The Green Bay Packers are set to play their second preseason game of the year against the New England Patriots tonight at Lambeau Field. The team will be looking to carry their momentum over from their preseason Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, which was a dominant 36-19 victory.
The Packers and Patriots have held two joint practices together already this week, so they will have some familiarity with each other when stepping on the field Saturday night. This will be a big game for a lot of players looking to catch the attention of the coaching staff and make the final roster.
Over at PFF, Gordon McGuinness provided a preview of every game in Week 2 and what to focus on. For the Packers, McGuinness believes the biggest focus should be on their new starting quarterback, Jordan Love.
“Jordan Love looked good on his 10 dropbacks against the Bengals, going 7-of-10 for 46 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t make any big-time throws but avoided turnover-worthy plays. Love finished with a 77.8% adjusted completion rate, with one of his three incompletions coming as a result of a batted pass. With talented receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and rookie tight end Luke Musgrave, Love could surprise a lot of people in 2023.”
The joint practice sessions against the Patriots started off well for Love. On Wednesday the offense was clicking more often than not, as he leaned heavily on Christian Watson to make plays. He threw multiple touchdowns in both the two-minute and red zone competitions.
But, on Thursday, the results were not as positive. The Patriots have a tough defense to play against given how many exotic looks and different kinds of pressures they bring. Throughout the Bill Belichick era, they have feasted on young quarterbacks. They aren’t going to show everything they have in a preseason game, but the Packers should be ready for a different look than what was seen during the week at practice.
Every time that Love steps on the field, he is going to be a player to focus on. He needs all of the reps that he can get as he has only 83 regular season passes under his belt. It would not be surprising to see him and the Packers’ first-team offense play a little deeper into the game this week in preparation for the regular season.
