The Green Bay Packers open the preseason in 2026 with a visit to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Thursday night. While the preseason offers an opportunity for young players to get on the field and impress, usually in a fight for a roster spot, the exhibition games generally don't drastically affect a team before the start of a season. Schemes are vanilla, so the Xs and Os are hardly relevant.
So, what actually matters in the preseason opener? Here are a few things that will actually affect the Packers this year:
No injuries
The Packers are planning on playing healthy starters, including quarterback Jordan Love. Coach Matt LaFleur has referenced NFL data supporting the injury protection of playing in the preseason, and he believes that going through the process of getting ready to play a football game is valuable for every player before the regular season arrives. But all that goes out the window if the Packers lose an important player to a long-term injury during an exhibition game. Playing a preseason game in Pittsburgh brings up memories of Jordy Nelson tearing his ACL at Heinz Field during an exhibition game before the 2015 season; the loss of the star receiver turned that season on its head. So, what's the most important thing for Thursday night? Getting out of Pittsburgh without a key injury.
Starting competitions
The starting 11 on both sides are still TBD. Who is going to start at right guard, nose tackle and cornerback come Week 1? Those important position battles are still on-going, and you can bet performance during preseason games is going to be a factor in determining the winners. Keep a close watch on the interior offensive line, interior defensive line and the perimeters at cornerback, especially during the first half on Thursday night. We should learn more about each competition -- which will decide who is on the field on Sept. 13 in Minneapolis -- during the preseason opener.
The top rookie
Speaking of the cornerback competition, Thursday night will provide the first look at top pick Brandon Cisse, possibly even as a starter. The rookie has looked the part, going through daily battles with starting receivers in both 11-on-11 and 1-on-1 periods. Now comes Cisse's first opportunity to prove it against a live opponent wearing different colors. Keep a close eye on No. 2; he just moves like a cornerback who is going to start early in his NFL career.
The kicker
Trey Smack has been up and down through the offseason workout program and the start of training camp, but the important kicks are arriving. Both Matt LaFleur and Cam Achord said they will place more importance on making kicks during live environments like preseason games. With no other kicker on the roster, Smack should get plenty of opportunities to handle field goals, extra points and kickoffs. Kicking during a night game in Pittsburgh - where kicks can be a challenge sometimes -- will provide a nice warmup for the regular season.
Do any of the edge rushers flash?
The Packers will need a committee of edge rushers to make up for the absence of Micah Parsons during the first half of the season. Will any of the young edge rushers embrace the opportunity to make a splash on Thursday night in Pittsburgh? This is fully padded work against a live opponent -- the perfect environment for evaluating edge rushers. Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Nyjalik Kelly will be in the spotlight.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Steelers: What actually matters in preseason opener?