Packers preseason is now underway and they will face the San Francisco 49ers in their first game. There have been several players that have looked good so far and will now get the chance to show it in a game. Preseason games don’t seem like that big of a deal, but there are certain things coaches and management need to see so they can put the best possible roster together. There are certain things that need to happen this preseason for the Packers that could transfer not only to this year, but for future seasons as well.
Improvement From Jordan Love
Jordan Love is going into his third season as a quarterback for the Packers and has something to prove this preseason. Love was drafted 26th overall in the 2020 draft and has started in one game. Last season, Love got the start against the Kansas City Chiefs after Aaron Rodgers was ruled out of the game with COVID-19. Love went 19/34, 190 yards with one touchdown and an interception. The Packers lost seven to thirteen and Love really struggled in this game. He was never really able to find a rhythm and put on a lot of pressure on the defense. Love needs to show improvement during this preseason. He has shown improvement during training camp and it needs to carry over to the preseason. He needs to show the coaching staff and front office that he can be the quarterback of the future. Aaron Rodgers has said retirement is getting closer, so Love needs to show he can be Rodger’s successor or the Packers will need to look elsewhere for the quarterback of the future.
Receivers Showing Their Potential
The Packers have a young receiver room and have guys that need to show what they can do during the preseason. Any wide receiver that is on the Packers right now could possibly find a way to get playing time during the regular season. With Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling now gone, the Packers will be looking for guys that could come in and make some plays for Aaron Rodgers. There are some guys like Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure who were taken in this year’s draft, who have looked very good in training camp and will look to have it transfer into a live game. There is a good deal of talent in the wide receiver room and if they could make some plays with Jordan Love during this preseason, that will be a good sign going into the regular season.
Special Teams Progress
Special Teams last season is a big reason why the Packers lost their divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers went out and hired Rich Bisaccia, which is a big step towards fixing this problem. This preseason is big for the special teams unit. The coaches will be looking to see who will be playing on special teams and the players that they put out there have a good chance to be on the special teams unit once the regular season starts. The Packers special teams needs to look good this preseason and hopefully they could continue it into the regular season. This might be the most important issue going into this season so if they could figure it out in the preseason, the Packers would already be off to a good start.
All of these things are very important. If we can see all three of these things happen, this will be a very successful preseason. Preseason may not seem like a big deal to the fans, but it really is. This preseason could impact what the Packers do in the future and could impact the rest of this season.
