RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Green Bay Packers got their preseason started with a 28-9 defeat to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Jordan Love and the starters played a series, while a number of young players got their first NFL action.
Here are five quick takeaways from Thursday night’s contest:
Trey Smack delivers
Smack has been inconsistent early in training camp as he adjusts to kicking in Green Bay. He had no problem in Pittsburgh though.
The rookie kicker made four field goals on the night, two of which came from 58 yards out, although one did not count as the Packers accepted a penalty to extend the drive rather than take the points. The kicks did not sneak through, either, as Smack confidently stroked each opportunity home.
Performing in game-type situations matters more than what he does in practice, and it was a great start for Smack in that regard.
Jonathan Gannon brings his fastball
Speaking to the media last week, Green Bay’s new defensive coordinator seemed to imply he wanted to let it rip a little bit against Pittsburgh, rather than calling the kind of vanilla defense often seen in the preseason.
He said: “I think our players have earned the right to play our stuff, and get really good at it and go play."
On the second defensive play of the game, Gannon brought the heat, blitzing Zaire Franklin who wrecked a play, leading to a sack for Lukas Van Ness. He called several blitzes throughout the night.
If Thursday’s game was an indication of what Gannon’s defense will look like, it could be very creative.
Uninspiring coverage
There is not much use in being overly negative during the preseason. That said, Green Bay’s pass defense did not inspire much confidence in this game.
When the various Steelers quarterbacks were not sacked, they were invariably finding receivers in good amounts of space. Whether it was the starters or the backups, there were generally not too many Packers in close proximity to the intended target.
The highlight of the night from the defensive backs was probably Brandon Cisse’s touchdown-saving tackle in the open field, with Murvin Kenion and Mark Perry also making plays during that red zone sequence to produce a turnover on downs.
Keisean Nixon did not cover himself in glory during his snaps, while Jaylin Simpson had a couple of moments to forget in coverage, giving up a big play after falling, and later committing a pass interference penalty deep downfield. There is work to do for Green Bay’s secondary.
A relatively clean performance
The Packers have served up some turgid preseason performances in previous years, particularly in Week 1. Despite the scoreline, Thursday was not one of them.
They were disciplined, especially compared to the Steelers who committed a litany of penalties, and showed solid execution on several offensive drives, flipping the field after being backed up and pulling off a point-scoring drive with little time on the clock at the end of the first half.
After a sloppy showing at Family Night, head coach Matt LaFleur should be fairly pleased with his team’s effort and professionalism versus the Steelers, even if it got a little out of hand once the back-of-the-roster players were in.
Skyy Moore looks useful
Packers fans do not need reminding that punt returns have not provided much joy in recent years. Moore is their latest attempt at finding an answer, and he had a good night, looking spry and making the most of his opportunities.
Beyond just the return game, Moore picked up yards on a manufactured touch from the backfield and had a reception as well. He could prove to be a smart pickup by Brian Gutekunst with the potential to provide value in two phases.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 quick takeaways from Packers' loss to Steelers: Trey Smack delivers
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