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The Green Bay Packers are ready to wrap up their preseason Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs. After losing to the San Francisco 49ers in California, the team bounced back with a home win versus the New Orleans Saints. Now it’s time to make some bold Packers predictions for this preseason finale against the Chiefs.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said via ESPN that is likely he is resting most of his key starters, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That means other players will have their chances to show they belong as a starter. For others, it’s their last shot to make to the 53-man roster for the regular season.
With that being said, here are some bold Green Bay Packers predictions for their preseason finale matchup against the Chiefs on Thursday night.
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Green Bay Packers Week 3 Preseason Predictions
4. The competition at safety will be very active
After the team released Vernon Scott, the battle for the backup safety spots became open once again. Other than starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, the other spots are up for grabs.
Shawn Davis seems to be carving his name on the 53-man roster after a strong preseason Week 2 performance. He had five total tackles, all solo, plus recovered a fumble.
Then, there is Micah Abernathy, who had an interception and a tackle for loss last week. Despite joining the team mid-preseason, his strong performance could make a difference during final roster cuts.
With the other safeties being either out or have yet to impress, it seems Davis and Abernathy will have a lot of time to prove who deserves a spot on the roster.
3. Rookie Romeo Doubs will finish the preseason with a touchdown in all games
One of the most effective players for Green Bay this preseason has been Romeo Doubs. The Packers selected the rookie out of Nevada with their fourth-round pick this year.
In four years in college, Doubs had 225 receptions for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns. As a senior, he had career-bests 80 catches, 1,109 yards and 11 scores.
So far in preseason play, the wide receiver has been a bright spot in a mostly reserve offense for the Packers. In two games, he has only six catches but 69 yards and two touchdowns, one in each game. He also benefited from fellow rookie Christian Watson being out due to an offseason knee surgery.
He has already shown he has a connection with backup quarterback Jordan Love, so picking the rookie to score again was an easy addition to this Packers predictions list. If he performs well, he can jump ahead of veteran Sammy Watkins as one of the team’s main wide receivers.
2. First-round pick Quay Walker will be the defensive highlight for the Green Bay Packers
Based on LaFleur’s comments, it looks like most of the starting defenders won’t see action on Thursday. One exception: inside linebacker Quay Walker.
The rookie played in both preseason games so far with shy numbers. He has two total tackles with one being solo.
Walker as a first-stringer was one of the biggest surprises of the Packers’ first depth chart of the season. He was listed ahead of Krys Barnes, who started 23 games over the past two seasons.
With such a high investment of a first-round pick, it’s not a surprise LaFleur already wants to test Walker in the starting 11.
With him being one of the few starters playing, expect Walker to be the defensive leader of the team against the Chiefs. Since there’s a high possibility Kansas City also sits out key players, Walker’s job will be easier facing mostly backups.
1. Jordan Love will impress with more than 200 passing yards
One of the bright sides of the Packers’ preseason has been Jordan Love. Acting as the main quarterback, the numbers don’t do a justice to Love’s performance.
In two games, he has a total of 289 yards while completing 25 out of his 48 pass attempts for three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has 37 rushing yards on seven carries.
It’s worth noting that Love is mainly playing with backups, and it seems to be affecting his stats. According to Pro Football Focus, he has eight dropped passes this preseason. No other quarterback has more than five. Additionally, Love has the second-highest drop percentage among quarterbacks with at least 15 pass attempts.
After some years spent mainly on the bench, Love should be ready to take over the backup role. The former first-round pick should show Packers fans that the future is bright after the Aaron Rodgers era.
For the preseason finale, Love should have even more meaningful time on the field. Because of that, he’s more than capable of having 200 passing yards for the first time this year. Should his receiving group help, he will improve his percentages, then people will finally see how good he was this postseason.