It was a tough night for the Green Bay Packers, but hold your breath. The team decided to sit 31 players — most of their starters and some injured pieces —, and the result was a 27-2 (!) loss to the Denver Broncos in the second preseason game . Head coach Matt LaFleur wasn't happy with the team's performance.
"We're just busting a lot of simple things," LaFleur said during halftime. "A lot of Day 1 installs. It's just disappointing.
" But, for the most part, it was a game where the Packers could only expect to evaluate individual pieces, which is the ultimate goal of these exhibitions. And there was good and bad outcomes in that regard. Stock up AJ Dillon It's fitting that we have to mention a player who did not participate in the game in the stock up, as the running back was among the 31 inactive players for Green Bay.
If there was any doubt about his situation on the team, Dillon would be on the field. But he is slated to make the 53-man roster, and the fact that he didn't play in Denver is a clear indication of how the coaching staff values him, even though his performance against the Cleveland Browns last week raised fair questions about his role. Evan Williams In the Broncos first offensive drive, it seemed like Bo Nix had thrown a touchdown pass.
But the rookie quarterback crossed the line of scrimmage, and you could see how smart safety Evan Williams was. When Nix was nearly crossing the line, Williams ran in the quarterback's direction to avoid a run, which prompted Nix to make an illegal forward pass. The rookie defensive back started as a deep safety alongside Anthony Johnson Jr.
, while Javon Bullard started in the slot. Jacob Monk You'll read more about Royce Newman above, but Jacob Monk is clearly a better guard option. The Packers wanted to run the ball and see how the blocking would handle the Broncos' starters, and it was not pretty.
But Monk was an exception, and mostly did fine even when switching sides in the middle of the second quarter. Green Bay wasn't able to create huge holes, but it was certainly better with him than it was when they tried to run behind Newman. He is a fifth-round rookie, so it's fair to temper expectations, but he already seems like their best interior depth option.
Not that it matters much, but Monk had even a tackle when Sean Clifford threw an interception late in the second quarter. Sean Rhyan will probably be the swing interior offensive lineman for the Packers, but Monk has a chance to be useful throughout the season — and most likely a valuable long-term piece for the roster. Stock down Sean Clifford Quarterbacks coach Tom Clements mentioned Matt Flynn to exemplify how Clifford was better in games than he was in practice.
Well, not that time around — unless the practices are truly awful. The QB2 couldn't move the chains, and the offense had zero points in the first half — they couldn't advance even when the Broncos were already playing their backups too. Interceptions have been a major issue for Clifford all offseason.
Gotta take care of the ball and Clifford hasn’t. Tough when you’re having huge mistakes and no big plays to make up for it. High risk, little reward.
Door is WIDE open for Michael Pratt. Clifford took a bad sack in the second quarter when he had all the time in the world to throw the ball away. Later in the second quarter, he had some interesting plays extending the action with his legs — running for a first down and with a beautiful throw on the run.
But his inability to operate in the pocket is concerning. It was this way that he threw a pick, missing Ben Sims over the middle. Keidron Smith with his 2nd INT of the preseason for the @Broncos ! : #GBvsDEN on @NFLNetwork : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.
twitter.com/triUCsduhj With him on the field, the Packers had only 69 net yards. The quarterback finished the game completing 6 of 10 passes for 43 yards and a pick.
Sean Clifford finished the game with a 30.4 passer rating. If you do nothing but spike the ball on every play, your passer rating is 39.
6. That being said, Michael Pratt didn't take that much of an advantage of Clifford's poor performance to secure the backup job . The rookie seventh-round had an up and down night at best, just like the entire offense in Denver, even though he was more productive than the second-year quarterback.
Ty'Ron Hopper Edgerrin Cooper didn't play, so it was an opportunity for third-round pick Ty'Ron Hopper to have more snaps. And it was not great whatsoever. The Packers defense suffered with throws over the middle, and the coverage was not good.
Run support from the safeties helped most of the time, and the Broncos' offensive line didn't have a great performance. But the Packers' off-ball linebackers, and Hopper in particular, had problems covering in space — and as you could expect, Sean Payton exploited it throughout the first half. There's an obvious context that Denver was playing their starters and Green Bay was not, and he did get better when the Broncos put their backups in, but Hopper has a long way to go before becoming a real defensive contributor.
Royce Newman Anytime the Packers tried to run to the left, it seemed like Newman was missing a block. It was that bad. At this point, it's hard to justify giving Newman reps instead of playing the younger guys, and even if the coaching staff trusts him because of the experience in the system, it's getting tougher to justify his roster spot.
When Newman and rookie Jacob Monk switched sides, the Packers were immediately better running to the left and worse running to the right, which tells you everything you need to know about the situation. Royce Newman, playing in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, got zero push on that failed fourth down. Everyone else got some push.
His guy stuffed it. Newman couldn't help the offense get a single yard in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, when running back Nate McCrary was tackled short of the gain line. It can't get much worse than that.
This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission..
