6 lessons from Packers' eventful joint practice with Cardinals

The Green Bay Packers held their final training camp practice on Wednesday, a joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the Packers will wrap up the preseason and prepare to trim the roster to 53 players.

Wednesday's practice featured some ups and downs. As the team faced off against actual competition from another team, there was lots to look at in terms of the good, the bad, and more.

Six takeaways from the Packers' final training camp practice

1. A hot early start

To start off the day, the Packers' starting group seemed to be doing great. On the defensive side, rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse picked off Jacoby Brissett on a ball that he returned for a fake touchdown.

On the offensive side, the Packers similarly dominated the Cardinals' defense, with Jordan Love finding Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Christian Watson early and often throughout the start of practice.

It's a great sign for the offense, as it continued what was a great first drive against the Denver Broncos last week. It seems unlikely that many starters will play in Week 3 of the preseason, so getting one final look against other NFL starters was great for the groups.

2. Matthew Golden shines yet again

Speaking of Golden, he continued to shine. Per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, during the early portion of practice, Love connected with Golden on a 45-yard deep ball for a touchdown. The second-year receiver also shined throughout the day, although he did drop a touchdown late in the team's two-minute drills (more on that shortly).

Despite the one hiccup, Golden has seemingly had an absolutely outstanding training camp. The receiver has done everything asked of him and more, and remains one of Love's go-to targets at camp. The only remaining question is whether Golden can showcase it in real games.

Last year, Golden shined at practice but was often left deferring to other receivers in games. Now a proper NFL veteran, fans are hoping to see Golden cook more.

3. A rough 2-minute drill session

Both teams settled in for some two-minute drills near the end of practice. After the Packers seemed to dominate the day, though, things fell apart for them. In scenarios simulating a two-minute drive starting at the offense's 30-yard line, the Packers' starting offense was unable to score on any attempts against the Cardinals' defense.

Although they did get close, Golden had a rare drop in the back of the end zone, and then Love was "sacked" on fourth down.

"I think we started off the day really hot and we were making a lot of plays," Love said after practice (via Bill Huber of Packers On SI). "And I think towards the end, we didn't finish as well. That's obviously something we've harped on throughout the offseason, throughout training camp. So, I think that was the lowest point of the day was just (the) finish."

When it was the defense's turn, things went equally poorly. Keisean Nixon was unable to stop Michael Wilson from catching a 4th-and-2 pass and was subsequently called for pass interference on another throw. The Cardinals' offense won the day after Marvin Harrison Jr. made an absolutely incredible catch in the back of the end zone against Brandon Cisse.

While it's not how you would've liked the Packers to end training camp, ultimately, it doesn't matter. From the looks of it, the Packers spent some time dominating the Cardinals, and then some time unable to stop them. It's the nature of training camp, although it is something fans will likely be monitoring due to the Packers' uneven play last year.

4. Javon Bullard returns, but Warren Brinson remains out for some time

In some good news, safety Javon Bullard was back at practice today for the first time in two weeks. Bullard has been out since August 10 while nursing a foot injury that required him to be in a boot. He said he'd be back quickly at the time, and that turned out to be true.

The news is not only great for Bullard, but also for a Packers defense looking to get whole again. While Kamal Hadden has performed admirably and stepped up in his absence, Bullard being back in time for Week 1 would be a huge boost to the team.

On the flip side of Bullard's return, it looks like the Packers will be without defensive lineman Warren Brinson for a little bit. After tweaking his calf while warming up ahead of last week's game against the Denver Broncos, Brinson was once again sidelined.

Head coach Matt LaFleur hinted that Brinson could miss some time earlier this week, and it looks like he might not be ready for Week 1 just yet.

5. Trey Smack's practice field woes continue

Rookie kicker Trey Smack has been stellar during in-game situations for the Packers. On the practice field, that hasn't always been the case, and those curious troubles continued this week.

During Wednesday's practice, Smack once again had a rough day, going 2-for-5 overall in kicking situations. Smack missed wide left from 33 yards, wide right from 45, and was short and to the right on a kick from 58, according to those in attendance.

Despite the miskicks, there doesn't seem to be too much to worry about. For whatever reason, Smack seems unable to handle the conditions at the Packers' Ray Nitschke Field, but remains perfect during actual games, which shows he's maybe a bit more comfortable in those settings.

6. Tyrod Taylor's struggles

One of the most underrated topics at Packers training camp has been the struggles of Tyrod Taylor, the team's backup quarterback. While we've discussed the potential of Kyle McCord taking over his duties, that remains unlikely. However, Taylor struggled again at practice, in what has been a rough training camp for the NFL vet.

During Wednesday's drills, Taylor threw an interception in the backup teams' two-minute drills, a ball that went through the hands of Isaiah Neyor and was picked. Combined with the two rough preseason games, it's worth wondering if maybe there is some sort of backup quarterback competition brewing.

Whether or not there is, one thing's for sure: Taylor needs to have some good reps soon. His next chance to do so will come on Friday against the Cardinals, where fans will hope to see more stable play from the quarterback.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow