The Green Bay Packers stumbled out of the gates in the preseason opener and lost 30-10 to the New York Jets after the mistakes piled up on Matt LaFleur’s team in all three phases.
“That was a humbling experience,” LaFleur said. “Definitely not what we want to put out there. I don’t care, preseason, regular season, it doesn’t matter to me. It was just sloppy football. Too many penalties, drops, missed tackles, bad decision-making. And it really showed up in every phase of football. And if you do that, you’re going to get your ass kicked, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Jets:
The Good
Pair of draft picks impress: First-round pick Matthew Golden converted a 3rd-and-7 with his first NFL catch, and he drew a pass interference penalty on Sauce Gardner to convert a second third down across two series of action. Fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell led the defense with two quarterback hits during an active debut.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
Amar Johnson shines: The rookie from South Dakota State showcased impressive burst and speed. He turned seven carries into 67 yards, including a 15-yard run and 39-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Johnson also had a 10-yard run negated by penalty in the first half. Maybe he can make a roster push over the next few weeks.
The Bad
Backup offensive line: The Packers committed five holding penalties, including three from second-year offensive lineman Jacob Monk, who struggled at both guard and center. Second-round pick Anthony Belton had a holding penalty, and so did roster hopeful Donovan Jennings. The Jets also produced four sacks, including three of Malik Willis. Operating as the second-team center, Sean Rhyan gave up the strip-sack that led to a Jets defensive touchdown.
Mecole Hardman: The veteran receiver dropped a pass, unwisely caught a punt in traffic inside the 5-yard line and muffed a punt off the bounce, resulting in a turnover. The punt he fielded inside the 5-yard line pinned the Packers deep and led to a strip-sack defensive touchdown. Saturday was a bad night for Hardman’s roster chances.
Catching the football: Finishing catches was a big issue, continuing a trend from 2024. Romeo Doubs failed to convert his two contested catches. Hardman and Malik Heath had ugly drops. Israel Abanikanda dropped a screen. Julian Hicks had a ball go right through his hands.
The Ugly
The overall performance: The Packers’ first-team defense gave up a touchdown drive to Justin Fields, while Jordan Love’s offense punted to end both possessions. After the starters departed, the Packers didn’t convert another third down the rest of the game. Green Bay was outgained 403 to 188 overall and finished with only 10 completions and 64 net passing yards. Matt LaFleur’s team had seven penalties, two turnovers and four sacks allowed, while the Jets held the football for almost 39 minutes. The Jets dominated both the scoreboard and the box score; the Packers played poorly for all 60 minutes. Football is about blocking, catching the football and tackling, and the Packers struggled in all three areas.
Injury concerns: While no important starter was injured, the Packers didn’t come out of the preseason opener without a few concerns. Jayden Reed was in a walking boot on the sideline after hurting his foot earlier in the week — his Week 1 status could be in jeopardy. During the game, special teamer Zayne Anderson injured his knee in the first half and cornerback Corey Ballentine exited the game in the second half.
