The difficulty one always has when analyzing preseason football games is determining what you can and can't take away from any individual game. This is especially true in the first preseason matchup of the year, when the teams have barely had pads on for a couple weeks and many of the players on the roster are still learning the playbook.

However, one has to be enocuraged by the defense's (and special teams') ability to make big plays. All the usual preseason disclaimers about who was actually on the field at the time the plays were made certainly apply, but the fact remains that the Packers came away with four takeaways in last night's game against the Houston Texans, a total that accounts for more than 25 percent of the total number of takeaways the team had in the 2018 regular season (15).

Is it a sign of an influx of defensive talent? Is it the defense growing more comfortable under second-year coordinator Mike Pettine? Is it simply a right place/right time situation? Impossible to say in just one game. What's significant here is that it happened, and that the team had multiple players make those plays when the opportunities presented themselves. And that's something you always want to see out of your team, regardless of how "meaningless" the game is.

Ka'Dar Hollman interception

Four takeaways yesterday. here's the first. Great job by @versatiledarr recognizing the underthrown ball and snagging it. #packers pic.twitter.com/96S82CVKsD

— Tim Backes (@timbackes) August 9, 2019

The first takeaway of the game was this interception by rookie defensive back Ka'Dar Hollman.

Backup quarterback Joe Webb (he of the Moon Ball fame from the 2012-2013 playoff game against the Vikings) simply underthrows his receiver here, and Hollman recognizes it in time to get in the path of the ball. Heads up play by a guy who maintained eyes on the ball whlie covering a receiver deep up the middle of the field.

Muffed punt touchdown recovery

Here's the second. @Equanimeous makes a heads-up play to recover in the endzone after the muff by the Texans' Coutee. #Packers pic.twitter.com/VdEXkQ2hMZ

— Tim Backes (@timbackes) August 9, 2019

Of all four of the takeaways, this one is the one you can most easily chalk up to being luck. But it's still a heads up play by Equanimeous St. Brown here. He reacts very quickly when the ball bounces off of the Texans' Keke Coutee and manages to pull the ball in and secure it with one arm while across the plane for a touchdown. A bit of luck involved, sure, but St. Brown still completed the play with the best possible result.

Strip fumble

The third takeaway of the game and my personal favorite. @RaayGreene with an awesome effort play on the strip, and @BlazingWill_ has the presence of mind to secure the ball when it flies at him. #packers pic.twitter.com/5UClBDUMsy

— Tim Backes (@timbackes) August 9, 2019

My favorite takeaway of the evening. It's the second view of the play that gives you the best look at what happened here. Raven Greene isn't able to make the tackle, but he does stretch in to punch the ball loose. Will Redmond is then fortunate enough to be in exactly the right place--the ball essentially bounces right into his chest, allowing Redmond to take it the other direction. 

This is a fantastic play by Greene, an opportunity he creates for the team simply through outstanding effort.

Sullivan interception

Last but not least. 4th takeaway of the night. @ShowtimeSully10 picks off a bad floater by Webb into tight territory. Looks like he'd been guarding a different player and dropped a little deeper to make the play when he saw Webb let the ball loose. #packers pic.twitter.com/eLY6uWWe2U

— Tim Backes (@timbackes) August 9, 2019

I'm interested to get another angle on this play once the All-22s come out, because on the radio broadcast, Wayne and Larry seemed to think cornerback Chandon Sullivan had actually been covering a different player but let his man go when he saw where Webb was going with the ball. It's just a bad throw by Webb here, throwing up a high floater in a tight window after telegraphing his decision. Sullivan makes the most of it, jumping in to pluck the ball out of the air and take it down inside the Texans' five yeard line. 

Was the Packers' playmaking ability on defense and special teams indicative of what's to come this season? It's truly impossible to say after one game, but it was certainly one of the biggest positives for the team to "take away" from its first live game action of the season.