The Green Bay Packers' preseason is a couple of days away from kicking off. While it's still unclear who will be playing, Matt LaFleur has shed some light on his plans.
"I think there's a ton of value in the preseason games and getting those guys out there to kind of work out some of the kinks," LaFleur said.
When asked later about whether he goes back and forth on wanting to play them, LaFleur said it's a feel-based thing, and he believes the team is usually better off if they do, and pointed to the team's opening-week game as something they need to be ready for.
"My experiences here is that when we've played in the preseason, we've been better earlier in the season. And we open up with a division opponent on the road, that's a tough task in itself. We've got to keep that in mind. Plus, there's a lot of data out there that will tell you if your guys get X amount of snaps in the preseason, I think it's over three times less likely that they get injured in the regular season."
Matt LaFleur's comments suggest we'll see some starters in the preseason
The Packers are set to open their preseason on Thursday when they travel to Pittsburgh to play against the Steelers in what will be yet another reunion between the team and former quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They'll also play in Denver the following week and close out their preseason schedule at home against the Arizona Cardinals and Matt LaFleur's brother, Mike.
While the team is preparing for their first real football action, fans are wondering just who will be on the field. Historically, NFL teams are usually hesitant to play their starters for very long in the preseason. On top of just giving them rest, it's often viewed as playing it smarter overall.
Usually, you'll only see starters play a handful of snaps in the preseason, with some even skipping entire games. When it comes to this week, though, Packers fans might be seeing some of the starting lineup get some reps.
The Packers open up their 2026-27 season with a division game, playing at Minnesota in what could prove to be an early crucial game. Unlike last year, they'll be without star edge-rusher Micah Parsons, so the team is likely hoping to not come into the game rusty. With that in mind, it's likely we'll see many of the starters get at least some run in the preseason.
Later in his press conference, LaFleur noted that just how much the starters will play depends on whether or not they have any joint practices planned that week. With a joint practice set for August 26 against the Cardinals, that means it's unlikely we'll see many starters play in the third and final preseason game, which lines up with what we've seen from LaFleur in the past.
In his last three years as coach, LaFleur has used the preseason in myriad ways. In 2023, quarterback Jordan Love played in all three games, totaling eight series across each. Of course, that was coming into his first season as a starter. Since then, Love has played 1-2 series in the first game and then sat out the second and third games of the preseason, so this should give you a good idea of what to expect this year, too.
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