The Green Bay Packers opened their 2026 NFL preseason with a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, although the final score doesn’t tell the full story.
Led by Jordan Love for one series, the Packers marched down the field on their opening possession and finished it with a Trey Smack field goal. Spoiler alert: There will be plenty more on him shortly. Green Bay managed only two more field goals the rest of the night.
The Packers held their own—and even led 9-7 late in the third quarter—until the fourth unit entered the game. That’s when Pittsburgh took control, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to pull away.
The opener was about as preseason-y as it gets. After beginning the game relatively cleanly, Green Bay finished with nine penalties, while Pittsburgh committed 11.
Still, NFL fans everywhere are ecstatic that football is back. We’ll gladly take some sloppy play over no football at all.
With that in mind, here are three Packers who earned game balls for their performances against the Steelers.
Trey Smack
The Packers haven’t found a long-term answer at kicker since moving on from Mason Crosby. It’s been one kicker after another, leaving the position unsettled for years.
The latest player Green Bay is placing its hopes in is rookie Trey Smack, a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. Heck, the Packers even released veteran Brandon McManus, who remains a free agent, after drafting Smack.
Smack’s accuracy has been closely monitored by reporters and fans throughout training camp. Most notably, he had yet to record a perfect day in practice.
The good news is that Smack finally broke that streak—and he did it in a game!
He officially went 3-for-3 against Pittsburgh, connecting from 37, 38 and 58 yards. The 58-yarder was right down the middle and had enough distance to clear from even farther out.
Smack also drilled another 58-yarder that didn’t appear in the box score. He made it on Green Bay’s opening possession, but the Steelers were called for a 15-yard penalty, and the Packers accepted the first down instead of keeping the points.
It was an ideal debut for Smack. One preseason game won’t completely settle Green Bay’s kicker situation, but his perfect performance should quiet some of the concerns surrounding the position.
Brenton Cox Jr.
Brenton Cox Jr. continues to take advantage of his opportunities. He joined Green Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2023, worked his way onto the roster and has stuck around ever since.
Now, with Micah Parsons sidelined and Rashan Gary traded, the Packers need some of their other edge rushers to step forward. Cox answered the call against Pittsburgh.
Cox is already solid against the run. He can set the edge without getting sucked inside. Against the Steelers, he also showed some pass-rushing chops by bringing down Mason Rudolph for a nine-yard sack and generating another pressure later in the game.
If Cox can continue getting after the quarterback, he’ll carve out a role for himself even after Parsons returns.
Jonathan Gannon
Cox’s sack was also part of a larger trend: Jonathan Gannon’s defense was anything but passive.
New defensive coordinators typically keep their preseason schemes vanilla so opponents can’t get a clear sense of what they’re planning. Heck, even established coordinators often take that approach.
Not Gannon.
He pulled out all the stops against Pittsburgh. Gannon repeatedly sent blitzes, crowded the box, loaded the line of scrimmage and gave the Steelers several different defensive looks.
That’s consistent with what he’s been doing throughout training camp. Whether it pays off once the games count remains to be seen, especially after Green Bay’s reserve units struggled. At the very least, Gannon appears intent on making the defense aggressive, unpredictable and far more entertaining to watch.
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