After a brief stint in Cleveland and a joint workout in Denver, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he does not plan to apply quarterback Jordan Love and other veteran players in Sunday’s preseason game against the Broncos.
“Right now, I don’t expect those guys to play against Denver, most of the starters. There might be a select few,” LaFleur said after the Packers’ 23-10 victory over the Browns in the preseason opener. “We have practices with the Broncos, (we’ll) use those as game replays and let the other guys play most of the time in that second preseason game and then we’ll reevaluate for the third.”
The Packers will have a joint practice with the Broncos on Friday before playing at Denver on Sunday night. One day of repetitions in a controlled environment of a joint practice will have to be enough for Love and other key starters next week.
Although Love played in only three snaps against the Browns and most of the veterans played only one or two series, LaFleur said it was good for the players to “get their feet wet” and “wash off some rust” in game conditions while also going through the mental preparation stages.
“They need to mentally prepare themselves to play in the game, work on their pre-game routine so that this isn’t their first time playing against a Philadelphia team in Brazil,” LaFleur said.
If veterans and key players can get the majority of their reps in practices together, the preseason game in Denver next Sunday night should provide an ideal opportunity to play another round of playoff contention.
In the opener in Cleveland, the Packers’ second and third offenses consistently moved the ball, while the Browns managed to score on only two plays.
After traveling to Denver, the Packers will wrap up the preseason at home against the Baltimore Ravens. They will also have a joint practice with the Ravens before the preseason finale.
