Good, bad and ugly coming out of Packers' preseason win over Broncos

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Good, bad and ugly coming out of Packers' preseason win over Broncos

Zach Kruse, Packers Wire · Packers Wire

Sat, Aug 22, 2026 ·

3 min read

The Good

The things that matter:The Packers got an opening drive touchdown against Denver's starting defense, rookie kicker Trey Smack stayed perfect with four more field goals, and Matt LaFleur's team exited the contest without a notable injury. In the grand scheme of a preseason game, these are the things that matter most. Jordan Love led scoring drives on both of his preseason possessions, Smack is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals and the Packers haven't been dealt an injury that will affect Week 1.

Two highlight catches from Will Sheppard :The second-year receiver made two impressive catches. The first was an incredible toe-drag catch in the end zone for a touchdown from Tyrod Taylor on third down. The second was a leaping catch in traffic between two defenders in the second half. Sheppard finish the contest with a game-high six catches.

Return of the return: Skyy Moore returned the opening kickoff 30 yards, Pierre Strong Jr. ripped off a 68-yard kickoff return setting up points, and Moore impressively turned a punt inside the 10-yard line into a 16-yard return. The Packers consistently won field position with the return game on Friday night. Trey Smack is the special teams star of the preseason, but it appears the Packers are set to get a big boost on kick and punt returns from the arrival of Moore and coordinator Cam Achord.

The Bad

Defense's opening drive: Bo Nix and the Broncos offense made easy work of the Packers starting defense, driving 65 yards in a little under three minutes to tie the game at 7-7 early. Jaylen Waddle created an explosive play, and RJ Harvey beat Edgerrin Cooper on a wheel route for a 21-yard touchdown. The Packers starting defense won't be back on the field in a live game environment until Week 1, so bouncing back during Wednesday's live practice with the Cardinals will be important.

The Ugly

Three-play sequence in third quarter:It was a mostly clean night for the Packers, but one three-play sequence in the third quarter was U-G-L-Y. On first down, Pierre Strong Jr. had nowhere to go and was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. A play later, Jaden Nixon dropped a pass in the flat and Isaiah Neyor was penalized for offensive pass interference, a double whammy. Finally, on 3rd-and-11, right tackle Brant Banks got beat clean and allowed a quick sack of Kyle McCord . Drive over.