The regular season is almost here. But before it can begin, the Green Bay Packers have to get through one more exhibition game.
With a division-rivalry showdown in Chicago waiting just 10 days later, here are five things to watch in the Packers preseason game Thursday night at Lambeau Field against the New Orleans Saints.
1. Jared Abbrederis
It’s been 16 months since the Packers drafted Abbrederis. Now, the Wisconsin native and former Badger will finally get a chance to see game action.
Abbrederis tore his ACL prior to the first exhibition game of his rookie season. This year, Abbrederis suffered a concussion on the first day of training camp and missed more than a month while recovering. He practiced Tuesday on the last day of camp after passing the concussion protocol.
The question now is whether there is enough time for Abbrederis to make Green Bay’s 53-man active roster. If Jordy Nelson was healthy, Abbrederis’ chances would be around zero. But with Nelson out, his top competition for the No. 5 receiver job is Myles White.
The Packers invested a fifth-round pick in Abbrederis and want to see him succeed. A big game from Abbrederis on Thursday could give the coaching staff and front office the go-ahead to overlook his injury history and pick him over White.
2. Last chance for bubble players
Attention: Carl Bradford, Joe Thomas, Khyri Thornton, Josh Walker, Demetri Goodson, Justin Perillo, Nate Palmer, Chris Banjo, Bruce Gaston and James Vaughters. You all have one more chance to show Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy why they should choose you for a 53-man roster spot.
Realistically, only four or five of those 10 players can make it. Gaston and Vaughters have been very good in preseason so far, so one more high-quality game could seal it for them. Meanwhile, Thornton and Bradford, the Packers’ third- and fourth-round picks from 2014, could find themselves as the rare early-to-mid-round selections to be cut in their second year.
3. Special teams improvement
Green Bay committed eight special teams penalties against Philadelphia. On one play, the Packers had 12 men on the field for punt coverage. After being flagged for that, they came back the very next play with just 10 players on the field. Sloppiness barely begins to describe it.
A solid preseason finale from Ron Zook’s group wouldn’t alleviate all concerns, but Green Bay’s special teams can’t look like the trainwreck that it was five nights earlier.
4. Tim Masthay
Masthay warrants his own category. Last season, Masthay was rated by ProFootballFocus as the worst punter in the NFL. The Packers signed Cody Mandell in the offseason to give Masthay competition, much like they did with Mason Crosby two years earlier. But that only lasted a short while, as Mandell was released Aug. 12.
Masthay has not been good in exhibition action. His 38.7 net yards average this preseason ranks him 23rd in the league. Masthay has especially struggled punting the ball to the right and has had punts that traveled just 29 yards and 31 yards on two occasions.
There’s no one to challenge Masthay for his job, but time is running out for him to get it together before the regular season begins.
5. Brett Hundley’s encore
Hundley was great in extended action this past weekend. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 315 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, finishing with a 111.6 passer rating. Making Hundley’s outing even more impressive was he did it against the Eagles’ starting defense for a while, and he did it without half of the Packers’ starting offense by his side.
With Aaron Rodgers unlikely to play, Scott Tolzien (cleared from the concussion protocol) will likely start and then give way to Hundley. The stock on Hundley is way up right now, and another strong performance would show that he can play that well consistently.
