After a disappointing performance at Friday’s joint practice, the Green Bay Packers rested 31 players and then lost to the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s preseason game at EmPower Field at Mile High. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix led two scoring drives and the Broncos went into halftime with a 17-0 lead. A horrendous offensive performance by the Packers resulted in a 27-2 loss.
Here are a few things we learned (or didn’t learn) from Sunday’s loss to the Broncos:
We didn’t learn much
Let’s start with what we didn’t learn. The competition for backup quarterback didn’t get any clearer. Jordan Morgan didn’t play, so the battle for right guard wasn’t fully fought. Kickers attempted a kick and missed. Receivers fighting for a roster spot felt the pain of faltering quarterbacks and pass defense. None of the backup offensive tackles took a step forward. Neither Eric Stokes nor Carrington Valentine played, so nothing happened there. In total, the Packers sat with 31 players on the bench – the vast majority of whom will determine the success of the team’s season – and the backups were beaten early by the Broncos’ starters. Little movement in position battles and few bright spots among the backups made for a rough night.
Backup QBs shake confidence
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Matt LaFleur felt Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt didn’t have much support, but neither backup quarterback played well on Sunday night, which clouded the picture behind Jordan Love. Clifford dropped one snap, completed just six passes and threw a poor interception while failing to lead the Packers to a scoring drive on four possessions. Pratt lost a fumble on a sack, managed just 52 passing yards on 16 attempts and failed to lead a scoring drive on eight chances. Clifford has struggled for most of the summer, and Pratt is a seventh-round rookie who has his own difficult learning curve ahead in his first year. Can LaFleur trust either of them to become QB2 when the regular season begins?
No movement in the kick competition
The Packers needed kicking opportunities, but ultimately could only manage a field goal or extra point. And the only opportunity they had ended in disaster: veteran Greg Joseph fired a 47-yard attempt wide right. Over the past week or so, the Packers’ kicking competition has gone from good to downright worrisome. With both Joseph and Anders Carlson hovering around 80 percent on training camp and preseason kicks, it’s increasingly likely that the Packers’ kicker won’t be on the roster in Week 1.
Backup offensive tackles have problems
Andre Dillard should be on the Packers’ 53-man roster. He makes the team because no other offensive tackle has made any moves behind the two starters. In fact, Sunday night’s loss exposed the troubling lack of depth at the premier offensive line position. Kadeem Telfort, Caleb Jones and Travis Glover all faltered on multiple occasions and struggled to get moving in the run game. Jordan Morgan, the first-round pick who is the focal point at right guard, did not play Sunday night. It’s possible the Packers will have to give him workouts as an offensive tackle to secure the position in 2024.
The Newman experience must end
Enough is enough. Royce Newman, now in his fourth year, cannot make the 53-man roster. The former starter was on the field until the fourth quarter and his inconsistency from down to down has to drive the coaching staff crazy. On a sack in the first half, Newman was cleanly beaten. Later, he failed to get pressure on a fourth-down running play. It’s time to move on. The Packers are coaching Sean Rhyan and Jacob Monk at multiple positions on the interior line, and Jordan Morgan can and will play guard.
The receiver competition fizzles out
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Packers’ passing game struggled from start to finish, so clarity on the position battle at receiver may have to wait. Malik Heath caught three passes for 22 yards, and at least two long balls targeted at him narrowly missed. Bo Melton caught just two passes for 10 yards. Grant DuBose didn’t catch any of his targeted passes — one was dropped, and the other was a fastball that Michael Pratt threw well behind him on fourth down. DuBose later helped his cause with a solo tackle covering a punt.
Exciting battle at DE
It would be easy to project Brenton Cox Jr. as the Packers’ fifth defensive end, but Arron Mosby is not to be overlooked. While Cox had a sack and at least two other pressures, Mosby continued his playmaking summer. He drew a penalty and then had the pressure that helped facilitate Kristian Welch’s second-half interception. Ideally, the Packers could retain one of Cox or Mosby and keep the other on the practice squad.
Tough night for Kalen King
The seventh-round pick had a couple of big negative plays. On the first, he missed a tackle in the open field, allowing the Broncos to complete a 3rd-and-17 attempt well in front of the uprights. Later, he was one of the defenders who failed to tackle Jarrett Stidham’s rumbling touchdown run, and on another third-down attempt, he was beaten in coverage out of the slot. King is definitely on the list to watch in the final week of the preseason.
