On Saturday night, the Green Bay Packers welcomed more than 60,000 fans to Lambeau Field for their annual family practice.
Matt LaFleur’s team went 11-on-11, 1-on-1, did long kicking drills, situational drills and even some live attack drills during a practice that lasted about two hours and 10 minutes.
Here’s a quick summary of the celebration:
The best game
In a 1-on-1 early in practice, Jordan Love jumped the ball and hit Christian Watson for a sweet spot. Jaire Alexander has excellent coverage, but Love made a perfect throw and Watson finished with an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone.
Christian Watson beats Jaire Alexander and catches a attractive pass from Jordan Love for a touchdown. Get used to it. photo:twitter.com/6d6xxzAhmj
— zach jacobson (@zacobson) August 4, 2024
The best moment
It was fitting that the best moment on Family Night came from a juvenile kid. During a punt-hunting period where returners like Jayden Reed and Keisean Nixon were trying to catch as many punts as they could in their arms, the juvenile kid got one last chance and ultimately stole the show. He caught one punt. And then another. And then a third. With three balls in his hands, surrounded by a convoy of Packers players to celebrate. Lambeau Field went wild. Core memory unlocked.
With the 27th pick in the 2034 NFL Draft, the Packers select… photo:twitter.com/EqRbnrviZ3
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 4, 2024
Outstanding
During one red zone period, Romeo Doubs broke free of Eric Stokes on a slant and scored. Shortly afterward, he flew over Keisean Nixon on a fade route for another touchdown. Later in practice, Doubs ran a fantastic route up the middle and broke free for a substantial gainer from Jordan Love. He also had a controversial catch on a third-down throw from Love against Alexander’s tight coverage. The arrow is pointing straight up at Doubs.
Kicker Update
Neither resulted in a field goal, but both kickers had good nights. Greg Joseph attempted his first six kicks — continuing his streak to 20 — before missing 54. Anders Carlson attempted his first seven kicks. Both kickers had a field goal nullified by halftime, and both kickers missed from 57 yards out on the final kicking play of the night. Including Family Night, the pair have attempted 41 field goals so far in camp, and Joseph — with 37 of 41 — has a three-point advantage over Carlson (34 of 41).
Observation
The Packers need Zach Tom back at right quarterback. Other reserve contenders — such as Caleb Jones and Kadeem Telfort — simply couldn’t handle the first-team defense, especially Rashan Gary. Matt LaFleur said Tom could return to 11-on-11 play as early as next Tuesday.
Injury Updates
Running back Josh Jacobs participated in the early portion of practice but was not available for the team’s scrimmage. He has a minor groin injury. Starting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and cornerback Carrington Valentine missed practice. Edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare did not practice with a up-to-date hamstring injury. During practice, quarterback Christian Watson collided with Evan Williams and appeared to be in pain but escaped and eventually returned for another 11-on-11 drill later in practice.
They said it
“I think 2024 is going to be a big year for all of us,” coach Matt LaFleur told the fans at Lambeau Field during a post-practice interview with John Kuhn.
