The Green Bay Packers closed the curtain on training camp with a bang. There were several notable takeaways from Wednesday's joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, for better and for worse.
It was Matt LaFleur vs. Mike LaFleur. Bo Melton vs. Max Melton. The Packers vs. closing out games (or practice).
Green Bay made a red-hot start to practice. Jordan Love was on fire. The defense was making stops. But then the Packers found themselves in an all-too-familiar position: in a commanding position and just needing to "finish." You know how this goes. They failed. Arizona came roaring back and dominated late, but there's more on that to come.
What did we learn? And, crucially, with the preseason coming to a close and roster cutdown day looming large, who were the biggest winners and losers from the LaFleur Bowl at Ray Nitschke Field?
Biggers winners and losers from the Packers' eventful joint practice with Cardinals
Winner: Matthew Golden
Yes, yes, Matthew Golden dropped a would-be touchdown in the middle of the Packers' collapse at the end of practice. It happens. Well, in Golden's case, drops rarely happen.
Before then, he was lighting up the Cardinals' defense.
"Matthew Golden is not human," Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com wrote from practice. "Beautiful pass from Love from Golden who beats two Cardinals defenders for a 45 yard touchdown."
Turns out it wasn't just any two Cardinals defenders. One of them was talented second-year cornerback Denzel Burke. The other was eight-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker. Forget the drop at the end of practice. Golden again proved he's the real deal.
Winner: Brandon Cisse
Rookie Brandon Cisse continues to impress. While he did give up a touchdown catch to Marvin Harrison Jr., it was a spectacular grab. There's not a whole lot Cisse could've done about it.
What the Packers' second-round pick did do was add to his interception tally, picking off Jacoby Brissett earlier in the day.
The rookie is going to have some rough moments. Even the best cornerbacks in the NFL lose matchups. It's an offense-driven league, after all, and it's especially hard for first-year players adjusting from the college game. But Cisse is the Packers' CB1, and the overall takeaway from Wednesday was another resounding positive.
Winner: Bo Melton
Speaking from personal experience, there's nothing better than beating your brother at anything. Literally anything. A 100-meter sprint. Madden. Throwing a tennis ball and seeing who drops it first. Anything.
Bo Melton got to enjoy exactly that on Wednesday. While the Matt LaFleur vs. Mike LaFleur battle took the headlines, we also got to see Bo take on his brother Max in one-on-ones. The Packers receiver took the bragging rights.
"One on ones start and Bo Melton smokes his brother on a slant," Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day Podcast reported from practice.
Herman noted that the play drew a "huge celebration" from the Packers' receiver room.
But that was just one of several big moments for Melton at practice. He made a bunch of catches on offense and got some kick return reps with Savion Williams out. There shouldn't have been any doubt, but Melton is a roster lock.
Winner: Donovan Jennings
Donovan Jennings may have sealed his spot on the 53-man roster. Maybe even more than that. Andy Herman noted that Jennings may have "moved ahead" of rookie Jager Burton.
Per Herman, Jennings had "way more reps" at left guard with the first-teamers than Burton, which is interesting. Aaron Banks is the clear starter when healthy, but Jennings may have taken the top reserve spot from Burton. Time will tell.
If nothing else, it would seem to indicate that Jennings is a roster lock.
Loser: Jager Burton
On the flip side of that, Burton seems to have fallen out of the starting conversation. Make no mistake about it: the fifth-round rookie has enjoyed a fantastic camp and has a bright future ahead of him in Green Bay. But it sure looks like he will begin his Packers career as a backup.
Jennings getting first-team reps ahead of Burton doesn't necessarily mean he's ahead on the depth chart. Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said the plan was to give Burton some snaps at center this week, which we saw on Wednesday.
But it still wasn't his day, as he later fumbled a snap with Tyrod Taylor. It's not time to panic about Burton in the slightest. The rookie has looked good all summer.
Loser: Matt LaFleur
Finish. Finish. Finish.
We keep hearing about it. Matt LaFleur's teams have collapsed in big moments far too often, none more so than by throwing away a 21-3 lead in the wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears in January. It was a result damaging enough that it raised questions about LaFleur's future. He signed an extension, but his team has to evolve and learn to become ruthless when playing with a lead.
It's only practice, but the Packers failed badly in that regard on Wednesday. Various reports indicated that Green Bay had its way against Arizona in the early portions of practice. Jordan Love was on fire. So was Matthew Golden.
The Cardinals flipped the script late on.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic wrote that the Packers "lost all four two-minute periods" at the back end of practice. The first- and second-team offenses failed to score, and then both defensive lineups allowed touchdowns to the Cardinals.
"A huge emphasis all offseason has been on finishing," Andy Herman wrote from practice. "Packers had a chance to show that off against the Cardinals. Failed on both offense and defense. Golden drops the touchdown down 7. Defense gets dog walked down the field and gives up the touchdown and the 2 for the loss. Now the Cardinals 2nd defense picks off Taylor to win that drive."
It's only practice, yes, but it's a harsh reminder for LaFleur and the Packers. They have to learn how to finish.
Loser: Trey Smack
The Trey Smack Rollercoaster continues.
He's perfect when the lights are brightest, converting all seven of his preseason field-goal attempts (and an eighth that was ruled out by a defensive penalty). Per FanSided's Adam Fromal, Smack has averaged 46.1 yards on his field-goal conversions, earning a KVA (Kick Value Added) of 4.61, which ranks No. 2 in the NFL.
But in practice? It's a different story. Smack has struggled at Ray Nitschke Field, and he endured another rough day on Wednesday. Per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Smack made just two of his five attempts, missing from 33, 45, and 58 yards.
Get used to the inconsistency. Smack has the talent to make kicks from any distance, but the Packers will have to accept some frustrating errors this season.
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