GREEN BAY — For as much attention as Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s decision to play some of his starters — including quarterback Jordan Love — in Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh got this week, the reality is that these exhibition games are primarily for the guys trying to keep their NFL dreams alive.

So while Love may play a series or two, and other key starters might also see the field, as long as they exit the game healthy, the vast majority of information that’ll be gained by LaFleur and the coaches, and general manager Brian Gutekunst and his personnel staff, will be about the guys who aren’t in line to start the Sept. 13 regular-season opener in Minnesota.

They’re just trying to still be on the team for that game.

“There’s always areas [of the roster] where you’re like, ‘OK, we need to improve,’” Gutekunst said last week “They’ve been working good, the attitude’s been good, the energy’s been great. There’s always injuries — more than ever I want; there always is — but now we’re starting to get into those phases of, let’s see the performances come out and see how this team is going to start to shape up.”

Here are three aspects of the preseason opener worth watching:

1️⃣ IN THE LINE OF FIRE?

There isn’t a position group on the roster where the Packers have more to figure out than on their offensive line, where they came into training camp with questions and somehow managed to have even more questions after two weeks of practice.

With veteran left guard Aaron Banks still not having taken an 11-on-11 rep in practice, right guard Anthony Belton having been demoted from the starting job he held last season, and Jacob Monk catapulting himself from fighting for a roster spot to potentially being an opening-day starter, there have been lots of moving parts already in camp.

LaFleur hinted that the presumptive starting line for this game — Jordan Morgan at left tackle, rookie Jager Burton at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Monk at right guard and either Darian Kinnard or Belton at right tackle — will play longer than some other starters against the Steelers, and the work the group gets should help decide the trajectory of the unit.

“That’s a hard thing and that’s just something as a coach you have to deal with and make the best of it,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of the uncertainty up front. “There’s always competition. These guys are out here, they’re competing. There’s a few guys that really are doing a nice job, so I think that’s going to make our [group] better, having those competitions. And those best players will rise up.”

2️⃣ BACKED INTO A CORNER?

Competition is also the name of the game at cornerback, where the Packers might not have a clear-cut No. 1 — not after Keisean Nixon spent time with the No. 2s during a couple of 11-on-11 series in practice earlier this week — but seem excited about the options they have at the position.

With Nixon, rookie second-round pick Brandon Cisse, veteran free-agent signee Benjamin St-Juste and emerging former practice-squad cornerback Jaylin Simpson all in the mix — and Carrington Valentine, a 30-game starter the last three years, coming back from a hamstring injury — the Packers have three games to figure out who their best options will be for their season-opening matchup with the Vikings.

New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon isn’t expected to run much of his playbook in the preseason, cornerback is a position where the coaches can assess development even in the simplest of schemes

“I’ve had some really good conversations with Matt about that,” Gannon said of how much he may or may not show in preseason. “I don’t think there’s a right or a wrong answer with that question. I’ll probably punt that one to Matt what we’re going to do. How do I say this the right way to you guys? … I think that our players have earned the right to play our stuff and get really good at it and go play.”

3️⃣ GETTING HIS KICKS

For all the scrutiny and hand-wringing about rookie kicker Trey Smack’s 8-for-13 start to training camp, he’s gone 12 for 15 on his kicks since, including 6 for 7 on Family Night and 4 for 5 during Tuesday’s practice.

While that’s certainly not perfect, it is a sign that he’s trending in the right direction. Now comes his next test: Kicking well in a game environment, knowing that strong performances will further quiet critics but more uneven showings with only increase the concerns of everyone involved.

“I think anytime you have any young guy, whatever position it is, there’s going to be some ups and some downs,” special teams coordinator Cam Achord said. “I think it’s the consistency [you’re aiming for]. When you come in and you look at the film, you talk to the guys. ‘What are you working on, technique-wise? What can you improve on?’

“You’ve just got to have him be a consistent person every day he’s here and just continue to improve on it because there’s something to probably tweak or look at every day, and you just want to see him get better.”

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