Sports

Everything I saw from the Packers’ defense in joint practice with Cardinals

Published

16 hours ago

August 27, 2026

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Hopefully you all have a panic button nearby because the Green Bay Packers lost all four two-minute drills to the Arizona Cardinals to finish Wednesday’s joint practice.

Hopefully, you also sense the sarcasm in that sentence.

The Packers had good and bad moments in their first practice session against another team this summer. None of it should lead to any grand conclusions about what we’re about to see in the 2026 season.

Is a breakout season on the horizon for Matthew Golden?

Derrik Klassen

I watched the Packers’ defense against the Cardinals’ offense for most of practice, so let’s dive into what I saw.

1. Nickel Javon Bullard returned to practice after missing more than two weeks with a bone bruise in his foot. Outside corner Benjamin St-Juste also returned after missing one practice with a hamstring injury. Bullard didn’t participate in 11-on-11s.

2. First up at outside corner were Brandon Cisse and Keisean Nixon. They’re probably your starting two for Week 1 in Minnesota. Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks started at defensive tackle (Warren Brinson remains sidelined with a calf injury) and Kamal Hadden started in the slot. Kitan Oladapo also worked with the 1s in the slot, with Bullard still working his way back to full strength.

3. Green Bay’s defense started strong in 11-on-11s. Cisse broke up a pass over the middle for wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper stuffed running back Tyler Allgeier for a loss. The Cardinals struggled to catch the ball early and ran a lot out of 12 and 13 personnel with what seemed like moderate success (it’s always tough to tell how successful running plays are without live tackling). Nixon brought yet another corner pressure to make quarterback Jacoby Brissett get rid of the ball and Cooper made another stop in the flat for little or no gain.

Cardinals backup running back Bam Knight (James Conner wasn’t practicing) had a nice cutback run, but the Packers regained the upper hand in short order when Cisse jumped Brissett’s pass to the left sideline and picked it off while the intended receiver fell.

“Just third down and trying to get to the sticks and obviously I have a lot of God-given ability when we call man coverage to take on that role,” Cisse said. “Just saw the ball come out, happened to get out of my break and just tried to go make an exceptional play. I hold myself to a high standard … those aren’t easy plays to make, but those are plays that I really wanna make a lot of.”

Tight end Trey McBride made the first of several notable catches on Wednesday. Again, a positive Cardinals play was met with another from Green Bay’s defense, as Cooper sacked Brissett (at worst, pressured him into an incompletion) and Oladapo picked off backup quarterback Gardner Minshew not long after when another intended receiver slipped (rookie Carson Beck, who might eventually start this season, wasn’t practicing).

“They didn’t tell ‘em about them seven studs,” Oladapo joked about wide receiver Simi Fehoko slipping on the play.

Cornerback Carrington Valentine’s tackling is still a work in progress because right after Oladapo’s interception, a wide receiver who I wrote in my notebook as No. 83 (there’s no 83 on the Cardinals’ roster, so a rolled-up-jersey fooled me) left Valentine in the dust up the left sideline with a swift reversal of direction after the catch.

Arizona Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, left, greets his older brother, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur, after their teams' joint practice, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis.

Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur, left, greets his older brother, Packers coach Matt LaFleur, after their teams’ joint practice on Wednesday. (Steve Megargee / Associated Press)

4. On the first play of the next 11-on-11 period, a move-the-ball session that wasn’t as scripted as the first segment of practice, Brooks sacked Brissett on first-and-10. On the next play, Nixon came off the edge again for a tackle for loss against the run. The Packers then jumped offsides four times in the remainder of the period. Edge Lukas Van Ness, a repeat offender this camp, was first on third-and-10. He was then removed from the field. Someone on the interior that I didn’t catch was next on third-and-5. Undrafted rookie edge Nyjalik Kelly was next and finally came rookie third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan.

Nixon and safety Xavier McKinney had a nasty collision on a free-play ball on the aforementioned third-and-5 that Brissett launched to receiver Michael Wilson down the right sideline, but both Packers defensive backs stayed in after being slow to get up. Van Ness atoned for his offsides by badly beating right tackle Elijah Wilkinson for at least a pressure a couple of plays later, and Brissett’s rushed pass was batted down by Oladapo on third down.

The Cardinals didn’t try many explosive passing plays, but they completed a couple of passes underneath before wide receiver Jalen Brooks hauled in a perfect ball from Minshew down the left sideline for about 30 yards on cornerback MJ Devonshire. Devonshire also had a run stuff, but the Cardinals responded with another nice run from Knight up the right side.

5. Van Ness stuffed a run to start a red-zone period, but the Cardinals reeled off three consecutive successful plays with an out to McBride that safety Evan Williams jumped but missed as McBride continued up the sideline, another McBride catch for a touchdown and a fade to Harrison for a wide-open touchdown thanks to a coverage breakdown by some combination of Nixon and cornerback Kamal Hadden. Keep in mind we are standing behind the entire Cardinals’ sideline and fenced in far from the play during this period, so please excuse a lack of details since I am only 6-foot-1.

I did, however, see defensive tackle Javon Hargrave sack Brissett and celebrate with a karate kick; Cooper deflected a pass that fell incomplete, defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse pressured Minshew into a short completion, rookie sixth-round corner Domani Jackson maintained solid coverage on Brooks to help force an end-zone incompletion and safety Trey Dean III deflected a pass that linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper intercepted.

6. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Cooper registered another sack to start the next team period, but whoever was in charge of practice allowed the play to continue and granted the Cardinals 9 yards on a completion. Arizona rattled off three first downs in a row afterward before Williams’ late hands on a ball Wilson appeared to catch forced an incompletion over the middle. Wilson then found a soft spot in between Nixon and Williams in zone coverage for a nice gain up the right side. The Packers finished the period on top after cornerback Jaylin Simpson broke up a slant for Brooks and safety Murvin Kenion III made a diving interception after two short Cardinals completions.

7. The first of four two-minute drills pitted the Packers’ starting offense against the Cardinals’ starting defense. The scripted scenario was Arizona leading 28-21 with 1:45 left and the Packers holding one timeout on their own 30-yard line. Cornerback Denzel Burke committed defensive pass interference on third down on the third play of the drive against wide receiver Matthew Golden and the Packers moved down the field during a sloppy period for both units, with penalties on each. Quarterback Jordan Love hit wide receiver Jayden Reed for 15 yards and a first down to the 12-yard line, but the Packers couldn’t find the end zone after the often-sure-handed Golden dropped a touchdown on third down from the 5-yard line and edge Zaven Collins sacked Love on fourth.

The Cardinals’ starting offense began with a completion to Harrison through Cisse’s tight coverage. Two incompletions and a short pass to Wilson followed, but Wilson caught a fourth-down pass in front of Nixon for a first. Nixon stuck his hand on the ball to stall as the clock ran and Wilson took exception. That wasn’t their first run-in during the period. After benches partially emptied for a short scuffle thanks to Nixon’s strategic extra-curriculars, Brissett hit McBride for a big gain over the middle. What happened next should be a shock to nobody who’s followed Packers camp — defensive tackle Anthony Campbell batted down a pass. What happened next also shouldn’t come as a surprise. Nixon started jawing with Arizona’s sideline, telling multiple players he didn’t know who they were. On the very next play, Wilson drew a defensive pass interference flag against Nixon in the end zone and boy, did the Cardinals’ sideline let Nixon hear it.

“Me and him got a little bit of beef going back to my second year in the league,” Wilson said of Nixon. “So every time I see him … I’m not gonna say it’s smoke, but not too fond of him and I don’t think he’s too fond of me.”

Brissett then put a perfect fade on Harrison, who hauled in the touchdown over Cisse. The Cardinals stormed the field, though they still trailed 28-27, but McBride then caught the two-point conversion on Oladapo and punted the ball toward the middle of the field to celebrate the win.

“On a play like that, you kinda gotta get your body on guys a little bit more than that,” Cisse said of Harrison’s catch on him. “Obviously, he’s gonna be really good at the top of the route. He’s got really good frame, so he’s gonna work into you, be able to control his body and honestly, that’s a great ball to put it on that shoulder. But I gotta be a little bit tighter and try to play through his hands a little bit better.”

Green Bay’s No. 2 offense lost its two-minute drill when Tyrod Taylor’s pass for wideout Isaiah Neyor flew behind him, hit both of his hands and fell to cornerback Elijah Jones. The entire Cardinals defense ran to the end zone to celebrate in front of a photographer snapping pictures, but that photographer works for the Packers and refused to take their picture. One Cardinals player reached for the camera himself, but the photographer pulled away.

Arizona’s backup offense beat Green Bay’s backup defense, too, when Fehoko beat Oladapo over the middle for a touchdown. One Cardinals player compared their two-minute drill success to a Wendy’s 4 for $4 meal since they went 4-for-4, too.

“We do need to finish,” Oladapo said. “We need to execute, but at the end of the day, it’s practice. You’re gonna f–k up, hopefully f–k up in practice, learn from it and we’re gonna correct it for Friday.”

Sports

NHL stars sound off on offseason moves, new coaches and franchise futures

Published

24 seconds ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Red Light newsletter 🏒 | This is The Athletic’s hockey newsletter. Sign up here to receive Red Light directly in your inbox.

Hello hockey fans, Max Bultman here, filling in as the 2026 offseason reaches its final days. We know the season is close because we’re finally hearing from the game’s biggest stars, as the NHL’s European Player Media Tour took place over the weekend. That offered a chance for some insight into the summer’s biggest topics. Let’s go.

Let’s Hear It

Draisaitl backs Babcock

The Edmonton Oilers are set to be even more under the microscope than usual this season — quite a statement for a team that’s been to two of the last three Stanley Cup finals, and quite a season to welcome in The Athletic’s newest NHL beat writer, Janson Duench.

That’s mostly because of the ticking Connor McDavid clock. The game’s best player is chasing a championship while the franchise that drafted him 11 years ago works to prove it can surround him with enough help to win it. In pursuit of that goal, the Oilers made one of the most eye-raising moves of a very busy summer, hiring Mike Babcock as head coach, three years after he flamed out of an attempted NHL return in Columbus less than 90 days after being hired, and before his first season with the Blue Jackets even began.

Add in Babcock’s history with Mitch Marner and Johan Franzen, and the sight of him getting another shot, this time trying to get two of the league’s biggest stars over the hump, is a massive story to follow.

But speaking with The Athletic’s Chris Johnston in Munich, one of those stars, Leon Draisaitl, explained how Babcock won over the team’s leadership group with an honest meeting.

“It was pretty clear pretty quick that he could be our guy,” Draisaitl told Johnston. “Just in what he sees, and his attitude towards us — you know, the leaders on the team that want to be coached and that want to be held accountable. I think it’s just what was needed. We had some great meetings with him and then, yeah, it just kind of took off from there.”

In some ways, the sentiment from Draisaitl and the Oilers’ stars of wanting to be pushed harder and be held more accountable is impressive, perhaps admirable. But Babcock’s history makes him a lightning rod, and it’s fair to wonder if the Oilers are fully ready for everything that will come with the hire. A whole lot is riding on it.

Tim Stützle. (James Guillory / Imagn Images)

Stützle, Seider speak

Speaking of German stars and their teams’ newsy summers, young Atlantic Division foes Tim Stützle and Moritz Seider spoke to Johnston about the Senators’ and Red Wings’ biggest offseason topics.

Ottawa, of course, saw its captain, Brady Tkachuk, traded to Florida — a hit to the Senators’ physical presence and scoring ability. But while Stützle is obviously aware of that, he wisely focused on turning the page and the new players Ottawa brought in, headlined by talented young winger William Eklund.

It looks as though the Senators could be in for a major identity shift from the punishing, pugnacious brand of hockey Tkachuk was so central to, to perhaps a faster brand led by Stützle and Eklund. But even after dealing their captain, the Sens still have an elite team defense, excellent young centers and a path to remaining an upstart young team in the East. Fascinating franchise.

Meanwhile, Seider also tried not to dwell on a chaotic summer for his franchise — keyword tried, considering so much of the Red Wings’ uncertainty remains unresolved. They still don’t have a general manager — they’re the only team without one — and Dylan Larkin’s trade request twists in the wind in the interim.

The 25-year-old Seider turned his focus inward, talking about how he can keep improving after a top-five finish for the Norris Trophy last season: “There are a lot of question marks. The great thing about that is you can only control yourself.” Here are his full answers.

Because of all the moving parts, Detroit’s outlook is cloudier than the Senators’ right now. But Seider is one thing the next general manager won’t have to worry about at all in their first year.

More from Munich: NHL players’ union boss Marty Walsh is bullish on the 2030 Olympics, and league deputy commissioner Bill Daly says the NHL is on track to award its 33rd franchise to Texas — either Houston or Austin — as soon as the end of the year. Giddy up.

Brady Tkachuk, left, and his brother, Matthew. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)

Trivia Time

NHL captains aren’t traded very often, especially if you exclude in-season deals like the Florida Panthers’ 2025 deadline acquisition of Brad Marchand. But the Panthers will be hoping their Tkachuk deal goes just like another offseason trade from semi-recent history (think this millennium), in which a re-homed captain immediately won the Stanley Cup in his first year with his new team.

Who was that player?

Hint: He was the same age (26) as Tkachuk is now.

Answer at the bottom.

Young Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini. (David Gonzales / Imagn Images)

Crystal Ball

Who will rule in 2031?

After Corey Pronman rolled out his pipeline rankings last week, he added a new wrinkle: a projection of what the NHL standings could look like five years from now, when all those farm systems and young players are finally in the NHL.

That, of course, adds some weight back to the league’s current heavyweights that may not have star-studded farm systems: Florida, Carolina, Tampa and Minnesota all still make the top 10 on this list, despite being in the bottom 10 of Pronman’s pipeline rankings.

Still, the No. 1 team on both lists was the same: 2031 is shaping up to be a good time in San Jose.

A quick peek at the top five in the 2030-31 rankings:

San Jose Sharks
Montreal Canadiens
Utah Mammoth
Buffalo Sabres
Toronto Maple Leafs

Check out the full list to see where your team slots in.

Coast to Coast

💰 Even more coverage from Munich! Lukáš Dostál on Leo Carlsson’s megadeal and its impact on the Ducks: “Money has to go somewhere … I’m just so happy for Leo.”

🤪 Missing Sean McIndoe? Get your fix here, where he digs into your wackiest ideas at the height of slow-news summer. I like the word/letter game.

📋 While the Red Wings’ GM search continues, the list of semi-urgent tasks for the eventual hire isn’t getting any shorter.

🏒 Scary news out West, as Arizona State University is investigating the circumstances surrounding an outdoor workout that led to a men’s hockey player collapsing. Katie Strang and Jeremy Rutherford have more here.

🏅 Murat Ates and Jesse Granger dive into Connor Hellebuyck’s strangely human NHL season in 2025-26, and what to expect from him going forward.

🎙️ “The Athletic Hockey Show” Prospect Series spent the week exploring Corey Pronman’s redrafts of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Watch or listen here.

Mike Richards in 2012. (Louis Lopez / Associated Press)

Trivia Answer

Who was the captain who was traded by his former team in the summer and then won the Cup in Year 1 in his new home?

That would be Mike Richards, who did it with the Los Angeles Kings after being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in June 2011.

Questions, comments, corrections? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at redlight@theathletic.com.

📫 Love Red Light? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.

Sports

How to watch Royals vs. Blue Jays: TV channel and streaming options for August 27

Published

7 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

The Toronto Blue Jays host the Kansas City Royals at 7:07 p.m. ET on Thursday, with both teams hoping to win the series. Spencer Arrighetti (7-6, 4.73 ERA) will start for the Blue Jays, who are 65-69 this season and fifth in the AL East. Noah Cameron (8-8, 4.02 ERA) is the expected starter for the Royals, who are 59-75 and fifth in the AL Central.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Royals vs. Blue Jays odds

Favorite Moneyline: Blue Jays -110
Underdog Moneyline: Royals -110
Total: 8.5
Total Over Odds: +100
Total Under Odds: -120

Injury reports

Blue Jays

Josh Smith: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Luis Urias: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Jonatan Clase: 10 Day IL (Foot), Shane Bieber: 15 Day IL (Back), Jameson Taillon: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Trey Yesavage: 15 Day IL (Knee), Cody Ponce: 60 Day IL (Knee), Anthony Santander: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Bloss: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Bowden Francis: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joe Mantiply: 60 Day IL (Knee), Addison Barger: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yimi Garcia: 60 Day IL (Elbow), José Berrios: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Patrick Corbin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Royals

Maikel Garcia: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Tony Gonsolin: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Beck Way: 15 Day IL (Back), Jonathan India: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Cole Ragans: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Luinder Avila: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Alec Marsh: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Carlos Estévez: 60 Day IL (Foot), Nick Mears: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Stephen Kolek: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Connor Seabold: 60 Day IL (Lat), James McArthur: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Michael Massey: day-to-day (Head)

Stats to know

Toronto’s Ernie Clement is slashing .282/.307/.398 this season with nine home runs, 43 RBIs and an OPS of .705. He has a 9.8% strikeout rate and a 3.4% walk rate in 522 plate appearances, and he has scored 54 total runs.
In 503 plate appearances, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .262/.334/.353 with a .687 OPS and seven steals on 10 attempts. He has hit seven long balls, driven in 46 runs and scored 62 times.
Bobby Witt Jr. has hit 16 home runs this season. He has also tallied 48 RBIs and has scored 72 runs. In 508 plate appearances, he has recorded a .288 BA, .366 OBP and .458 SLG with a 10.8% walk rate and a 17.7% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 35 steals on 42 attempts.
In 473 plate appearances, Jac Caglianone has hit 22 long balls, tallied 60 RBIs and scored 59 runs. He is batting .274/.326/.486 and has posted a 26.2% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

Sports

How to watch Dodgers vs. Braves: TV channel and streaming options for August 27

Published

14 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

The Atlanta Braves host the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, a game featuring two of MLB’s most consistent batters. Michael Harris II has an average of .291 (10th in league) for the Braves, and Freddie Freeman is seventh at .301 for the Dodgers. Chris Sale (12-9, 2.20 ERA) will start for the Braves, who are 78-55 this season and first in the NL East. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-7, 2.61 ERA) is expected to start for the Dodgers, who are 80-53 and first in the NL West.

How to watch Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves

Dodgers vs. Braves odds

Favorite Moneyline: Braves -128
Underdog Moneyline: Dodgers +105
Total: 6.5
Total Over Odds: -110
Total Under Odds: -110

Injury reports

Braves

Reynaldo López: 15 Day IL (Knee), Robert Suarez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Strider: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Spencer Schwellenbach: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joey Wentz: 60 Day IL (Knee), Joe Jimenez: 60 Day IL (Knee)

Dodgers

Dalton Rushing: 10 Day IL (Arm), Andy Pages: 10 Day IL (Hand), Edwin Díaz: 15 Day IL (Neck), Will Klein: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Justin Wrobleski: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Bobby Miller: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Gavin Stone: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Cousins: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Blake Treinen: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Will Smith: 60 Day IL (Neck), Brusdar Graterol: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Kris Bubic: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ben Casparius: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Roki Sasaki: day-to-day (Hand)

Stats to know

Atlanta’s Matt Olson has hit 37 home runs this season, which ranks 2nd in MLB. He has also tallied 78 RBIs (19th in MLB) and has scored 92 runs. In 579 plate appearances, he has recorded a .260 BA, .337 OBP and .538 SLG with a 10% walk rate and a 25.2% strikeout rate.
In 568 plate appearances, Ozzie Albies has hit 20 long balls, tallied 67 RBIs and scored 74 runs. He is batting .255/.310/.418 and has posted a 14.1% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate.
Shohei Ohtani is hitting for a .288 BA, .388 OBP and .546 SLG with a 23.2% strikeout rate and a 13.5% walk rate. His OPS is .934, which ranks 2nd in MLB, and he has scored 86 runs. In 564 plate appearances, he has hit 30 home runs (9th in MLB) and driven in 80 runs (13th in MLB). Ohtani has recorded 10 steals on 13 attempts.
In 555 plate appearances, Freeman has posted a 16.4% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate while slashing .301/.373/.460 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs and 65 runs scored.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images