Packers won’t play starters vs. Chiefs in final preseason game
After going back and forth on whether to play the starters in the final preseason game, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has decided against it.
Playing starters in the preseason comes with a risk-reward. Getting reps can help preparations for the regular season, but there’s always an injury risk.
LaFleur has opted to take the safer approach. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur said starters yet to play a preseason game will be held out again this week.
Matt LaFleur says the starters who’ve sat the first two preseason games won’t play against the Chiefs on Thursday.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 23, 2022
I think this is the smart option.
Yes, not playing the starters does have some risks. We all remember the Packers’ disastrous start to the 2021 season in a 38-3 defeat to the New Orleans Saints. They didn’t look ready to play.
But unless Aaron Rodgers and the starters are going to get significant game time on Thursday night, is there much point in risking injury?
Also, there is over a two-week gap between the final preseason game and the regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s not exactly an ideal scenario to use preseason as a way to prepare for the regular season, only for there to be a 17-day gap in between games.
The biggest risk of playing starters in the preseason is injury.
Rewind to the 2015 season. The Packers had their starters on the field early in a preseason contest with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL that ended his season.
Those reps may have been useful for the Packers, but the cost was losing Nelson for the entire year. The offense was never able to recover that season after losing their star wide receiver.
It isn’t an easy decision to make, but I think Matt LaFleur got it spot on. While there is some risk to starting the regular season slowly, the key is entering Week 1 as healthy as possible.