The Green Bay Packers are still down a couple of key soldiers on both sides of the field. Star running back Josh Jacobs is out with a groin injury, while Micah Parsons continues to nurse a torn ACL that'll keep him sidelined for at least one month of the regular season.
However, head coach Matt LaFleur would still want to see the team as close to full strength as possible when the preseason kicks off. Even if it's just for a couple of drives, he thinks that can be a strong catalyst to start the season.
While he admitted it would be mostly a feel-based thing, the Packers' head coach also hinted at giving starters more playing time than usual throughout the preseason to help them get into a rhythm.
Matt LaFleur wants to play Packers starters in the preseason
"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," LaFleur told the media. "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."
Truth be told, it's hard to go against that argument. The Packers will kick off the season in a hostile environment, taking the road to square off vs. Kyler Murray and the Minnesota Vikings in the Twin Cities.
While the Vikings' offense might still be a work in progress with their new signal-caller at the helm, they have a stout defense and a stacked roster. Also, there's zero margin for error in the NFC North, regardless of whether it's the season opener.
The Packers got off to a blazing-hot start to the 2025 season before hitting a bit of a wall after just a couple of weeks. Every game counts in such a competitive division, and while they would still have 16 more games to straighten the course of the ship, you always want to get things going on the right foot.
Of course, that doesn't mean he'll put anyone at risk. Granted, this is a physical sport, and injuries can happen at any time, but it's not like he'll wear the starters out or have them play a full game just to get them going.
That said, with one fewer preseason game and a team looking to test things out with a new-look defense, this isn't a bad idea. The players might not feel the same way, but with everything that's at stake, hitting the ground running will be crucial.
The Packers will get the preseason started on Thursday, Aug. 13, with a road date with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They'll visit the Denver Broncos on Aug. 21 before hosting the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 28 for the final dress rehearsal ahead of Sep. 13's season opener.
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