Football is back. The Green Bay Packers begin their preseason adventure against some familiar faces on Thursday night. They will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Mike McCarthy and potentially with Aaron Rodgers starting at quarterback, in the first of three exhibition contests.
The Packers could also answer several burning questions from the first two weeks of training camp.
We'll likely see the starters in action for at least a little bit, but the questions go deeper than that, especially with roster cutdown day almost two weeks away. Here are six questions that could get answered in the preseason opener.
Six important questions facing the Green Bay Packers in their preseason opener
Is MarShawn Lloyd finally ready for a heavy workload?
Every time a Packers coach speaks about MarShawn Lloyd, it's cautious. Tentative. Quiet confidence. And who can blame them? Lloyd offers so much potential as a big-play threat in Matt LaFleur's offense, but injuries have robbed him of all but six NFL carries.
It feels different this time, though. Lloyd worked with specialists in the offseason, and he has made it through OTAs, minicamp, and now to the preseason opener without suffering any setbacks.
A year ago, Lloyd suffered a hamstring injury after making an explosive catch on a wheel route in the preseason. He wouldn't play again for the remainder of the season. He's worked hard and cleared every hurdle this summer, but Thursday presents another.
The third-year running back has the talent to become Green Bay's breakout star on offense, but he has to stay healthy. So far, so good, but Thursday night could tell us whether Lloyd is finally ready to handle a heavy workload.
Is the Packers' wide receiver depth battle already over?
Christian Watson. Jayden Reed. Matthew Golden. That's the Packers' top three at wide receiver.
Add in Savion Williams. He's a roster lock. Two weeks into training camp, Bo Melton and Skyy Moore sure look close to securing the next two spots on the 53-man roster. Thursday night could wrap up the battle at the back end of the wide receiver depth chart.
The Packers love Melton. It's why they moved him to cornerback last summer and then back to receiver. They want to find ways to keep him around. He offers versatility and plays a key role on special teams. Moore is the clear No. 1 choice to return kicks and punts this season, even if he doesn't play a featured role on offense.
Can a wide receiver on the roster bubble emerge in the preseason?
Isaiah Neyor has made plays this summer. So has J. Michael Sturdivant. But enough to break into the top six at wide receiver? It may take a standout performance in the preseason opener to keep that dream alive.
Can Anthony Belton hold on to a starting job?
Anthony Belton is on notice.
He started seven games for the Packers as a rookie and entered the summer as the favorite for the right guard job. That's no longer the case. A rough performance at Family Night encapsulated his challenging training camp, and he now faces serious competition from Jacob Monk and Jager Burton.
Monk has been getting first-team reps ahead of Belton over the past week, while fifth-round rookie Burton has also spent a lot of time with the ones while covering for Aaron Banks at left guard.
All three should get extensive snaps on Thursday. We likely won't know the Week 1 starter by the time the Packers depart Pittsburgh, but Belton could undoubtedly lose the battle with another disappointing performance.
Do the Packers have a pass rush without Micah Parsons?
The Packers won't have Micah Parsons until at least Week 6, and perhaps longer. They will need a collective effort to generate pressure without him.
It hasn't happened anywhere near enough at training camp. Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, and Dani Dennis-Sutton have all flashed at times, but defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has found most of his success when sending extra rushers. Get ready for cornerback blitzes once the regular season begins.
Thursday's game will show us a lot. Even if Van Ness and Sorrell only play a handful of snaps early in the game, fourth-round rookie Dennis-Sutton should see the field. So should Brenton Cox Jr. and second-year Collin Oliver.
Gannon will presumably save his most exotic blitzes for the regular season, which should force the Packers' rushers to win without extra help. Yes, it's only the preseason, but we'll learn a lot about the Parsons-less pass rush in Pittsburgh.
Is Brandon Cisse a Week 1 starter?
We may already have the answer to this question, but Thursday night could confirm it.
Brandon Cisse has made the most of his opportunities. Carrington Valentine's hamstring injury allowed Cisse to get first-team reps earlier than expected, and the rookie has held off all competition ever since.
Green Bay's second-round pick looks like an NFL starter. He held his own against Christian Watson at Family Night, which backed up all the positivity about him coming out of Ray Nitschke Field.
Valentine returned to practice this week, but it'll be surprising if he plays much, if at all, so soon after dealing with a hamstring issue. That once again opens the door for Cisse, who could all but seal a spot in the Week 1 starting lineup if he puts in an impressive performance in a live game.
Can Trey Smack handle the pressure of a real game?
It has been an up-and-down summer for rookie kicker Trey Smack. ESPN's Rob Demovsky has Smack at 20-of-28 on field goals so far, and it's been a rollercoaster to get there.
The inconsistency remains a problem, but the biggest encouragement is how Smack performed at Family Night. That was the most pressure he has faced yet in front of a packed Lambeau Field. Smack was nearly perfect.
But it's only the beginning, and the challenges keep increasing in difficulty.
The Packers shouldn't go for a single fourth down when they enter field goal range. Kick. Kick. Kick. As much as possible. While general manager Brian Gutekunst keeps stressing the need for patience with Smack, which is clear from their decision not to roster a second kicker this summer, the rookie still needs to show he's ready.
Can Smack handle the pressure of playing in a real game on the road? Sure, it's hardly the intensity of a game at Soldier Field in January with the Packers' season on the line, but it's the biggest test Smack will have faced since getting drafted.
Delivering a good performance against the Steelers will back up Gutekunst's push for patience. But if the kicking woes continue, the uncertainty will only increase.
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