In their final preseason game, the Green Bay Packers rested their starters. From the Journal-Sentinel:
Packers coach Mike McCarthy treated the affair with disinterest, not even putting uniforms on Rodgers, Ryan Grant or Charles Woodson. In all, the Packers played without 12 players (seven starters) from a 75-man roster that must be pared to a final 53 by 3 p.m. Saturday.
So with the roster cutdown to the maximum 53 players coming on Saturday, it was a good opportunity for the backups to play, and the players that want to be the backups to win a spot on the roster.
Again, staying healthy is always important. The Journal-Sentinel reports that only LS Brett Goode was injured and did not return when he took a shot to the head. It's not major if he is lost for any length of time, but it might become complicated since they might need to find an interim replacement. I'm sure someone like C Scott Wells is given practice time in case of an emergency, but they don't want him to become the primary long-snapper.
Here are how some of the players did on Thursday night:
Disclaimer - I did not watch all of the game yet, so I'm not mentioning everyone. Just some of the players I actually saw.
QB Matt Flynn. He got to play nearly the entire game and threw for over 304 yards. He's looked better this preseason which is to be expected as he gets more experience. He doesn't look as good as QB Aaron Rodgers did in 2007 (when Rodgers was entering his 3rd season) but he looks pretty good considering some of the players around him.
OL Chris Campbell. Speaking of Flynn's teammates, I don't expect Campbell will remain one for long. At 6'5" and 327 lbs. he does have an NFL body. But he doesn't move fast enough laterally to handle NFL pass rushers. When playing left guard, he was caught flat-footed on an inside move and Flynn got sacked. Later while playing right tackle, the defender quickly ran around him and QB Graham Harrell went running. He was probably the main cause why a couple drives stalled. It's hard for the backup QBs to prove anything when lineman play like he does.
The Packers secondary. What I like about Flynn is his willingness to throw down field and his accuracy. He does open it up. Unlike Chiefs backup QB Bradie Croyle, who seemed to either throw the ball out of bounds or dump it off to his tight end. The backup secondary only allowed 177 yards passing, but it was more through inactivity than effectiveness. Also, some poor tackling led to some bigger plays for the Chiefs.
WR Jason Chery. After running a punt return for a TD last week, he was given an extended look in this game. He proceeded to fumble once and almost a second time. He's got some potential, but I expect they'll cut him lose on Saturday because they can't rely on him to hold onto the ball.
WR Brett Swain. He had the big play with a 77 yard pass reception, but the Chiefs botched the coverage, and left him wide, wide open as he ran down the field. Not a exactly sure that play makes a big difference in their decision.
RB Kregg Lumpkin. He's a good runner when healthy, but he's had trouble staying healthy. And FB John Kuhn was given a few chances spelling Lumpkin, and they seemed like similar players. Plus Kuhn plays a big role on special team, and of course, as a full back. I bet they keep only two RBs and pencil in Kuhn as the emergency RB so they can justify keeping three full backs, again.