The Green Bay Packers cleared another important checkpoint on the road to the regular season: Family Night.
It's always fun. It's Packers fans' first opportunity to see the team at Lambeau Field. There are fireworks. Kids fielding punts and kicking field goals. The vibes are always great. But within that, there's the serious business of practice.
That's where the fun ends, and it was a particularly sloppy session for the Packers with dropped passes, dropped picks, too many penalties. Critics would argue Matt LaFleur's team was in midseason form.
There were several positives to take away, but also plenty for LaFleur to work on. Here's a closer look at the most notable performances from Family Night, for better or worse.
The Packers who stepped up or disappointed the most at Family Night
Impressed: Trey Smack, K
We have to start with rookie kicker Trey Smack, who's had a rocky start to training camp. Smack faced his biggest test yet in front of a packed Lambeau Field.
The rookie delivered, converting six of his seven field goals. His only miss came from 51 yards. Before practice started, Mike Spofford of Packers.com noted that Smack booted a 62-yarder that probably would've been good from 65.
"I know he missed the 51-yarder, but other than that, he was dead on," said head coach Matt LaFleur, via Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap.
It's a step in the right direction and something to build on. Confidence is everything for a kicker, and Smack has some momentum.
Disappointed: Keisean Nixon, CB
The advantage goes to the wide receiver in one-on-one drills, but that doesn't make it much better for Keisean Nixon after a rough few reps against Matthew Golden.
Golden made it look easy against Nixon. Again, these drills are hardly the be-all and end-all, but Nixon struggled far more than second-round rookie Brandon Cisse has this week, both at Family Night and during recent practices.
Impressed: Matthew Golden, WR
Golden put on a show at Family Night. It began with his explosiveness in the one-on-one reps versus Nixon. The second-year receiver then burned Javon Bullard in the team portion of practice to haul in a 52-yard touchdown from Jordan Love.
Yes, it's just training camp. We haven't even started the preseason yet. But Golden has looked so explosive and so sharp all summer long. He was fired up after his touchdown catch, and so he should be. The breakout alarms are ringing loudly.
Disappointed: Anthony Belton, OL
Anthony Belton is the projected starter at right guard, but he continues to get work at right tackle this summer. It was an up-and-down night for the 2025 second-round pick.
It started in the one-on-one drills. As noted by Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com, rookie pass-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton beat Belton twice on an inside move. Belton would later get called for some frustrating penalties and allowed a would-be sack to Barryn Sorrell.
The Packers want to cross-train Belton at multiple positions, but it remains a work in progress at tackle. Is there any risk of him losing his job to ascending rookie Jager Burton?
Impressed: Brandon Cisse, CB
Brandon Cisse continues to impress. He has been one of the Packers' standouts of the summer, and his dominant performance in the one-on-one drills against Savion Williams earlier this week earned him an opportunity against Christian Watson at Family Night.
But instead of it being a true "Welcome to the NFL" moment for Cisse, he held his own. Watson got the better of him on some reps, but there's no shame in that. Watson beat Cisse on a slant, but the rookie corner also registered a pass breakup.
They met again in the 11-on-11s, and even when Watson made a reception down the sideline, Cisse was right there with good coverage.
It's becoming inevitable that the second-round rookie will start in Week 1. He exited practice early, but it sounds like he was dealing with cramps and nothing to be concerned about.
Impressed: Barryn Sorrell, EDGE
There's a reason why Barryn Sorrell continues to get first-team reps alongside Lukas Van Ness. Earlier in the week, Sorrell beat Jordan Morgan in one-on-one reps and had a pick-six against Jordan Love.
He showed off his run-stopping ability at Family Night. Sorrell was disruptive all night and would've shut down MarShawn Lloyd on multiple runs if full tackling was allowed. While we're yet to see any of the Packers' edge defenders truly break out in the pass rush, Sorrell has been particularly impressive against the run and is showing enough in every aspect of his game. He'll be a key contributor while Micah Parsons is out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google