Packers at Bills: How to Watch Preseason Finale
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills will conclude their preseasons at noon Saturday. Here’s how to watch.
The game will air live on the Packers TV Network as well as NFL Network.
The Packers’ 21-station television network has affiliates throughout Wisconsin as well as in eastern Minnesota, northern Illinois, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and even Alaska.
Those stations: WGBA/NBC in Green Bay, WTMJ/NBC in Milwaukee, WKOW/ABC in Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC in Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC in La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC in Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC/FOX UP in Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX in Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.; WMDB/CBS in Peoria, Ill.; WHBF/CBS in Davenport, Iowa; KCCI/CBS in Des Moines, Iowa; KWWL/NBC in Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KTVI/FOX in St. Louis, Mo.; KETV/ABC in Omaha, Neb.; KNDB/BEK in Bismarck, N.D.; KRDK/BEK in Fargo, N.D.; KNDM/BEK in Minot, N.D.; KDLT/NBC in Sioux Falls, S.D.; KYUR/ABC in Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC in Fairbanks, Alaska and KJUD/ABC in Juneau, Alaska. Fans in those markets can stream the game at Packers.com.
Kevin Harlan will handle the play-by-play, former Packers great James Lofton will provide commentary, and former Packers fullback John Kuhn and WTMJ’s Lance Allan will work the sideline.
Not in one of those markets and not an NFL Network subscriber? An NFL Game Pass subscription will deliver live broadcasts of every preseason game.
The game can be heard on the 49-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren on the call.
The Quarterbacks
Jordan Love will make his second preseason start for Green Bay. He missed last week’s game with an injured throwing shoulder. Coach Matt LaFleur said Love would play the first half or into the third quarter. Kurt Benkert will finish.
“The most important thing for any young quarterback, especially for J, is the footwork,” Aaron Rodgers said this week. “When he throws the ball on time, he’s a very accurate quarterback. If there’s any type of clutter with progression or read or whatever, for any of us, any quarterback, when you’re not throwing the ball in rhythm, it becomes more difficult to be accurate and be effective. Today we were working on a couple things with (quarterbacks coach Luke) Getsy, I thought he did a really nice job with a couple things we were working on. He just needs to trust his footwork and go out and play in rhythm.”
Rodgers and Buffalo’s Josh Allen are two of the leading MVP candidates. Allen didn’t play in the first two preseason games but, like a lot of his teammates, will start against Green Bay. Allen signed a six-year contract extension worth $258 million a couple weeks ago.
“It’s really part of the goal of why you are playing this game,” he said. “It has these types of opportunities to set you and your families up for a very long time. But again, I understand that this money is awarded but I’ve got to go out there and continue to earn it. But again, the position I’m in is a blessing. I’m still on cloud nine right now, just the support that I had for my teammates throughout the day was such a cool feeling and I love these guys here.”
The Coaches
Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur is 26-6 in two seasons. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since 1970, only LaFleur, Jim Harbaugh (2011-12), Rex Ryan (2009-10), Barry Switzer (1994-95), George Seifert (1989-90) and Don McCafferty (1970-71) led their teams to back-to-back conference championship games to start his career.
Buffalo’s Sean McDermott is in his fifth year as coach. He is 38-26, including a breakthrough 13-3 season last year. He finished second in NFL Coach of the Year voting. In his inaugural season of 2017, he led the Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999.
The Line
With an Allen vs. Love and starters vs. backups matchups, the Bills are 9.5-point favorites, the most lopsided spread this week.
Useless History
The Packers lead the preseason series 10-3. Green Bay won the last matchup, 31-21, in 2009.
Last Chance
For the players on the roster bubble, this will be their last chance to impress. The cut to the 53-man roster must be done by 3 p.m. Tuesday. The team can sign its 16-man practice squad beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
"There’s always guys in that last preseason game that end up making the team because of what they did in the last preseason game," general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Sunday. "I think this preseason, our young guys have had a ton of opportunity. They’ve gotten a ton of snaps, and this game in Buffalo next week is going to be very, very important and they’re going to get a lot of snaps. So, sometimes you never know where that’s going to come from. Maybe that’s on special teams, maybe that’s somewhere else, but there’s always guys in that last preseason game that make a name for themselves."
