Breaking down Packers' preseason-opening loss to Jets

The Green Bay Packers were outplayed in every way possible during Saturday night’s 30-10 preseason loss to the New York Jets. The starters played but trailed 7-0 early, while turnovers and penalties highlighted the struggles of the backup groups. Coach Matt LaFleur called the mistake-ridden performance “humbling.”

“It was just sloppy football,” LaFleur said post game, stating the obvious.

The Packers trailed 17-3 at the half and didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

Here’s what went right, what went wrong and what it means for the Packers moving forward:

— Rookie Matthew Golden got open and made a catch to convert on 3rd-and-7, and he drew a pass interference penalty on Sauce Gardner to convert another third down. The Packers’ first-round pick was a lone bright spot for the first-team offense.

— Brandon McManus nailed a 46-yard field goal and hit the team’s lone extra point, and Daniel Whelan averaged over 50 yards per punt. The specialists are in good shape.

— Rookie edge rusher Barryn Sorrell produced several impressive rushes against the Jets backup left tackle. He led team with two quarterback hits and had several physical snaps either setting the edge or crashing down the line against the run. He looks like a player who can contribute right away.

— Rookie running back Amar Johnson has some real burst as a runner. He turned his seven carries into a game-high 67 rushing yards, including a 39-yard touchdown — the game’s longest play from scrimmage and the Packers only touchdown of the night. He had a 10-yard run negated by a penalty, too.

— Defensive tackle Colby Wooden, who is transitioning to nose tackle, made a big first impression at a new position. He recoreded six tackles, including a tackle for loss, and he batted down a pass. It wasn’t perfect, but Wooden was active throughout his extended appearance.

— Linebacker Kristian Welch was active on special teams, making three different tackles covering punts. He also had a team-high nine tackles, including a tackle for loss. It’s possible he could make a run at a job held by Eric Wilson last year — core special teamer and backup linebacker.

— This was just a flat, ugly performance overall. The Jets jumped on the Packers early and never relented. Matt LaFleur’s team made multiple mental mistakes and bad decisions in all three phases, and Aaron Glenn’s team was far more physical. Rough first impression. It’s only the preseason, but it’s OK to say the Packers put an unacceptable product on the field on Saturday night.

— Jordan Love finished 1-for-5 passing, including two misses intended for Romeo Doubs and an overthrow of Luke Musgrave, and he took a sack to end his second and final drive. The Packers punted on both possessions with Love and the first-team offense on the field.

— Justin Fields and the Jets first-team offense marched right down the field on the Packers starting defense. New York’s opening drive went 79 yards over 10 plays and ended in Fields’ 13-yard scramble for a touchdown. The Jets didn’t do anything fancy — mostly basic run plays and checkdowns from Fields to open receivers in the middle of the field.

— The Packers passing game was abysmal overall. The four quarterbacks combined to complete 10 of 22 passes for 64 net yards (factoring in four sacks for -20 yards). Catching the football was a big issue — even a conservative grader would probably give the Packers at least four drops. Jordan Love and Malik Willis — the only quarterbacks who really matter for 2025 — completed only 5 of 14 passes for 46 yards.

— Mecole Hardman unwisely caught a punt in traffic at the 5-yard line, dropped a pass along the sideline and turned the ball over after muffing a punt off the bounce. He produced zero total yards on one target and two punt returns.

— Jacob Monk committed three holding penalties and allowed a sack on third down while playing guard and center. The Packers finished with five holding penalties, helping stall the offense over and over again.

— The Jets outgained the Packers 403 to 188, held the ball for almost 39 minutes, won the turnover battle 2-0 and won the sack battle 4-0. LaFleur’s team finished 1-for-10 on third down, and the lone conversion — from Matthew Golden — came in the first quarter.

In the grand scheme of things, a preseason game on Aug. 9 means very little for a team with playoff aspirations, especially when the starting offense and defense combined for three total series and several starters were out with injuries. So little of what happened Saturday night will translate to the regular season. Still, the Packers were sloppy, mistake-prone and uninspired, creating a humbling, unacceptable performance regardless of who was on the field. The Jets, in their first game under coach Aaron Glenn, imposed their will from start to finish. Penalties and mental mistakes happen in the chaos of the preseason, but the Packers were hardly able to function, especially on offense. Given who played, the performance was probably more of a reflection on the inconsistency of the team’s depth than any great evaluation of where Matt LaFleur’s team stands entering the regular season.

A chance to flush a poor performance and rebound. The Packers have an open practice on Tuesday, a joint practice with the Colts on Thursday and a preseason game on the road in Indianapolis on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Breaking down Packers’ preseason-opening loss to Jets

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Breaking down Packers’ preseason-opening loss to Jets

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