GREEN BAY, Wis. — An evening spent in Denver wasn’t as dismal this time around as it was in 2025.
The Green Bay Packers took care of business at Empower Field at Mile High, throttling the Broncos 33-13. There were no two-score leads choked away, no torn ligaments, and no walking off the field with heads hung low in defeat. Instead, the Packers will return to Lambeau Field on the heels of victory for next week’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jordan Love led the Packers’ No. 1 offense into the game, engineering a 12-play, 63-yard scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass on a well-executed Texas route from MarShawn Lloyd. It was the running back’s first career trip to the end zone, but it meant much more than a simple six points—it was a symbol that his injury woes appear to be in the rear-view mirror.
During the drive, Love completed five of his seven passing attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown, with a passer rating of 134.5. He played behind an offensive line that didn’t include Aaron Banks at left guard, as last year’s starter is still treading lightly with an offseason knee injury that has kept him out for most of training camp. Fifth-round rookie Jager Burton started in his place, with Jordan Morgan beside him at left tackle and Sean Rhyan at center. Jacob Monk started at right guard, while Anthony Belton started at right tackle.
Once No. 2 quarterback Tyrod Taylor entered the game, John Williams replaced Morgan at left tackle, Burton remained at left guard, Monk shifted to center, Donovan Jennings entered at right guard, and Belton remained at right tackle.
Taylor finished 4-of-8 for 17 yards, which included a two-yard touchdown pass to wideout Will Sheppard. Sheppard finished the night as the Packers’ leading receiver, hauling in all six of his targets for 47 yards and the aforementioned score. Isaiah Neyor wasn’t far behind, however, totaling the same amount of yardage and targets, but with three fewer receptions.
Just like last week, Taylor was supplanted by Kyle McCord, the Packers’ undisputed No. 3 quarterback after the release of Kyron Drones. For the second week in a row, McCord impressed, completing 12 of his 19 passing attempts for 118 yards, including 3-of-5 for 22 yards in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half to position the Packers for a field-goal attempt.
McCord was 12-of-16 for 102 yards in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lloyd’s touchdown was the headline, but the Packers watched Pierre Strong Jr. vault his way into the conversation at running back. He led the team in both carries (8) and yards (37), as well as returned a kickoff 68 yards in the second quarter. Given Lloyd’s history and the uncertainty surrounding Josh Jacobs’ legal situation, the Packers may opt to roster four running backs to begin the regular season. If that’s the case, Strong emerged as a frontrunner for the No. 4 job on the depth chart.
On the defensive side of the ball, rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan appeared to be involved on just about every play when it came to stopping the run. He finished the game with a team-leading six tackles and played deep into the third quarter, so the Packers had an extensive look at their third-round pick’s audition.
You can safely pencil in Kamal Hadden as the Packers’ defensive MVP for the night. The cornerback—who may have recently transitioned to safety—was remarkably active in defending the run, accounting for two tackles for a loss of yardage. The first occurred on the opening play of the second quarter when Hadden undercut a screen play to Broncos running back Jonah Coleman, making the open-field tackle that resulted in a loss of two yards. Later on in the third quarter, he tackled running back Tyler Badie for a loss of five yards.
Hadden, who sustained a gruesome, season-ending injury in a Dec. 27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, may have earned himself a spot on the Packers’ 53-man roster after his performance Friday night. He started the game as the team’s nickelback in place of Javon Bullard, whose bone bruise in his foot has kept him out of practice.
“He was showing up,” said head coach Matt LaFleur after the game. “I just love—it’s been fun to watch his growth, obviously as a player, but as a person as well. How he prepares—he comes in with a great attitude; he’s extremely coachable. It’s really cool to see that come to fruition, in terms of his ability to go out and make plays.”
Along with Hadden, the Packers’ boundary cornerbacks to begin the game were Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse, unsurprisingly. Carrington Valentine was one of the team’s 14 scratches on the night.
The Packers’ No. 1 defense was on the field for two separate drives, but Cisse, their standout rookie, was injured on a special teams play just before the latter of the two drives began. He was replaced by Benjamin St-Juste, who played 17 total snaps and was targeted twice in coverage, surrendering just one reception for 14 yards.
After a brief visit in the blue medical tent, Cisse was later seen conversing merrily with teammates on the sideline, and even backpedaling as members of the Packers’ training staff put him through a series of mild workouts.
Defensive tackles Anthony Campbell and Jonathan Ford and edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly totaled three pressures each as they made up most of the defensive front for the Packers’ third-team defense. Campbell, a training camp darling, bounced off two offensive linemen to viciously sack Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the fourth quarter, accounting for one of two sacks on the night for the Packers’ defense.
Trey Smack, meanwhile, has cemented himself as the Packers’ kicker. The Packers traded a pair of seventh-round picks to move up in the sixth round and land the leg from Florida, and he’s done nothing but validate their maneuver. Through both preseason games, he’s 7-of-7 on kicks from the field, including 4-of-4 against the Broncos, with makes from 38, 43, 51, and 59 yards. He’s technically 8-of-8 overall, but a holding penalty wiped out a 58-yard kick last week versus the Steelers.
“It feels great, but it’s the same thing as before—you just gotta do it again,” LaFleur said. “That’s life in the National Football League: you’re only as good as your last performance. He’s put two pretty darn good performances back to back, so the talent’s there, he’s just gotta continue to be consistent.”
Will Cisse live?