Five Things to Watch for Packers-Ravens Joint Practice

Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson will take center stage when the Green Bay Packers host the Baltimore Ravens for a joint practice on Thursday.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws against the Green Bay Packers in 2019. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Talk about saving the best for last.

The final practice of Green Bay Packers training camp will be a joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

Both teams are top Super Bowl contenders – the Ravens have the third-shortest odds at FanDuel Sportsbook and the Packers are tied for ninth – with MVP-caliber quarterbacks and coaches that have done nothing but win.

Here are five things to watch for Thursday’s practice and Saturday’s preseason game.

1. Bounce-Back Pack

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was upset about the results from Friday’s joint practice and Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos but modified his message back in Green Bay on Tuesday.

“It’s why it’s always good to probably say less to you guys postgame because I felt a certain type of way and, after watching the tape, I don’t think I truly appreciated (that) our guys were playing hard, they were straining.

“We had a bunch of mental mistakes and we didn’t execute all the time and that’s why we struggled. You can even see it from the first play til the last play of the game. When they’re running the football, when you hit the pause button, there was 10 bodies at the ball. Our guys were definitely playing hard.”

Still, the starters, especially on offense, didn’t play especially well in the Friday practice and the backups were overwhelmed in the Sunday night game; it was 17-2 when it was backups vs. backups.

The Packers don’t need to play their best football against the Ravens this week, but it is time to start trending the right direction with the season-opening showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles exactly two weeks away. A matchup against a great team like the Ravens should provide a tremendous measuring stick.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh doesn’t play his starters in the preseason so the practice will be the big day.

“We want to put our best foot forward right out of the gates as much as we can,” Harbaugh told reporters this week. “It’s hard to do, there's no guarantee you're going to do that, and there's a lot of question marks to that every year. We have done well over the years doing that, because we practice well.

“It comes down to practice. Practice is what makes it; preseason games don't make or break you that way, it's the practices that make you, because that's what you stack.”

2. Jordan Love

Obviously, it always starts with the quarterback. The Jordan Love-led passing game dominated down the stretch last year, leading to sky-high hopes for this year as Love and his deep and talented group of pass catchers entered Year 2 together.

It hasn’t been smooth sailing, though. Denver got the better of this group last week, including decisive wins in a pair of 2-minute drills. Love was sharp at Tuesday’s practice, though.

The Ravens defense is great. Last year, they finished No. 1 in opponent passer rating and yards allowed per passing attempt.

“Anytime you get a chance to compete against a different color, it’s always a good time,” receiver Christian Watson said. “We’re always going to be critical about ourselves. That’s why we were so hard on ourselves about the Denver practice, but I think there were a lot of great moments in the practice, as well.

“We’ve just got to continue to learn – I think that’s what camp is for is to learn from the mistakes and find ways to get better. Our goal is come out and be better than we were in Denver last week and compete. So, we’re excited for it.”

Baltimore’s defense features safety Kyle Hamilton, who in his second season was named All-Pro last year. Love hasn’t thrown many interceptions this summer but most of them have been by Green Bay’s safeties.

Sticking with quarterback, the backup battle appears to be a wide-open race between Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. Neither played well in the game at Denver.

“Probably just get back to executing,” Clifford said of his goal for the week. “Just continuing to make the plays when they’re there. I thought that was the main takeaway from the game. There were just some plays I normally make, and I didn’t make them. Just getting back to doing that. Feeling good going into Saturday and let it rip again. Nothing world-changing.”

3. Run Defense

Green Bay’s run defense has been a liability throughout the LaFleur era, regardless of the defensive coordinator. During his five seasons, the Packers are last in the NFL in yards allowed per carry.

Enter the Ravens, who ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards per game and third in rushing yards per attempt last season.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, the reigning MVP, is one of the most electric players in NFL history. In five seasons, he’s rushed for 5,258 yards (6.0 average) and 29 touchdowns. His elite athleticism will test every defense in the NFL. The Packers like the speed they’ve assembled on defense. Can they keep him under wraps?

The Ravens made a big splash in free agency by acquiring running back Derrick Henry, who in eight seasons has rushed for 9,502 yards and 90 touchdowns. He is a physical, bruising menace, even at age 30. There will not be any live tackling to test the Packers’ ability in that regard, but the thunder of Henry and the lightning of Jackson will test the eye discipline of the defenders.

4. Secondary

You know Jaire Alexander is fired up to face his old college teammate, Jackson. Alexander has had a tremendous training camp and looks poised to rejoin the list of the NFL’s top cornerbacks.

There are some questions elsewhere, though. The other No. 1 cornerback, Eric Stokes, has intercepted a handful of passes but also given up a bunch of touchdowns. Keisean Nixon will man the slot but rookie Javon Bullard has started receiving at least a few No. 1 reps at the nickel position.

At safety, Xavier McKinney, who has been an enormous upgrade, will be joined by the second-round pick, Bullard.

That group will be tested by Jackson, who is coming off a career-best season of 3,678 passing yards and a 67.2 percent completion rate. His 102.7 passer rating ranked fourth.

Premier tight end Mark Andrews probably won’t play following last week’s car accident but rookie receiver Zay Flowers had a big-time rookie season with 77 receptions for 858 yards and five touchdowns. Like the Packers, the Ravens’ passing game revolves around the overall depth and not a singular talent.

5. Special Teams

Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s special teams routinely rank among the best in the NFL. That was not the case last year, though, as Baltimore finished only 16th in Rick Gosselin’s annual rankings.

You know Harbaugh, who cut his teeth as a special teams coordinator, will want to fix that and has poured extra time into that phase of the game.

The Packers have an esteemed mind running their special teams, as well, with Rich Bisaccia. However, Green Bay ranked only 29th in special teams last year.

The Packers have big-time returners on kickoffs (Keisean Nixon) and punt (Jayden Reed). The kicker situation is a hot mess. Punter Daniel Whelan has kicked the ball a mile but had two touchbacks against Denver and struggled a bit with his Aussie-style punting at Tuesday’s practice.

In free agency, the Ravens signed former All-Pro returner Deonte Harty. Harty, who had a 96-yard touchdown on a punt return last year, has career averages of 10.4 yards per punt return and 25.2 yards per kickoff return.

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When he signed with the #Packers a couple weeks ago, Alex Hale said: “I’m sure my journey’s got a lot more left than whatever happens over the next few weeks. So, yeah, just take it as it comes and try to do my best.”

Turns out, he was right. ⬇️https://t.co/gODUyILWJL

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 21, 2024

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