The Packers wrapped up their two-day joint practice with the New England Patriots, gearing up for their upcoming preseason game against them. This young team held up very well against the Patriots, and even head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged the Packers’ strong performance. The two-day joint practices highlighted both areas of strength and areas in need of improvement for the Packers.
Here are the key positives and negatives from the two joint practice sessions with the Patriots:
Stock Up, Stock Down: Packers Joint Practice With Patriots
Stock Up: Jordan Love
Jordan Love displayed an impressive performance against a talented and well-coached Patriots defense, showcasing his ability to move the chains with short and intermediate passes while also taking deep shots, including a big touchdown pass to Christian Watson on day one of joint practice.
Here is the clip of the throw:
Jordan Love to Christian Watson BOMB 💣
Ball was right on the money. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/p68WlcfTlQ
— GBP Daily – Rob Westerman lll (@GBPdaily) August 16, 2023
Despite not being perfect on day two, Love’s resilience and ability to bounce back from mistakes was a positive sign. As we look forward to the preseason game, it will be interesting to see if Love can continue to build on his progress.
Stock Down: Royce Newman
Royce Newman appears to be the weakest link on the Packers’ offensive line, with multiple reports of him being overpowered and beaten numerous times. Even offensive line coach Luke Butkus expressed frustration with his performance on day one of joint practice.
Unfortunately, Newman also did not show much improvement on day two, and his spot on the team is now in jeopardy. He has not been good in any training camp or joint practices, and in the first preseason game, he was awful. Time is running out for Royce Newman, and he most likely will not be on the Packers’ final 53-man roster when the season starts.
Stock Up: Packers’ Pass Rush
On days one and two of joint practice, the Packers’ pass rush was getting after the New England Patriots’ offensive line. Quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe were constantly under pressure.
Here’s a detailed report of how Green Bay’s pass rush impacted both days of joint practice:
A long way to go still but not a great start to joint practices for the Patriots offense against the Packers. The O-line is giving up a bunch of pressure and there’s not much open downfield.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) August 16, 2023
The Patriots just finished their best practice of 2023. After the Packers were better on Day 1 of joint practices, the Patriots were definitively better today.
The offense was really good (though had some O-line issues) and the defense dominated.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) August 17, 2023
Despite the Patriots outplaying the Packers on day two, the Packers’ pass rush continued to cause problems for their offensive line. Kingsley Enagbare, Justin Hollins, Lukas Van Ness, and Benton Cox performed well on the edge and constantly got in the backfield. T.J. Slaton, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, and Karl Brooks provided strong interior pressure against the Patriots’ offensive linemen. This is an encouraging sign for the Packers, especially with the impending return of Rashan Gary.
Stock Down: Run Blocking
On both days of joint practice with the Patriots, the Packers’ running game did not have any success and did not get going. The offensive line held up well in pass blocking but struggled to open up holes in the run game. It seems the run blocking needs work, and the run game is very important in Matt LaFleur’s offense. As good as the pass blocking has been, the run blocking needs to be much better to make the Packers’ offense better and take the pressure off Jordan Love.
Stock Up: Isaiah McDuffie
Isaiah McDuffie filled in for starting inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who was out with an ankle injury. McDuffie performed well on both days of joint practice, excelling in coverage and against the run. He provides excellent depth as an inside linebacker and is a solid player on special teams. Campbell’s injury may jeopardize his Week 1 status, giving McDuffie a chance to start. It was encouraging to see McDuffie step up in Campbell’s absence.