Six Winners and One Key Loser From Packers’ Victory Over Broncos

Preseason performance does not matter. A team could win or lose by 70 points and it would not affect it in any capacity once the regular season begins.

That being said, the last time the Green Bay Packers were in Denver for a preseason game, it was one of the worst performances they’ve had under coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers were bludgeoned 27-2 by the Broncos in August 2024.

Friday night’s performance was a little different. The Packers scored more than two points, as Jordan Love’s only series of the night yielded a touchdown on an impressive 12-play drive that came against one of the league’s best defenses.

The Packers would score 26 more points, with another big night from one of their biggest stars in the preseason.

With just one game left on the exhibition slate, here are our winners and losers from Green Bay’s 33-13 win.

Winner: K Trey Smack

When the Packers drafted Trey Smack, Brian Gutekunst was asked how to scout a kicker. Gutekunst raised his arms in the air as if to make the “good” sign.

Gutekunst was joking, but he’s right.

So far, that’s the only signal that Smack knows in games as an NFL kicker.

They don’t hand out MVP awards in the preseason but, if they did, it would be hard to argue against anyone other than Green Bay’s rookie kicker winning the award.

Smack was impressive in his debut in Pittsburgh, but the more good performances he can put together, the more confident he can become before the opener against Minnesota.

Smack was a perfect 7-for-7 against Denver with four field goals and three extra points. The highlight came on a 59-yard bomb that had plenty of room to spare. It’s early, and he has yet to kick in a game of consequence, but the Packers have to be thrilled with the progress of their rookie kicker in the summer.

Winner: RB Marshawn Lloyd

Apart from Trey Smack, there may not be a player who needed a good training camp more than third-year running back MarShawn Lloyd.

Lloyd has always had the talent, but has needed to prove he could stay healthy.

Lloyd has made it through two games and showcased the talent that the Packers have been excited about through his injury-riddled career. The highlight of Lloyd’s night came as the capper of Green Bay’s opening drive on offense. Jordan Love found Lloyd on a Texas route in the middle of the field for an easy touchdown. It was his first touchdown in more than 1,000 days.

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“Honestly, trust my training,” he told reporters after the game. “It’s a choice route, so you could either break in or break out. Because of his leverage, I was able to break in. He gave everything off the inside, and once I got through the inside, I was able to get to the end zone from there.”

That is the type of impact that Lloyd can make in the passing game, and if the Packers can get him through one more preseason game healthy, he’ll be able to showcase it in a regular-season game for the first time since Week 2 of the 2024 season.

Winner: S Mark Perry

With roster cuts looming, the Packers needed someone to separate themselves from the bottom of the safety depth chart. Late in the first half, safety Mark Perry threw his hat into the ring, jumping a route as Denver’s backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, was trying to lead a 2-minute drive.

Perry jumped in front of Lucas Krull to grab his first interception of the preseason. His big play gave the Packers the ball back with a chance to put more points on the board, and it led to one of Trey Smack’s biggest plays of the night.

Mark Perry came out of nowhere 😳

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With Evan Williams, Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard all set in stone on the roster, the Packers are trying to find some depth at that position. There’s room to make a run at a roster spot here, and Perry gave himself something to build on going into the final week of the preseason.

“It was a big confidence booster for me,” Perry said. “Every day in practice, trying to make the plays that come to you and not chase plays. … I think that was big for me and, obviously, it juiced the team right before the half (and) was able to score some points."

Winner: CB Kamal Hadden

Who would play in the slot if Javon Bullard is injured? That’s a question the Packers hope they never have to answer when the regular season comes around, but they have to for the time being as Bullard is sidelined with a foot injury.

One of the candidates is Kamal Hadden, who returned to the field for the first time since suffering a horrific ankle injury in last year’s blowout loss to the Ravens.

Hadden is proving to be quite the versatile piece in the defense. He was drafted by the Chiefs in 2024 as a boundary corner. For the Packers at training camp this week, he started working in the slot, and he played well at his new position on Friday by making five tackles, including two for losses.

The more you can do, the easier it is for the general manager to decide to keep you on cutdown day. Right now, Hadden is trying to prove he can do just about anything on the field.

Winner: Special Teams Coordinator Cam Achord

Remember when Aaron Rodgers smiled for the NBC broadcast following their season-opening 10-3 win over the Bears in 2019 and said, “We’ve got a defense.”

Perhaps the Packers are feeling that way after Friday’s game about their special teams, in general, and return game, in particular.

Through two games, Trey Smack has yet to miss a kick. On Friday, Pierre Strong had a 68-yard kickoff return and Skyy Moore had a 30-yard kickoff return and 16-yard punt return.

Strong’s return was set up by good vision and excellent blocking from those in front of him, including Kristian Welch and Collin Oliver. This likely goes without saying, but it would have been the longest for the Packers last season.

Pierre Strong Jr. with a 68-yard kick return 🔥

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Achord has been a breath of fresh air with the youthful energy and exuberance he has brought to a special teams that has been largely dormant during Matt LaFleur’s tenure as the head coach.

The job is not finished, as Achord has yet to coach in a real game for the Packers, but the early returns are encouraging.

Winner: DT Anthony Campbell

Who is the young player who is going to make a run at the back end of the roster? Perhaps that could be Anthony Campbell.

Campbell has been swatting away passes during training camp like he’s Dikembe Mutumbo, but gave a glimpse that perhaps he could do a little more in Friday’s game. Campbell had one of the team’s two sacks and joined Chris McClellan on a tackle for loss. PFF credited him with a team-high four pressures.

Green Bay’s defensive line has been a surprising strength during the summer. Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson and Chris McClellan are all very likely to make the team. Jonathan Ford has had a strong summer, and Nazir Stackhouse is someone the Packers liked enough to keep around all year a season ago.

Campbell is trying to state his case to force the Packers to make him their sixth defensive lineman, or perhaps roll with an extra guy in the early portion of the season.

If nothing else, Campbell has continued to make plays that should have him on the radar, whether in Green Bay or elsewhere.

Loser: Starting Pass Rush

On a night when there were not a ton of negatives for the Packers, one big one reared its ugly head early that could be a cause for concern when the regular season begins.

Green Bay’s pass rush has more than a few question marks surrounding it as Micah Parsons will not be ready for the start of the season. The quartet of Brenton Cox, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell and Dani Dennis-Sutton have all had nice moments during training camp.

The three who played were silent during the cameo Green Bay’s starting defense made Friday night. Of the combined 21 pass-rushing opportunities for Van Ness, Sorrel and Cox, they contributed only one pressure (Cox). Including Collin Oliver’s five chances, they went 1-for-26.

Sure, the Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in football, but they’re going to have to beat good offensive lines during the season with and without Parsons. Scheme can only do so much. Players have to win their one-on-ones, and that didn’t happen at Denver.

Friday’s game left a lot to be desired, and it’s back to the drawing board before this week’s joint practice against the Arizona Cardinals.

That the Packers beat the Broncos is irrelevant. These are the three things that did matter. ⬇️https://t.co/ugNFs94gvg
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 22, 2026

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