GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur was a man with a plan. Whether the way the first three weeks of training camp have gone for the Green Bay Packers will cause their head coach to alter his plans remains to be seen.

But he figures to stick to his original plan for Saturday’s second preseason game, against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium: Sitting his starters.

LaFleur’s plan for his starters on both sides of the ball had been for them to play in last weeks’ preseason opener against the New York Jets (which they did, in a 30-10 loss), then have the starters only take part in Thursday’s joint practice with the Colts but hold them out of the game.

LaFleur then intended for the starters to both go up against the Seattle Seahawks’ starters in next Thursday’s joint practice in Green Bay and see action in the Aug. 23 preseason finale at Lambeau Field.

But with quarterback Jordan Love having undergone surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his thumb on his left (non-throwing) hand — forcing him to spend Thursday’s practice in Westfield, Ind., as a spectator with a bulky cast on his left hand — and a host of wide receivers dealing with injuries, if LaFleur was contemplating playing his starters this week, it’s almost out of the question now.

Although he was displeased with the team’s performance against the Jets — from the starters on down — LaFleur made it clear that he didn’t want to overreact and change his approach. He pointed out how last summer his team had a clunker in Week 2 of preseason play, getting beat 27-2 by the Denver Broncos.

Yes, the only points the Packers scored in that game came via a safety.

“We’re going to stick with our process. We feel pretty good about how we’ve been doing it,” LaFleur said. “Last year at this time, we got a wakeup call versus Denver. You’d rather have it now than in the regular season, but you’ve got to do something about it, too.”

The challenge in doing something about it is that playing it safe is the smarter play. That said, there are plenty of young players who need the work and several who need the opportunity to redeem themselves.

“I’ve just got to get better,” said offensive lineman Jacob Monk, who was flagged three times for holding and charged with one sack in the loss to the Jets. “It’s not a good feeling. Not a good feeling. If you’re a competitor, you hate that feeling.”

Here’s a look at three aspects of Saturday’s matchup with the Colts to keep an eye on:

1. LLOYD’S CHRISTMAS

The sum total of MarShawn Lloyd’s NFL in-game experience is 24 lousy snaps (14 in the preseason opener last year in Cleveland, and 10 in a Week 2 regular-season win over the Colts), an 8-yard carry in that game that didn’t count against the Browns and six rushes for 15 yards against the Colts in the one game he’s played that did count. 

No wonder he’s so excited about a game that plenty of other players would just as soon skip altogether.

“I can play. I’m ready to go. I can play,” Lloyd said after doing some 11-on-11 practice work for the first time since suffering a groin injury on July 28 — an injury that was par for the course for Lloyd, who endured a rookie season from hell injury-wise in 2024. “Our training staff wouldn’t put anyone out there if they’re not physically or mentally ready to go. I’m ready to go.”

A third-round pick last year from USC, the occasional glimpses Lloyd has shown his coaches and teammates are encouraging. And starting running back Josh Jacobs, who mentored Lloyd throughout last season, can’t wait for his protégé to show what he can do.

“He’s been in really high spirits. He’s been moving really good,” Jacobs said. “I think that’s the biggest thing for him. Mentally, he’s in a way better place than he was last year. He’s understanding what it is and what it takes to play in this league.

“He understands there’s sometimes hiccups in the road. We’re there for him whenever he feels like the pressure might be too much or whatnot. I think he’s going to be all right.”

2. CATCHING ON?

For a position that was teeming with talent when training camp kicked off on July 23, the Packers’ wide receiving corps looked nothing like that group during Thursday’s joint practice.

With five of the team’s six top wide receivers (Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Savion Williams) sidelined, the offense struggled against the Colts defense in the joint practice, as the only top wide receiver who did take part was rookie first-round draft pick Matthew Golden.

Watson remains on the physically unable to perform list and is set to start the season there after tearing the ACL in his right knee in the regular-season finale Jan. 5; Doubs hurt his back in practice on Tuesday but was close to taking part against the Colts; Reed was no longer wearing an orthopedic boot on his left foot at practice but still wasn’t able to participate; Wicks has missed two weeks with his calf injury; and Williams was out after hurting his hamstring on Tuesday.

That means some of the less-familiar names toward the bottom of the depth chart — Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor and Kawaan Baker — are in position to get the coaching and personnel staffs’ attention and earn themselves more looks moving forward.

“I think for a lot of those guys it’s a great opportunity,” Love said after the joint practice. “We’ve got a lot of receivers down right now dealing with injuries. But I [also] think that’s a test for all those guys.

“Now, you’re getting thrown in the fire with the (No.) 1s. So it tests your understanding of the offense. A couple of those guys, they’ve been making some plays out there and really stepped up. And that’s what you want to see.”

Added Johnson: “That’s the type of mindset you have to have. I just come out every day and try to rock out. There’s no need to be speculating about the future or worrying about the past. Just come into the day and let it go and it’ll work out. Don’t worry about the whole world. Just focus on that play, that day.”

3. MORE MORGAN?

While LaFleur might be sitting his starters en masse, 2024 first-round draft pick Jordan Morgan is unlikely the get the day off.

Morgan appears to have moved ahead of incumbent Rasheed Walker in the race for the starting left tackle job, although in fairness to Walker, he has been limited by a groin injury and upon returning to action earlier this week was limited to only drill work — no 11-on-11 periods.

In the meantime, Morgan seems to have settled back into the position he played throughout high school and college. With his only game action last season as a rookie coming at guard, and with the way he was stuck at guard early in camp while veteran interior linemen Elgton Jenkins and Aaron Banks battled back issues, it took Morgan a bit to find his footing at his most natural position.

“Every day, I keep getting better and better,” Morgan said. “When I first got out there, it was like, ‘I’ve got to go back and remember everything, got to get off the ball, got to know when to punch.’ [After] the first game, I feel really good and just every day I keep getting better.”

He is, for sure. On a night when little went right for the Packers against the Jets, Morgan was one of the few bright spots. Although he admitted he felt “a little bit of rust,” he more than held up and seems to be gaining confidence with every passing day.

“He’s had a really good camp,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Again, he’s a young player that his best football is going to be ahead of him and he’s still working on some things. But I thought he played really well.”

Added Love: “He’s understanding the offense a little bit better. It’s tough when you’re going guard to tackle and moving around and hearing different calls and things like that. But I think for him, it’s just, continue to keep building, keep building the understanding of knowing what to do.”

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