Packers Week in Review: A Rout in Denver, a Kicker Nobody's Worried About, and Brother vs. Brother

Much better week. The Packers went to Denver and won going away, the rookie kicker kept doing rookie kicker things, and the roster is about to get very real — final cuts land Sunday. Oh, and the head coach’s little brother is at Lambeau today. Let’s go.

33-13 in Denver

Green Bay picked up its first preseason win and did it convincingly, snapping a Broncos preseason win streak that had reached eight games.

Tyrod Taylor found Will Sheppard for a 2-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 17-10, and Trey Smack’s kicking sent them into halftime ahead 23-10. Jaden Nixon’s 3-yard touchdown run made it 30-13 late. Bo Nix, playing his first live snaps since breaking his right ankle in the playoffs seven months ago, went 6-of-9 for 76 yards and a touchdown for Denver.

Per Sports Illustrated’s recap, the Packers were the better team in all three phases. In late August, that’s about all you can ask.

The Kicker Question Is Closed

Two weeks ago Trey Smack was 8-for-13 in camp and the job looked shaky. Now he’s 7-for-7 on field goals through two preseason games, including four in Denver and makes from beyond 50 in both games.

The best endorsement came from the other sideline. Per A to Z Sports, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said afterward: “The kicker is going to be the player of the game, right? The rookie.”

Nobody in Green Bay is asking who the kicker is anymore.

Backup Quarterback Just Became a Real Decision

This one is worth watching into the weekend. Kyle McCord — a 23-year-old who was a sixth-round pick in Philadelphia last year and signed a futures deal with Green Bay after a season on the Eagles’ practice squad — has outplayed the veteran.

Through the preseason, per Acme Packing Company and 247Sports, McCord is 12-of-16 for 102 yards with a 91.1 passer rating. Tyrod Taylor, the 16-year veteran signed specifically to back up Jordan Love, is 4-of-8 for 21 yards with a 56.3 rating.

Experience still counts for a lot in a QB2, and Taylor was signed for exactly that. But this is no longer a formality, and Brian Gutekunst has to decide by Sunday.

Today: LaFleur vs. LaFleur

The Cardinals arrived in Green Bay for a joint practice at Ray Nitschke Field — today at 11:30 a.m. CT, per Packers.com, and it’s the 13th and final public practice of training camp.

The subplot writes itself: Arizona is coached by Mike LaFleur, 39, in the first year of his first head coaching job. Green Bay is coached by his older brother Matt, 46, now in his eighth season. They meet again Friday night in the preseason finale.

The Packers are also running the bike tradition for the occasion — kids of any fan affiliation are invited to bring bikes to Lambeau for players to ride to practice, Cardinals included.

Preseason finale: Friday, Aug. 28 — 7 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. Brasília time, at Lambeau Field.

Injury Update

Per Acme Packing Company and Cheesehead TV:

Josh Jacobs (groin) — back at practice for the first time since Aug. 6, limited in team periods. Trending the right way.
Aaron Banks (knee) — took 11-on-11 snaps and had his reps managed. LaFleur says he’s on pace for Week 1.
Tucker Kraft (knee) — still in 11-on-11 work after last week’s return.
Brandon Cisse — back from injury, and immediately stuffed Jacobs in a run drill. The rookie corner keeps making a case.
Micah Parsons (ACL) — no change. Mid-October remains the expectation, with Week 5 or 6 the optimistic window.

Cuts Are Coming — and Earlier Than Usual

Heads up if you’re used to the old calendar: the NFL moved the deadline up this year. Teams must be down from 90 to 53 players by Sunday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. ET — 7 p.m. Brasília time — two days earlier than the Tuesday deadline of recent seasons. Waiver claims are due Monday at 1 p.m. ET.

So Friday’s game against Arizona is the last audition for a lot of guys, and the bubble is crowded — receiver, running back depth, and the back end of the secondary are all still being sorted.

Go Pack Go. 💛💚

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