RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, left, talks with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, right, during warmups before a preseason football game in Pittsburgh, Thursday.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press
Kicker Trey Smack shined.
Cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Jaylin Simpson struggled.
And the running game and overalll deoth shiuld have everyone inside 1265 Lombardi concerned.
The Green Bay Packers dropped a 28-9 decision to host Pittsburgh Thursday in the preseason opener for both teams. The Steelers scored the final 21 points of the game, as the Packers continued their trend of struggling down the stretch.
There were certainly positives for the Packers, but even more to clean up.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly from the Packers’ loss.
THE GOOD
SMACK ATTACK: Green Bay rookie kicker Trey Smack has had a rough summer, entering the night 20-of-28 (71.4%) on all kicks. No one will ever remember that, though, if Smack keeps kicking like he did Thursday.
Smack went 3-for-3 making kicks from 58, 38 and 37 yards. Smack also made another 58-yarder that the Packers took off the board following a Pittsburgh penalty.
Smack drilled a 58-yard field goal on Green Bay’s opening possession when Pittsburgh’s Dean Lowry — a former Packer — was tagged with a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. That gave Green Bay an automatic first down, so coach Matt LaFleur took the points off the board.
When Green Bay’s offense couldn't get anything going, Smack trotted back out and drilled a 37-yard field goal to give the Packers a 3-0 lead.
Just before half, Green Bay No. 3 quarterback Kyle McCord did a terrific job getting the Packers into field goal range. Smack then drilled a 57-yard field goal on the final play of the half to pull Green Bay within 7-6.
Then on the Packers’ opening drive of the second half, they drove to Pittsburgh’s 20, stalled and Smack made a 38-yarder.
For a young kicker who’s been under the microscope, this was the kind of outing he needed.
QUITE A STOP: Pittsburgh put together a 15-play, 84-yard drive on its second series. The Packers came up big, though, and kept the Steelers off the scoreboard.
On a second-and-goal play, rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse made a terrific, touchdown saving tackle of running back Lew Nichols at Green Bay’s 3-yard line. On third down, wideout Germie Bernard nearly made a touchdown grab, but safety Murvin Kenion III drove him out of the endzone.
Then on fourth and goal from the 3, safety Mark Perry made a strong tackle and held tight end Pat Freiermuth to a 2-yard gain after a short reception.
MCCORD MAKES HIS MARK: Green Bay No. 3 quarterback Kyle McCord had a solid night, going 12-of-16 for 102 yards. McCord didn’t have a touchdown or an interception and finished with a 91.1 rating.
“He's starting to understand what's going on from our perspective and learning how to play with our rhythm and our tempo that we stress a lot,” Packers quarterback coach Luke Getsy said of McCord earlier this summer. “I'm excited because he’s shown jumps every single week that we go through this process.”
WHO PLAYED WHERE?: Green Bay’s No. 1 offensive line was (from left) Jordan Morgan, Jager Burton, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk and Anthony Belton. Rhyan left after one series, Monk moved to center and Donovan Jennings went to right guard.
Brandon Cisse and Keisean Nixon were the No. 1 corners. Warren Brinson, Karl Brooks and Jonathan Ford were the defensive tackles in base.
THIS AND THAT: On the Packers’ opening drive, quarterback Jordan Love hit wideout Jayden Reed for 19 yards on a third-and-five. … No. 3 quarterback Kyle McCord hit wideout Skyy Moore for 11 yards and a first down. … Collin Oliver made a head-turning tackle, pursuing from the backside and dropping running back Lew Nichols for no gain.
THE BAD
SIMPSON STRUGGLES: It was a brutal night for cornerback Jaylin Simpson, who’s battling to make the team.
First, Pittsburgh rookie wideout Kaden Wetjen had a 74-yard reception when he whipped Simpson off the line, then Simpson fell down. That gave Wetjen the necessary space to run away from Green Bay’s defense, before two Packers caught him at the 3-yard line.
Two plays later, Pittsburgh reserve quarterback Drew Allar had a 3-yard TD run that gave the Steelers a 14-9 lead.
On Pittsburgh’s next series, the Steelers drove deep into Green Bay territory where Wetjen beat Simpson for a 5-yard TD.
And on Pittsburgh’s final series, Simpson was hit with a 24-yard pass interference penalty against Max Hurleman. If Simpson can’t defend Pittsburgh’s backups, is there any way he could hold up if forced to play Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison in Week 1?
THAT WON’T HELP: Green Bay cornerback Keisean Nixon is fighting for his job, splitting time with free agent Benjamin St-Juste this week. Nixon didn't do himself any favors Thursday.
In the first quarter, Nixon and safety Kitan Oladapo both had dreadful missed tackles on a short pass from Mason Rudolph to Germie Bernard. That allowed the play to erupt for 25 yards.
Oladapo figures to be a bit player, at best, in 2026. Nixon, though, is trying to hold onto his starting job.
Nixon showed little interest or effort on his tackle “attempt” of Bernard. That kind of effort certainly won’t help Nixon keep his job.
NO ARRON: Former Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he’ll retire after the season. If Rodgers is true to his word, this was his last chance to face his former team — unless the Packers and Steelers meet in the Super Bowl.
It would have been nice for Packer Nation to see Rodgers play one more time. Rodgers isn’t a fan of the preseason, though, and was held out of the game.
“What’s the value of it?,” Rodgers said of preseason games. “I don’t think it’s super high because in (2015) we lost our All-Pro wide receiver (Jordy Nelson).
“There’s not a tremendous amount of value that I see in it, but I’m not sure what the right thing to do is with that. They...
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