GREEN BAY, Wis. — The preseason slate for the Green Bay Packers started with a bang and went out with a whimper.
On a night when most of their offensive starters played a single series, the Packers fell 28-9 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a less-than-inspiring performance compounded by a myriad of coverage busts, missed tackles, and penalties—the majority of which were courtesy of the Packers’ second and third-team defenses. Both teams combined for 20 flags—nine for the Packers—and 210 penalty yards.
With Jordan Love getting the start, he attempted just five passes, completing three of them for 18 yards before being replaced by 16-year veteran Tyrod Taylor. This was never going to be a game about the Packers’ starters—this was an opportunity to see if the training camp darlings translated their success from the practice field to a live environment. For the most part, that didn’t happen.
Unless your name is Trey Smack.
The rookie sixth-round kicker, who has had his fair share of ebbs and flows this summer, was 3-of-3 on his field-goal attempts against the Steelers. He converted from 37, 38, and 58 yards out, but he was technically 4-of-4. Smack made a 58-yard kick on the Packers’ opening possession, but a penalty on the Steelers wiped it out and gifted the visitors a fresh set of downs.
Head coach Matt LaFleur, while impressed, still appeared apprehensive when it came to anointing Smack, and that’s probably for the best. Dealing with rookie kickers is a rollercoaster, for better or for worse.
“He went out there and delivered,” LaFleur said after the game. “It was a strong first performance—now he’s gotta stack on it.”
It was an encouraging performance for Smack, who is a dismal 16-of-23 on kicks in practice this summer. That was perhaps the biggest takeaway from what can be otherwise glossed over as a glorified scrimmage.
What was projected to be a watered-down showdown between Love and Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers morphed into a clash between Kyle McCord and Drew Allar. It was rumored that head coach Mike McCarthy would deploy Rodgers in this game for at least limited action, but at some point along the way, the Steelers’ brain trust changed their minds.
McCord took over under center for the Packers in the second quarter and played well into the fourth while making several incredibly impressive throws. He led a six-play, 35-yard drive in the final 46 seconds of the first half to position Smack for the second of his three successful field goals.
McCord was 12-of-16 for 102 yards, with multiple completions coming in the face of pressure. On the other sideline, Allar, a third-round rookie, led the Steelers’ quarterbacks. All three—Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Allar—had a stellar night; each player completed more than 77 percent of their passes and had a passer rating above 101.0. The Packers’ secondary—led by cornerbacks Jaylin Simpson, MJ Devonshire Jr., and Shemar Bartholomew—struggled in coverage.
The Packers led 9-7 with three minutes left in the quarter before surrendering a 21-0 Steelers run.
The team’s preferred starting offensive line stayed in the game a little longer than Love did and underwent ample reshuffling. The Packers opened with Jordan Morgan at left tackle, fifth-round rookie Jager Burton at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard, and Anthony Belton at right tackle. Rhyan exited the game after the first offensive series, allowing Monk to shift inside to center and Donovan Jennings to replace him at right guard.
Once McCord entered the game, John Williams, a seventh-round pick last spring who essentially redshirted his entire rookie season, took the reins at left tackle in place of Morgan. Early in the second half, Dillon Wade stepped in at left guard, Jennings moved to center, Darian Kinnard entered the game at right guard, and Travis Glover entered at right tackle.
Kinnard was one of multiple players who left the game due to an injury; he was replaced at right guard by undrafted rookie Josh Gesky. Defensive tackle Anthony Campbell also dropped out in the second half; both players appeared to have sustained leg injuries. Safety Mark Perry briefly exited, too, but he was able to return later in the evening.
Second-round pick Brandon Cisse opened the game as one of the Packers’ starting corners opposite Keisean Nixon, and even saw some snaps on special teams. Free-agent signing Benjamin St-Juste joined the mix eventually and played extensively with Carrington Valentine still working his way back from a hamstring injury. With Javon Bullard, the Packers’ starting slot cornerback, sidelined with a bone bruise in his foot, Kitan Oladapo handled his role.