The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots will get together for a pair of joint practices starting on Wednesday and extending into Thursday. The two teams are scheduled to be at Ray Nitschke Field both days before a preseason game at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
So, what things are worth watching for the Packers during the joint practices with Bill Belichick’s Patriots?
Our staff made their picks:
Packers offense vs. Bill Belichick's defense
I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to see Green Bay’s offense face a Bill Belichick-coached defense. New England has finished in the top 10 in total defense in each of the past two seasons and will have a good mix of veterans and young talent at their disposal in 2023. The Packers, meanwhile, are inexperienced but full of potential on offense with a first-year starter under center. I hope Belichick doesn’t pull any punches and throws the kitchen sink at Jordan Love. Ultimately, that will benefit him and everyone around him in the long run by going up against looks they haven’t seen yet. It will also be a measuring stick for the Packers’ offense before the start of the regular season, going up against one of the greatest defensive minds in football. — Brandon Carwile
Offensive tackles not named David Bakhtiari
I’m looking forward to hearing how Zach Tom and Yosh Nijman hold up against New England’s edge rushers. Matthew Judon and Josh Uche combined for 27 sacks and 125 pressures last season. Nobody is worried about David Bakhtiari. When he’s on the field he’s an impenetrable wall. By all reports, Tom has been lights out throughout training camp and he backed that up with a stellar performance in the preseason opener against the Bengals. Will that carry over against the savvy Judon and the explosive Uche? Tom could cement his status as the team’s starting right tackle if he can pitch a shutout against those two in practice. Or maybe Nijman will handle them better on an island, which will make Green Bay’s coaching staff confident with a starting five that includes Tom at center and Nijman at right tackle. Green Bay’s young passing attack will be tested and all eyes will be on Jordan Love, but how the right side of the line holds up will go a long way in determining their success. — Brennen Rupp
Interior defensive line
I’m very interested in seeing how the interior defensive line performs against New England. For much of training camp I’ve been impressed with the consistent push that this unit has generated, not to mention that they look a lot faster with Devonte Wyatt seeing more snaps and the additions of Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden. In more practices than not, there haven’t been many running lanes for the Green Bay running backs. This group played well against Cincinnati, but the Bengals didn’t have their starting offensive line on the field. In the joint practice, we will see the Packers defensive front against the Patriots starting offensive line. Success for the Green Bay defense this season starts with stopping the run, and putting the opposing offense in predictable passing situations, allowing the rest of the defense to be aggressive. — Paul Bretl
Has to be the passing game
It has to be Jordan Love and the passing game. The first-year starter looked good against backups in the preseason opener in Cincinnati, but the Patriots’ first-team defense will present a stiff challenge. Bill Belichick’s secondary is a good one, especially after adding first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, and the pass-rush is stacked with young, productive rushers (Matthew Judon, Deatrich Wise, Josh Uche, Keion White, Christian Barmore). Can the young Packers receivers get open on time for Love? Can Luke Musgrave keep using his speed to create mismatches? Will the offensive line hold up? Can Love consistently hit the layups? Will the offense execute in red zone/third down/two-minute situations? So many question marks. Two days to get answers. These joint practices will be terrific barometer for the Packers passing game. — Zach Kruse
