Packers at 49ers Preview: Here’s Who to Watch
GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Jan. 22, the Green Bay Packers’ drive to the Super Bowl crashed, burned and froze at Lambeau Field. Jimmy Garoppolo dashed through the snow triumphantly while Aaron Rodgers trudged off the field, contemplating his football future.
Exactly 202 days later, the teams will square off in their preseason openers on Friday night in Santa Clara, Calif. With Rodgers getting the day off and Garoppolo’s career on hold, the quarterbacking battle will be Green Bay’s Jordan Love against San Francisco’s Trey Lance.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will break down the game in depth on film afterward, but what will he be focusing on live?
“How especially the new guys, how they handle the sidelines and just kind of some game management stuff with the quarterback,” he said. “I’ll probably stand on the sidelines and see how guys interact with the coaches and just handle the game-time environment, which they haven’t had. So, I think it’s really the young guys more than anything.”
For the Packers, here are 11 players to watch – one in each position group.