Packers: Aaron Rodgers could play first quarter vs. Ravens

Aaron Rodgers could start in the Green Bay Packers’ second preseason game this week.

The majority of the Packers‘ starters sat out of last week’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans, but that could change for Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is planning for Aaron Rodgers to play against the Ravens this week.

“Right now we’re looking at about a quarter or so, depending upon how we perform out there,” LaFleur said following Tuesday’s practice. “But that’s the plan going into it.”

If Rodgers is on the field, there’s a good chance the starting offensive line will also be out there for the first quarter. That could mean David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga, Corey Linsley and Billy Turner will all play together for the first time in game action.

The question would then be about who starts at left guard. Lane Taylor is the current starter on the unofficial depth chart, but he faces competition from rookie Elgton Jenkins.

If Rodgers plays, will Davante Adams be out there? Geronimo Allison and Marquez Valdes-Scantling played eight snaps each last week, according to Evan “Tex” Western of Acme Packing Company. Perhaps they’ll see an increase in snaps this week also.

Another question is whether starting running back Aaron Jones will be on the field on Thursday night. He returned to practice at the weekend after missing some time with hamstring tightness. Even if he’s 100 percent, it might not make much sense to risk rushing Jones back too soon when there are still two preseason games to come.

If Rodgers is out there, it’ll be the first opportunity to see the Packers’ first-team offense together in game action led by Matt LaFleur. While the game plan won’t feature much from the regular season playbook, it’ll still be interesting to see how the offense looks, especially up against a very good Baltimore Ravens defense.