Seven months after the Green Bay Packers were a few mistake-filled minutes away from reaching Super Bowl 49, they’re back in (preseason) action. And it’s against the team that ended up claiming the Lombardi Trophy, the New England Patriots.

No, Thursday night’s game won’t settle the debate of who would’ve won the Super Bowl had the Packers and Patriots met in February. But it’s the first glimpse of Green Bay’s 2015 roster and the first hint of whether this year’s Packers team might be able to live up to lofty expectations.

Here are five things to watch for in Thursday’s game:

Mike McCarthy’s new role

Expect all eyes – and many cameras – to be on McCarthy throughout the game. Now that McCarthy is no longer calling offensive plays, it will be interesting to note how and where he spends most of his time on the sideline.

During the offseason, McCarthy has been able to spend time in defensive and special teams meetings. But how involved will he be with those groups, at least visually, on game days?

Now that a play sheet won’t be covering McCarthy’s face, he can more closely observe every facet of the game.

On a related note, will there be any discernible difference between the way Tom Clements calls plays? The team’s former offensive coordinator (now with the title of Associate Head Coach / Offense) is taking over an offense that led the NFL in scoring last season. Any significant drop-off in scoring this season could easily be pinned on Clements.

Packers secondary: the strength of the defense?

Green Bay’s defensive line has several questions marks aside from the usually dominant Mike Daniels. The linebackers will go as Clay Matthews goes. So, is it the Packers’ secondary that enters the season as the defense’s best unit?

Green Bay’s top two draft picks were used on cornerbacks, with Damarious Randall (first round) and Quinten Rollins (second round) being selected. Yet, neither will be expected to come in and start as rookies – at least not if the presumed starters are healthy.

Few teams could lose two of its top four cornerbacks in free agency and still be in good shape. But that’s where the Packers find themselves, even after the departures of Tramon Williams and Davon House. Sam Shields has been a long-time starter, and Casey Hayward seems well-equipped to handle a transition to outside starting cornerback.

Add in safeties Morgan Burnett and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and it’s easy to see this group as being capable of winning a couple games for Green Bay. That will be especially true if Clinton-Dix takes the big year two jump that McCarthy always looks for.

Of course, a roster on paper and a roster on the field can sometimes differ. This will be the first chance to see if the talent will translate to on-field production.

Linebacker rotation

Even if Matthews suits up, he won’t play much. The knee soreness that kept Matthews off the practice field for an entire week isn’t something that McCarthy will want to test much in a game like this. Plus, even when healthy, Matthews often gets the star treatment of sitting out preseason games (which he did in Week 1 of preseason last year).

Matthews hasn’t been the only linebacker dealing with an injury. Mike Neal was just removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list, while Nick Perry and Jayrone Elliott have both missed practices.

Someone is going to get snaps at linebacker for the Packers in this game. McCarthy would certainly love to see a couple of them take advantage of it.

Third-year player Nate Palmer (a converted outside linebacker) has been getting a lot of practice reps on the inside with the starting defense, and this will be a big moment to show if he belongs. Rookie Jake Ryan, along with second-year players Carl Bradford and Joe Thomas, will all have chances, too.

Sam Barrington has his spot locked down, but can anyone else prove to be ready in the event Matthews misses regular-season games this year?

Bubble players

Two mid-round draft picks from Ted Thompson’s 2014 class are living dangerously. The aforementioned Bradford and defensive lineman Khyri Thornton could both find themselves looking for work in a month. Or, they could soon prove why Thompson believed in them in the first place.

Third-year wide receiver Myles White could win a roster spot with a strong preseason game, especially with Jared Abbrederis’ concussion keeping the former Badger sidelined

Who is going to be the No. 3 running back? It will be a battle between all undrafted players: John Crockett, Alonzo Harris and Rajion Neal. A strong performance by one of them in New England could make a lasting impression on the front office and coaching staff. A poor performance could leave them hopeful of just making the practice squad.

Quarterback play behind Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers might play two series. He might be in for just one drive. Maybe he won’t play at all. Either way, it won’t really matter how Rodgers does. He’s the reigning league Most Valuable Player and this is just preseason.

However, the quarterback trio of Scott Tolzien, Matt Blanchard and Brett Hundley will have a lot of time on the field to show what they can do. Tolzien is penciled in as Rodgers’ top backup, and it’s unlikely that will change. But Tolzien still has to show he’s improved since the two regular-season starts he made in 2013. Hundley needs to show why the Packers traded up for him. At least looking superior to Blanchard would be a good place for Hundley to begin.