Green Bay closed out the preseason the right way, with their cleanest performance yet and ultimately a 20-7 win over Seattle at Lambeau Field.

Here are five key takeaways from the preseason finale:

Golden didn’t see much game action on Saturday as the starting offense only played a couple of drives, but he made the most of his one target, hauling in a 39-yard reception with an impressive adjustment to a pass left a little inside by Malik Willis.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst often talks about rookies ‘making a play every day’ as an indicator of their readiness to have an impact in their first season, and Green Bay’s first-round pick has done just that throughout the summer.

While he still needs to prove it when the games count, Golden should open the season in the Packers’ starting lineup, and looks like he is ready to hit the ground running.

Ty’ron Hopper finishes off a strong summer

Hopper was the forgotten man coming into training camp after an anonymous first season in which he essentially redshirted, but this summer the promise that convinced the Packers to take him in the third round in the 2024 NFL draft has been evident.

He has been active and a real presence in every one of Green Bay’s exhibition games and has arguably been their best player throughout the preseason. He capped off a strong summer with a sack and a forced fumble.

The linebacker will still face a challenge to get on the field ahead of Isaiah McDuffie in three linebacker looks, at least early in the season, but the Packers have to feel optimistic about the direction Hopper looks to be going.

Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox stamp their place on the roster

Cox ended the preseason in style against the Seahawks with some dominant wins both as a pass rusher and in run defense, tallying a sack and two run stops in the finale.

He plays with real power and violence, and after working his way into the pass rush rotation in the back end of the 2024 season, Cox looks to have carried over his upward trajectory into the new year.

It is clear to see why the Packers have spent the time and energy developing Cox, and he should see the field plenty as a rotational defensive end in 2025.

For Enagbare, making the 53-man roster was not given entering training camp after an underwhelming 2024 and with an inflated, non-guaranteed salary of $3.4m due to the league’s performance escalators for playing time.

There are a good few players in the EDGE room who are cheaper and under team control for more years than Enagbare, but he looked like a man against boys when facing opposing teams’ second stringers in the preseason.

Enagbare scooped up a fumble in Saturday’s win over Seattle, and a year removed from the partial ACL tear he played through in 2024, it would not be a surprise to see him look closer to the player Packers fans saw in 2023 as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.

Specialists look locked in

Punter Daniel Whelan looks to have taken his game to a new level entering the 2025 season. He has been punting the ball impressively all summer, getting some serious hang time and pinning opponents deep.

That was on full display versus the Seahawks on Saturday, as the Irish punter averaged 57.5 yards per boot, with a long of 67, helping to flip the field for the Packers when they found themselves precariously close to their own end zone.

Meanwhile, Brandon McManus once again looked imperious, as he has throughout training camp and preseason, nailing two field goals, one from 48 and the other from 52, with relative ease.

Green Bay’s specialists seem to be in a groove entering the regular season.

Isaiah Simmons rebounds

After a couple of shaky at best preseason outings, Simmons looked more assured and was playing faster in the finale.

There were still mistakes here and there, but in comparison to his performances against the Jets and Colts, Simmons was markedly improved. He made numerous plays on defense and on special teams, generally looking more confident in what he was doing.

A starter on special teams all summer, Simmons is a good bet to make the roster even though his defence has been lacking at times. The fact he played late into the fourth quarter versus Seattle probably speaks more to the Packers trying to get him as many reps as possible in the defence to get acclimated, rather than signifying that he is a risk not to make the team.