I think we all are 1s if you ask me.”

Brayden Narveson was 3-for-4 on field goal attempts in his debut and 2-for-2 on extra points. This one game with a miss isn’t going to end Narveson’s tenure with the Packers, but GM Brian Gutekunst did mention that he doesn’t have the patience that he probably needs when it comes to specialists. The Packers know the opportunity in front of them this season and have to get the kicker position correct.

Josh Jacobs’ success a must for Super Bowl hopeful Packers

Paul Bretl | 9/5/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A bounce back season from new Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs feels like a near-must for a team with Super Bowl aspirations in 2024.

With Jordan Love at quarterback, two dynamic tight ends, and six receivers that at any point could be called upon to come up with a big play, the Packers’ offense is going to be good this season. How good, however, I believe will be determined by the play of Jacobs this season.

While Love and the passing game stole the show during the second half of the season, particularly during the Packers’ playoff push and into the playoffs, an elevated running game over those five five games played a key contributor to the overall offense’s success.

From Week 16 through the NFC Divisional round, Aaron Jones rushed for over 100 yards in each of those five games, which included three touchdowns and an impressive 5.7 yards per attempt.

When an offense has a strong run game to lean–even an offense with an explosive passing game–those two elements together can really put opposing defenses in a bind. It sets up short down-and-distance situations, opening up the playbook for Matt LaFleur, and it forces the defense to either defend the entire field or commit to stopping the run, both of which can open up opportunities in the passing game to be exploited.

“I think it just helps open up more things downfield,” said Jordan Love of the run game last season. “Just being able to lean on that run game and just know that we are going to pound out those yards, just keep pushing the ball downfield and I think it’s demoralizing for the defense being able to run the ball.”

Conversely, struggling to pick up yards in the run game puts the offense behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations where the defensive front can pin its ears back the secondary has the advantage in coverage.

Again, if there is a week where picking up yards on the ground isn’t coming easily, the Packers certainly have the talent elsewhere on offense to overcome that. But for the long-term success of this team, including into the playoffs, a steady and reliable run game led by Jacobs will be crucial.

Just one season after being the NFL’s rushing leader in 2022 when Jacobs totaled 1,653 yards on the ground, his production dipped last season. Jacobs finished 2023 with 805 yards at only 3.5 yards per attempt.

As is often the case, there were several factors in play that contributed to his down year. One of which was that Jacobs dealt with injuries, appearing in only 13 games. Jacobs’ offseason last year was also outside of the norm, as he held out during training camp after being franchise-tagged, with a reworked deal not getting done until August 26th. In addition to all of that, the Raiders’ offense could never gain consistent traction either.

Fully healthy this offseason, along with having his contract situation in order, gives Jacobs a leg up compared to this time last year. But the added help around him in the Packers’ offense also contributes to what hopefully becomes a bounce-back season.

Behind the Packers’ offensive line, Green Bay ranked top-10 in yards per carry as a team last season. On top of that, the potential that this Packers’ passing game has with Jordan Love under center and the playmakers at receiver and tight end around him could result in fewer eight-man boxes that Jacobs will have to contend with.

“It helps me a lot,” said Jacobs of the playmakers around him. “Being a running back, obviously (having) guys you have to respect on the outside, it makes my job easier because I’m not facing heavier boxes all the time.

“It also makes my job easier because any given play these guys can create a big play. It makes a lot harder to defend. When you have a special quarterback like Jordan and the way that he plays and the throws that he’s able to make, I think it all goes hand-in-hand with everything. I’m just excited.”

There is also something to be said for playing in Matt LaFleur’s offense, which keeps defenses off-balanced through a variety of looks and provides the running back position with one-on-one opportunities.

“The thing that I like the most is how diverse it is—especially for me,” said Jacobs of LaFleur’s offense. “Like, we can line up wide, we can do dual backs, they have certain packages of personnel that allow me to win, put me in space and be able to win in space. And as a running back that’s all you ask for, get your 1-on-1 matchups and that’s where you can show how special you are.”

At least for the time being, uncertainty at the backup running back role is going to put more on Jacobs’ plate as well. MarShawn Lloyd is still working his way back from a hamstring injury and his status for Friday’s game is up in the air. Emanuel Wilson, meanwhile, also popped up on the injury report this week with a hip injury.

Even if both are available, there are still some unknowns. As an incoming rookie, Lloyd has missed a lot of practice time this summer, and while he is comfortable with the playbook, there’s a big difference between learning it in the class room and applying it on the football field. With Wilson, he’s “still got a ways to go,” as Adam Stenavich put it, in regards to his ability in pass protection.

So for Jacobs, this potentially means handling a heavy workload as the team’s lead back, but that is a role he has previously filled and is very comfortable doing.

“That’s the one thing about Josh, like you just said, what’s nice is he’s been in those roles where you can really lean on him in the run game and everything else,” said Stenavich. “He’s used to that.”

Packers’ CB Eric Stokes preparing to be tested early vs. Eagles’ passing game

Paul Bretl | 9/4/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the Packers’ Week 1 regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Eric Stokes is preparing to be tested early and often in the passing game.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Stokes when asked if he will be targeted early. “I mean, you’ve got Jaire on the other side, of course you’re expecting the ball to come your way.”

Over the previous two seasons, Stokes has appeared in just 12 total games. His 2022 season was cut short due to a Lisfranc injury in Week 9. Then last season, early on he was still recovering from that injury and also dealt with hamstring injuries as well, appearing in only three games.

The 110 defensive snaps that Stokes played in 2023 is far too small of a sample size to glean anything from. In 2022, prior to the injury, Stokes was struggling, having allowed 21 completions on 25 targets at 13.1 yards per catch with no pass breakups or interceptions.

However, following a full healthy offseason where Stokes did not miss any practice time, the goal is to regain the form that he displayed during his rookie season. That year, Stokes gave up just 49 completions on 96 targets (51%) with nine pass breakups and an interception.

“Man, I feel great,” said Stokes. “You know when you’re dealing with Jaire on one side, you already know the other side is going to come with a lot of fire, so it just gives me more opportunity to show what I got, show what I can showcase and all that stuff. And then hey, everything else is going to happen for itself.”

Along with wide receiver Christian Watson, the Packers sent Stokes to UW-Madison as well at the start of the offseason, to get to the root of his soft tissue issues. To summarize, a conversation with Stokes’ from earlier in the offseason, with his foot not at full strength, that put a heavier workload on his calf and hamstring, which contributed to the soft tissue injuries. So this offseason, the focus for Stokes has been on strengthening his foot and the areas around it.

“Went through so much stuff this offseason,” Stokes said, “pretty much changed a lot of things, a lot of things different that me and my trainer did back home and give him so much kudos because of the things I still do today, I still a lot of stuff before practice. In the morning when I get here, there’s a lot of small stuff that I do just to make sure my body feels good.”

The Eagles’ offense has the ability to hurt opposing defenses both on the ground and through the air. At wide receiver is the dynamic duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who combined for 187 receptions and over 2,500 receiving yards in 2023. There is also the added wrinkle of Philadelphia having a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, which means the potential for even more unscouted looks than what might be the typical norm that comes during Week 1.

With a revamped safety position led by Xavier McKinney, the Packers cornerbacks will have some additional help over the top. But with the challenge that the Eagles’ offense poses on the ground, there are going to be times when Stokes is one his own against either Brown or Smith.

It’s a challenge, however, that Stokes is excited to undertake. For one, after dealing with injuries for two seasons, he’s thrilled to be healthy and able to play Week 1. But in addition to that, Stokes put together a strong training camp performance. We know the speed he brings to the cornerback position, but defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has also praised Stokes for the physicality he’s played with as well.

“Man, it’s going to be so good,” said Stokes. “Just don’t understand how happy just to be back out there, knowing everything I’ve been through, knowing there’s so much stuff that I’ve went through these past, pretty much, two years, it’s going to be unbelievable.”

Truly containing the Philadelphia offense will be a very tall task and perhaps one that cannot be accomplished, given that they have a variety of ways to hurt opposing defenses. But whether it be on the ground or through the air, the Packers have to find a way to limit one of those elements because if the Eagles are able to marry the two together and find success in both, that is when the challenge moves from difficult to nearly impossible.

“You always gotta have that confidence, but you already know the type of test they have over there,” added Stokes. “They got some firepower and all that stuff. Again, we’re trying set a championship defense around here. We’re trying to be known as a defensive team. Whenever they think about the Packers, they think about the defense. It’s gonna start Friday night. Friday night is another test to show everybody.”

Packers new look run defense put to test right away vs. Eagles

Paul Bretl | 9/3/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The new look Packers’ defense under defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is going to be put to the test right away against a Philadelphia Eagles’ offense that packs a lot of fire power in their backfield.

Under center is quarterback Jalen Hurts, who on his own, rushed for 602 yards in 2023. But joining him is former New York Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley, along with Kenneth Gainwell.

“It’s like I said a few years ago when we were playing Russ (Wilson), Jalen is like the fastest chicken in the yard with no fence. It’s going to be hard to contain him, but it’s the task we’ve set out to do,” said Preston Smith. “We gotta make sure we don’t let him get comfortable and don’t let him have a big game again.”

Barkley has rushed for nearly 2,300 yards combined over the last two seasons. Former teammate Xavier McKinney noted Barkley’s dynamic ability with the ball and that he can do pretty much everything you would want a running back to do. Gainwell, meanwhile, would average 4.3 yards per carry with the Eagles in 2023, and the offense as a whole–pre-Barkley–ranked ninth in rushing yards per game in 2023.

Beyond the dynamic playmaking abilities that the Eagles’ backfield boasts, of course contributing to their success is a very stout offensive line, one that Matt LaFleur believes has consistently been the best in football over the last several years.

“I think Philly over the course of the year, especially in the last handful of years, five years or so, have had one of the best offensive lines in the game of football,” said LaFleur on Monday. “And I know they obviously, losing Kelce is a, that’s a tough guy to replace. But they’re just, they had five guys that can start on most teams. So it’s going to be a good challenge for our defense for sure.”

A key element in Hafley’s potential turnaround of this Packers’ defense will be improved play against the run. Last season, the Packers allowed 4.5 yards per carry on the year–the eighth-highest rate in football–and four games of 200-plus yards on the ground by an opponent–the most in football.

Finding a way to slow an opponent’s running game does wonders for the rest of the defense. It puts the offense in long down-and-distances and therefore predictable passing situations, where the pass rush can pin its ears back and the secondary has the advantage a the coverage standpoint.

We’ve heard a lot this offseason about the attacking, get off the ball and go get the quarterback play-style that the defense will have under Hafley. In the team’s joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens, we saw the havoc that can have on the quarterback in the passing game, but how does that play-style fare against the run?

No defensive scheme is perfect, otherwise every team would be running the same style of defense. There are pros and cons to every system. In theory, the potential downside of getting upfield as quickly as possible can create running lanes for an offense to exploit or opportunities to get to the boundary.

To counter this, gap integrity will, as always, remain crucial, along with the ability to flow with the gap as it moves. In addition to that, the play of the defenders at the second level to fill any gaps that do appear will be paramount as well.

“Typically what we’re trying to do is get guys in the backfield to own their gap through their man,” said defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich. “So if they’re aligned as  3-technique on the outside part of the guard, it’s his job as you go through the outside part of that guard and own the B-gap in between the outside part of the guard and the inside part of the tackle.

“So wherever that gap moves he’s gotta move a along it and then that allows the guys behind it to obviously scrape, get over top, get downhill, and fill the gaps that they have to fill.”

An added wrinkle that the Packers will also have to contend with–and this goes both ways with Hafley in his first season as defensive coordinator–is that the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and therefore a new offense, with relatively little tape to study since no regular season games have been played. How exactly the Eagles will want to attack this Packers’ defense in the run game is even less clear than what it normally might be.

“It’s always tough,” said Smith of the unscouted looks, “because I think they’ve got a new coordinator with Kellen Moore, and they’re going to come out with some different plays and maybe a different system to what they’ve been running. A lot of plays we’ve seen on film they run from last year they like to run. We know this year there’s going to be some looks we haven’t seen. We just have to stay together, play our technique, and make sure that we execute at a high level and do our job to the best of our ability.

“It’s never going to be a game where everything goes the way you want it to go. But we have to make sure that the plays that we do have an opportunity to make, that we make those plays, and when we see unscouted looks we adjust properly.”

In addition to the Eagles’ playmaking abilities in the run game, they have plenty of talent in the passing game as well. At receiver is the dynamic duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The two combined for 187 receptions in 2023 and over 2,500 receiving yards. Also not to be forgotten about is tight end Dallas Goedert, who has averaged almost 600 receiving yards per year over his six NFL seasons.

Truly stopping the Eagles’ run game probably isn’t a realistic expectation for the Packers, or any defense for that matter. But finding a way to slow them down feels like a near must. If the Packers are unable to do that, and the Eagles can marry the run and passing games together, finding any sort of success defensively becomes a much more challenging task.

“I feel like we’ve got a great run scheme, great defensive front and great coaches,” added Smith. “The scheme we got is pretty great to help us stop the run. We just gotta go out there and showcase it. You can work on things all year long, and if you don’t showcase it, if you don’t play it right, then it’s not going to actually show what you’ve been working on. So I think this first game it’s going to show us what we’ve been working on, show our keys and show how great of a run defense we can be.”

Xavier McKinney’s ability to do-it-all will be needed vs. Eagles’ offense

Paul Bretl | 9/2/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers signed Xavier McKinney during free agency to fill the all important do-it-all role at the safety position in Jeff Hafley’s defense. McKinney’s ability to leave his mark on the game in a variety of ways will have to be in full effect during the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles have the ability on offense to stress opposing defenses multiple ways with their ability to move the ball on the ground and through the air. As a defense, if you try to overcommit to stopping the run, that means less help in coverage against a talented group of pass-catchers and the Eagles can hurt you through the air. If you try to limit the big passing play, that often results in more opportunities for the run game against lighter boxes.

“That’s a great question,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard when asked how you strike that balance between defending the run and the pass. “We’re trying to figure that out right now. Spending hours in front of the tape trying to figure out that answer.”

Joining Jalen Hurts in the backfield this season is Saquon Barkley, who over the last two seasons has rushed for almost 2,300 yards while with the New York Giants. When asked about Barkley–a former teammate–Xavier McKinney noted his dynamic ability with the ball and that he can do pretty much everything you would want a running back to do. Along with Barkley, Hurts would rush for 602 yards last season as well.

Then at receiver, the Eagles also have the dynamic duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The two combined for 187 receptions in 2023 and over 2,500 receiving yards. Also not to be forgotten about is tight end Dallas Goedert, who has averaged almost 600 receiving yards per year over his six NFL seasons.

In addition to all of the playmakers that the Eagles have on that side of the ball, the added wrinkle that the Packers will also have to contend with–and this goes both ways with Hafley in his first season as defensive coordinator–is that the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and therefore a new offense, with relatively little tape to study.

“Any time you go into a season and there’s a change at coordinator, you find yourself watching a lot of different film,” said Hafley. “You’re watching Eagles personnel, you’re watching the Chargers, you’re watching things that he might’ve done in the past in other places that he’s been, but then you gotta look at the staff and you see a variety of different coaches that have been there for a long time, some involved with the run game, some in the pass game, so you have a lot to look at.”

When Hafley took over as the defensive coordinator of the Packers, at his introductory press conference he highlighted what he’s looking for at the safety position. This included the ability to prevent the big play, someone who is a willing tackler in the run game, a great communicator, and the ability to make plays on the ball. At the time, free agency was still over a month away, but Hafley essentially described McKinney and what he brings to the defense.

McKinney would play only eight preseason snaps this summer, all of which came in the opener against Cleveland. So our first real glimpse of what he can do came in the Packers’ joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. With my attention fixated on the Packers’ defensive side of the ball, McKinney was seemingly all over the field.

On one play, as the lone deep safety, McKinney showcased his range, working his way over to the left sideline on a deep ball to provide Eric Stokes with help over the top. A few plays later, he was at the line of scrimmage making a “tackle” in the run game. He would then make two more “tackles” on quick throws to the flat, followed by a pass breakup on a throw over the middle on an intermediate crossing route.

In addition to the impact McKinney was able to make as the play unfolded, pre-snap he was constantly communicating with the rest of the secondary, making sure everyone was aligned correctly and knew what their responsibilities were.

“This guy can do everything. He can, and we knew this off the tape,” said Downard. “But he can play in deep zones, he can cover in man coverage, he obviously can run support in the box. I think the biggest thing ,just being around a guy like that, even as a coach you’re constantly learning, and I see him in individual drills, and just his body weight in the drills, his footwork, everything is precise, it’s exact, and then he’s able to translate that to the field, and not everybody can do that.”

When an opposing offense can hurt a defense in multiple ways, there isn’t any magic solution to stopping them, but playing a key role for the Packers in attempting to limit the Eagles will be McKinney, who can seemingly teleport around the field to wherever the ball is located.

He is going to have to help out in run support at the second level while simultaneously having to help out in coverage to prevent the big play downfield–not to mention, in general, flying around as a tackler to limit yards after contact and yards after the catch opportunities for the Eagles. Doing so begins with his vision, specifically trusting what he’s seeing, and reacting quickly.

“We’ve just got to play to our keys,” said McKinney. “We have to trust our technique, trust our preparation.”

The Packers are going to ask a lot of McKinney in this defense, but it’s because he has shown he can handle any and all responsibilities and execute on them at a high level. They’re also going to give McKinney a lot of freedom to put himself and his teammates in the best position to make plays.

Right out of the gate to open up the season, McKinney’s impact and importance to this Packers’ defense will need to be on full display.

“X, I mean, he’s the vet in the room and certainly (we) put a lot of resources into him and want to put him in position to make plays because he’s shown that ability and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” said LaFleur.

New Packers’ kicker Brayden Narveson has made a strong first impression

Paul Bretl | 9/1/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As the Packers search for a dependable kicker continues, Bradyen Narveson has made a good first impression with his new team.

“He’s done a nice job,” said Matt LaFleur after Sunday’s practice. “He kicked again today, so he’s kicked twice now. I just like his approach, his mentality. I can’t wait to see what happens in the game.”

During Narveson’s first practice as a member of the Packers, and running on “no sleep,” as he put it, Narveson would make all five of his attempts that day, which included a 58-yarder inside Lambeau Field with the team practicing under the lights on Friday night in preparation of their Week 1 matchup with Philadelphia.

Then during Narveson’s second practice as a member of the Packers, he admitted that he did miss one of his six attempts–a 51-yarder to be specific. However, he made the other five, one of which was from 53-yards.

But beyond the obvious, which is that Narveson made 10 of his 11 kicks so far in practice, it’s the environment in which he made those attempts, navigating the swirling winds of Lambeau Field having never kicker there before and doing so on several 45-plus yard attempts.

“A lot of the first kicks that we had were into the wind – 48 into the wind, 56 into the wind,” said Narveson. “Tough kicks to make that I expect to make fully but, at the same time, coming into a new spot, not getting any real reps with the holder and snapper pre and going into a scrimmage-like setting in Lambeau Field, I think it’s just going to prepare me down the line.”

At the end of the day, it’s only two practices, but Narveson’s new teammates have taken notice. In an interview with LaFleur, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic would mention that Jaire Alexander told LaFleur “I love this guy,” in reference to Narveson. Jordan Love would add “He made some pretty impressive kicks,” when asked about Narveson.

For LaFleur, if–or when–the Packers find themselves in a situation on Friday that could require a field goal attempt, he said on Sunday that he has “seen enough to be confident” in Narveson to make the kick.

Narveson’s path to the NFL was a bit unusual in the sense that he played at four different schools in six college seasons, but it was a path that he believes prepared him well for life in the NFL and the situation he currently finds himself in with the Packers.

“It was like an NFL journey,” said Narveson. “You go in, you compete. You go in and compete. You go in and–every time I was at a new school I had to win a whole new audience over. And I had to go compete against new guys, right? So it just put me in a whole new frame of mind that every single day matters.”

Narveson went undrafted this past April out of North Carolina State, and the only team that tried to sign him following the draft was the Tennessee Titans–at least to his knowledge. With Nick Folk, who made 96.7% of his kicks in 2023, still in Tennessee, Narveson knew he wasn’t going to be the Titans’ kicker this season.

However, what Tennessee gave him was an opportunity to showcase to the rest of the NFL that he can be a kicker in this league, and if all had worked out well for the Titans, Narveson would be on their practice squad right now. Over the Titans’ three preseason games, Narveson made 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including a 59-yarder and a game-winner.

“They’re like look, you deserve to go play somewhere,” said Narveson of Titans’ GM Ran Carton and head coach Brain Callahan. “We would love to have you back here but you deserve what you’re going to get.”

By GM Brian Gutekunst’s own admission last week, he mentioned that he could be a bit impatient when it comes to the specialists position. With that said, given the opportunity that sits in front of this Packers’ team this season, one can understand why there is a lack of patience. In a game where the margins for winning and losing, particularly during the playoffs, is razor thin, Gutekunst has to get the kicker position right.

First impressions can be great and, to a degree, they very much matter. But at the end of the day, Narveson does have to perform or the Packers could be looking for a new kicker. This is a reality that he is aware of and one that he’s comfortable entering.

“They asked me when I went to NC State,” said Narveson, “I was following up a Lou Groza winner and they were like, ‘There’s a lot of pressure coming with that. Is that something that you think about?’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to go out and execute to the best of my ability and I know I belong.’

“I know I’m here for a reason. The team believes in me, the coach believes me, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. So, at the end of the day, I’m going to go out and prepare every single day like it’s a game and then, when gameday comes, I’m going to execute.”

MarShawn Lloyd returns to practice in limited capacity; Packers still face uncertainty at backup RB role

Paul Bretl | 9/1/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field Sunday afternoon ahead of their Friday matchup in Brazil with the Philadelphia Eagles. All 53 players on the Packers’ roster were in pads and practicing, including rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd.

Due to a hamstring injury that Lloyd had suffered in the team’s preseason opener against Cleveland, he had been sidelined the remainder of training camp and missed the final two preseason games.

“It’s been rough, definitely rough,” said Lloyd about missing time. “I love this game. But it’s minor little thing, minor injuries. I just know once I get past this little hump, it’s go-time. So just do the right things, take care of my body as much as possible, learning, getting some stuff from the older guys as far as how they treat their bodies and stuff like that. just learning, learning. I’ve learned the last three weeks just from different ways to treat my body. Just putting more into it. So I’m excited about it.”

There was no official injury report for Sunday, but following practice LaFleur said that Lloyd was limited but he’s continuing to do more and more. The team will give him the week to see how he’s feeling and determine from there if he will suit up or not.

In addition to missing practice time with a hamstring injury, Lloyd missed several practices at the start of training camp as well, dealing with a hip injury at that time. By this time, Lloyd is well versed with the Packers’ playbook, but there is always a big difference between knowing what to do and applying it on the football field in a live setting. Like any rookie, what Lloyd needs right now are reps.

“You feel like he can handle most of the playbook,” said Matt LaFleur following roster cuts. “It’s not like he hasn’t been learning. It’s just the application of taking it from the classroom and applying it in a real game setting, you wish you had a little bit more exposure.”

The neck injury to AJ Dillon that landed him on injured reserve has forced the Packers to change course in regards to the puzzle at the running back position. Of course, Josh Jacobs was always going to be the lead back, but the playing time behind him has been up for grabs, and Dillon figured to be a relatively big part of the offense this season.

Dillon brings a very well-rounded skill set to the Packers backfield, able to provide a steady presence as a ball carrier, pass blocker, and pass catcher. That versatility and reliability provides flexibility for LaFleur as a play-caller and prior to Dillon’s injury, we were regularly seeing two running back sets during training camp practices.

“It’s really discouraging because we had a pretty clear vision for what he could do, and it wasn’t just going to be as a runner,” LaFleur said. “The versatility is what I was most excited about, just being able to do a lot of different things in regards to some of the stuff we did a year ago with him when we had some of our two halfback sets.

“It certainly leaves us with a void, but I mean that’s life in the National Football League. You gotta adapt or you die, so we’d better adapt.”

If possible, the Packers will want to get Lloyd on the field in some capacity against the Eagles. We’ve heard on a few different occasions this offseason some iteration of Lloyd bringing a different element to the Packers backfield. You can see that when he has the ball in his hands with the burst and acceleration he brings.

However, depending on Lloyd’s availability and how much the Packers want to put on his plate, Emanuel Wilson could end up being the Packers’ backup running back in Friday’s contest.

Wilson had another impressive preseason performance, averaging 4.2 yards per carry on 37 attempts. He again proved difficult to bring down, forcing 10 missed tackles and averaging 3.57 yards after contact–ranking top-five this preseason out of 28 eligible running backs.

While it’s great to have that playmaking ability as depth behind Jacobs, if Wilson is going to see steady playing time this season, he will have to continue to show that he can be on the field for all three downs, specifically helping in the passing game whether that be as a pass-catcher or a pass-blocker. Although Wilson has improved in both areas since joining the Packers as an undrafted rookie in 2023, those elements are still a work in progress as well.

“He’s come along,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich when asked about Wilson’s impact in the passing game. “He’s still got a ways to go, but he’s come along and he’s doing a good job.”

There is the potential that this Week 1 matchup against Philadelphia could turn into a hefty workload for Jacobs in his debut with the team. This, of course, would not a new role for him. In 2022, when Jacobs led the NFL in rushing and was named an All-Pro, he finished that season with 340 carries, averaging 20 per game.

In addition to Jacobs’ ability as a ball carrier, he’s also a proven pass-catcher. During his five seasons with the Raiders, Jacobs was targeted 244 times, totaling nearly 1,500 receiving yards. And what makes Jacobs a truly valuable player in the passing game is the variety of responsibilities and roles he can be asked to fill in that regard.

“There’s not a route, I would say, that he can’t run,” said passing game coordinator Jason Vrable. “I would say the most impressive thing above everything has been his hands. They’ve been exceptional.”

As good as the Packers’ passing game has the potential to be, a strong run game coupled with that ability through the air can take the offense to new heights. A capable running game opens up the playbook for an offense and keeps the defense off-balanced and guessing. While Jacobs certainly will provide stability, at the moment, there are some unknowns behind him and how that puzzle will end up fitting together.

Big decision looms at RG for Packers ahead of matchups vs. stout Eagles front

Paul Bretl | 8/31/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A big decision looms for the Packers ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles as they need to decide who their starting right guard is going to be–Sean Rhyan or rookie Jordan Morgan.

“We’ll see,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich when asked if Rhyan was going to start. “Jordan’s coming along in practice and stuff so we’re just kinda taking that situation day to day and seeing what happens there.”

If you asked the Packers coaching staff about the right guard position during training camp, there was a competition between Rhyan and Morgan taking place. However, from the outside looking in, that didn’t appear to be much of a competition. Morgan took all of the starting right guard snaps while Rhyan was bounced around between the first and second units, asked to play both guard positions along with center.

But an unfortunate shoulder injury to Morgan would sideline him the last several weeks of training camp, which included missing all three preseason games and some extremely valuable reps for an incoming rookie playing a new position.

We often hear about the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL, referencing the play speed, the stronger, faster opponents, along with learning a new playbooks. Not only is Morgan making that leap, but he’s also going from playing only tackle to now being asked to play guard and from lining up on the left side of the offensive line to the right side.

 “It’s footwork,” said Morgan about playing right guard. “But it’s also just like hand placement. Everything happens quicker on the inside, so it’s just about getting out there quicker and understanding that things are going to come at you fast and you’ve just got to react quicker.”

Like any rookie making a position change, Morgan battled ups and downs when on the practice field, but with each passing practice he was beginning to settle in before the injury. As Matt LaFleur said a few weeks ago, Morgan needs reps right now, so the right guard position, and all the movement and responsibilities that come with that, becomes second nature for him and there is less thinking.

If Morgan gets the start against Philadelphia, it will be quite the ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment for him, against an Eagles interior defensive line made up of Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter. Out of 129 eligible interior defenders last season, Carter ranked 14th in total pressures while Davis would rank 34th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric.

Rhyan doesn’t have the upside that Morgan does, but in a one-game sample size, there is something to be said for the game experience he has and the stability he can provide in largely knowing what Rhyan is going to give you. Starting Morgan comes with a hefty unknown with this being his first live game action at the NFL level.

In 42 pass-blocking snaps over two preseason games, Rhyan surrendered only one pressure, according to PFF. Run-blocking is where he has been at his best as a heavy-handed people mover along the interior.

LaFleur mentioned before the team’s joint practice with Denver that Rhyan showcases the play-style they want to see up front, but it’s the down-to-down consistency that has been lacking with LaFleur noting at that time the need for Rhyan to improve his conditioning. However, since then, LaFleur is happy with the strides Rhyan has made and overall thought that he put together a strong training camp.

“I do think Sean’s had an outstanding training camp,” said LaFleur after the final preseason game. “He’s gotten better and better and better, and one of the things we’re looking for in regards to the stamina to play four quarters and put it together, I think he’s gotten better with that.”

An outside of the box option for the Packers, and something we saw them do during the second half of last season, would be a rotation at right guard with both Morgan and Rhyan seeing snaps. This could give the Packers a best of both worlds option, providing Rhyan with some series off to stay fresh, while allowing Morgan to get acclimated to live NFL game action.

Beginning in Week 9 last season, we saw Rhyan rotating at right guard with Jon Runyan, along with Yosh Nijman and Rasheed Walker rotating at left tackle. The coaching staff spoke highly of how these competitions helped elevate the play of the entire unit.

“Ah, like where you’re going,” said LaFleur when asked about rotating Rhyan and Morgan. “Who knows? It could be, really everything’s up for discussion right now.”

The Packers still have a few practices remaining to continue evaluating Rhyan, Morgan and what the best option is, before needing to determine who will start and they will use all of that time on the field to make a decision–one that LaFleur called a difficult one.

Zayne Anderson and Eric Wilson will lead a needed turnaround from Packers’ special teams unit

Paul Bretl | 8/30/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Zayne Anderson and Eric Wilson will help lead the Packers’ special teams unit in 2024–a phase of the game where the team has experienced turnover and will have to rely on several young contributors.

Relatively speaking, the Packers had little roster turnover compared to the rest of the NFL. According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, 81.3 percent of the Packers 2023 roster was a part of their 2024 offseason roster. This was the highest-rate in football.

However, while there will be continuity on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, that won’t quite be the case on special teams. Of the Packers core teams contributors in 2023, five of the top-10 players in snaps are no longer on the team. And three of the top five on the team from last season in special teams tackles are gone as well.

“We’re going to go another year without T.D. (Tyler Davis),” said Bisaccia. “Those guys (Kristian Welch and Robert Rochell) were tremendous contributors to us a year ago and in the National Football league, especially in special teams, it flips. We have a lot of young, two young linebackers and young safeties. We’re fortunate our tight ends have been good teams players for us in the past. So it’s always a unique challenge in the kicking game to get young guys playing quickly on special teams.”

Wilson and Anderson will continue to fill the do-it-all roles on teams, starting across most phases to hopefully provide some stability. Wilson would lead the team in snaps a season ago and finish second in tackles. Although he will be the starting Will linebacker, Rich Bisaccia expects him to still play a large role on teams given that the bulk of the defensive snaps will come in nickel with only two linebackers on the field.

Once Anderson was healthy, from Week 9 through the end of the season he played 152 special teams snaps during that span–among the most on the team–and recorded four tackles. It was special teams play that helped Anderson distinguish himself this summer and secure a roster spot.

“He’s had a tremendous preseason for us and I know he improved on defense, as well,” said Rich Bisaccia of Anderson. “But he should be a staple for us and help lead our unit along with Eric Wilson, the things he’s done and McDuffie’s playing a lot of defense now. So, we’ll have him for some of them, but not for all of them. But we’re excited about the young guys and the direction that we’re going.”

Isaiah McDuffie played the fifth-most teams snaps for the Packers last season, but Bisaccia hinted at his role being reduced as he moves into a starting role on defense. The same could hold true for Tucker Kraft at tight end, and potentially JJ Enagbare at defensive end, especially with the Packers going heavy at this position group on the 53-man.

Along with Wilson and Anderson, Corey Ballentine is a veteran with special teams experience, but otherwise, the Packers are going to be relying on a number of first and second year players to contribute in this phase of the game.

Now, that isn’t necessarily abnormal with special teams being the path to playing time for many young players. However, with that, there may be some ups and downs as well. Just like there is a transition from college to the NFL on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, the same holds true for special teams.

“What’s interesting about, when you’re talking team,” said Matt LaFleur, “is some of these guys may have been a non-teamer at their schools. So, I think a lot of guys typically when you come into a situation as a young guy you get thrust into that role and you kind of graduate out of it the more you play.

“So, it’s just kind of getting them re-acclimated to the fundamentals, to the skills, to knowing what to do so they can go out there and play fast, because that is an important part of it. it’s a great opportunity for a lot of these guys to make their impact early on in this league.”

Generally speaking, the Packers need more consistency out of their special teams unit this season. Green Bay is coming off a season in which they ranked 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual rankings, along with totaling the second-most special teams penalties of any team.

While inexperience can lead to inconsistent play, and that could be something Bisaccia will have to navigate early on in the season, just like on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, infusing the special teams unit with young, high upside talent can hopefully help elevate the play in this phase of the game for the Packers in the long haul.

As the Packers have experienced, the margin for winning and losing, particularly in the playoffs, can be razor thin in the NFL. The Packers don’t necessarily need their special teams unit to be great given the talent they have elsewhere, but it will need to improve.

“I actually find that exciting that we can get young guys up to speed and get them contributing to our teams as quickly as possible and hopefully they ascend to position players after that,” added Bisaccia.

Packers’ DE Arron Mosby secures roster spot with splash plays and special teams contributions

Paul Bretl | 8/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — On the initial 53-man roster, the Packers went heavy at defensive end, rostering six players. Realistically, there isn’t going to be enough snaps for all of them, but the play of Arron Mosby this summer forced the Packers’ hand, and made him someone they couldn’t risk losing.

A practice squad player for the Packers in 2023, Mosby made a big jump in his second season with the team. Brian Gutekunst said the Packers’ transition to a 4-3 scheme under Jeff Hafley with the defensive ends putting their hands in the dirt really allowed Mosby to take off and make those high impact plays.

For Mosby, the focus this offseason was on getting faster, now playing in an attack front, where the primary objective is to get off the ball as fast as possible and into the backfield.

“I would say really just cutting back on a little bit of weight, got my speed back,” said Mosby at his locker on Wednesday. “Really, this defense is all about speed, applying pressure on other offenses, so really just attacking guys. Got my speed back and just going forward, not trying to go backward. Just going forward.”

In three preseason games, Mosby–a former college linebacker and safety–would play 57 defensive snaps, totaling four pressures and a sack, along with making two tackles in the run game. He would, of course, cap off the preseason with a force fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Anthony Johnson and then coming away with an interception later in the game.

“You’ve got to give him a lot of credit,” said Gutekunst. “He’s put a lot of work into it and really not only as an edge rusher and his ability to rush the passer and do all the things that we’re asking him to do on the defensive line but in special teams as well.”

Along with the obvious production, Mosby’s versatility and taking on a variety of roles along the defensive front also helped distinguish him. As the old saying goes, the more you can do.

“Everything we asked him to do, challenge-wise,” said defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich, “there’s things that we’ve asked him–whether it’s to drop in scheme. Whether it’s something we’re doing to get in the backfield. I mean he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”

That special teams component that Gutekunst mentioned is a critical factor in Mosby making the team. Of course, the splash plays on defense matter and there will be a certain prerequisite of playing defensive end that Mosby will have to continue to meet, because of the depth at that position, there may not be many defensive snaps available this season. Four-man rotations at defensive end are fairly common.

However, where Mosby can make a greater impact is on special teams. While fellow defensive end Brenton Cox still has to prove he can be relied upon heavily in that phase of the game, Mosby appears ready to take on that role, playing 26 snaps in three preseason games–the sixth-most on the team–and across four different phases.

“Really, put my effort into special teams,” said Mosby. “That’d be the big thing. Going into this week, trying my best to make that impact on special teams and that’s the No. 1 thing how you make a team. And then, hopefully, my opportunity comes in the game and I can make an impact.”

Facing uncertainty throughout the summer as a fringe roster player, Mosby took control of the situation about as good as anyone could have, making splash plays on defense, and showing that if on the roster he will be able to contribute on special teams. While what many will remember was Mosby’s performance against Baltimore in the final game, his play in that game was the culmination of what had been an impressive all-around summer.

Like I said at the beginning, when it came to keeping or releasing Mosby, he made the decision an easy one for the Packers. There’s no way they could have let him go.

“He’s put a lot of work into it and really not only as an edge rusher and his ability to rush the passer and do all the things that we’re asking him to do on the defensive line but in special teams as well,” added Gutekunst.

“His ability to play multiple spots there and play it well and then he produced. He just did a really nice job producing. He kept getting better each week. It was showing up in practice; it showed up in the games. Excited for what he was able to accomplish this camp.”