The Green Bay Packers were outplayed in every facet of the game and fell to the Denver Broncos 27-2. The only points the Packers managed came on a third quarter safety. Other than that, the bright spots were few and far between for the Packers who saw their preseason record fall to 1-1. Head coach Matt LaFleur sat 26 players in this game including nearly all of the team’s starters and some key backups. Denver’s starters played the first quarter. Here are 10 quick takeaways from the Packers victory over the Broncos:
Ten Quick Takeaways from the Packers 27-2 Loss to the Broncos, Number One: Neither Backup QB Looked Good
The battle for the backup quarterback position continued but neither Sean Clifford nor Michael Pratt made a good impression.
Clifford struggled mightily against Denver’s first-string defense. His fumble on the first snap of the game was a bad omen of things to come. The Penn State alum finished 6-of-10 for 30 yards and one interception.
Pratt wasn’t much better. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 52 yards.
Neither quarterback looked confident or decisive and neither moved the ball consistently. The longest pass completion of the game went for just 11 yards.
Number Two: The Offensive Line Struggled to Run Block
The second-string offensive line wasn’t opening up holes for the running backs. If you remove the two scrambles by the quarterbacks, the Packers running backs gained 70 yards on 24 carries or 2.9-yards per carry.
The line struggled in short-yardage situations. The Packers were 0-for-3 on fourth downs and just 3-of-13 on third downs. Even if you give the line a mulligan for going up against first string players in the first quarter, this was not an encouraging performance by the offensive line.
Ten Quick Takeaways from the Packers 27-2 Loss to the Broncos, Number Three: The Defense Provided the Only Points
The only points of the game came on a safety. Zach Morton sacked Zach Wilson in the end zone in the third quarter to give the Packers two points.
The defense managed three sacks including an impressive one by Brenton Cox. But overall, there were far too many plays where the Denver quarterbacks had all day to pick a receiver.
Number Four: Bo Melton Bounced Back
While no Green Bay receiver had a strong game, Bo Melton recovered from his poor performance of a week ago. He caught two passes for 10 yards on three targets but had no drops and was efficient in his routes.
Those who were concerned about his struggles and dropped passes against Cleveland can feel better about this week’s performance.
Ten Quick Takeaways from the Packers 27-2 Loss to the Broncos, Number Five: The Kicking Game Struggled
Greg Joseph missed the Packers only field goal attempt. The 47-yard kick wasn’t even close and may not have been in the same zip code as the goal posts.
Neither Joseph nor Anders Carlson got to try an extra point.
While LaFleur wanted his offense to try to convert fourth down and short chances, he does need to get a look at his kickers who continue to be a major concern heading into the final preseason game.
Number Six: The Punting Was Solid
You know the team struggled when the punter’s performance was a team highlight. Daniel Whelan punted four times for an average of 54.8 yards per try. Two of his kicks pinned Denver inside their own 20 and two went for touchbacks.
Of course, punts do travel farther in the high altitude in Denver, but Whelan still had a very good game.
Ten Quick Takeaways from the Packers 27-2 Loss to the Broncos, Number Seven: The Run Defense Remains a Concern
Stopping the run was a major problem for the Packers under Joe Barry. While Jeff Hafley played a vanilla defense in this preseason contest and the backups played all game, the run defense looked overmatched on far too many plays.
There were big holes for the Broncos runners to exploit and they did just that. For the game, Denver ran for 109 yards on 27 carries. Anytime Denver needed some yards, they seemed to be able to pick them up, at least while the game’s outcome was even remotely in doubt.
There is no need to panic, but overall, the defense needs to be better against the run.
Number Eight: Two Linebackers Played Well
Veteran linebackers Eric Wilson and Kristian Welch both played well for the Packers. Welch intercepted a pass and was in on six total tackles. Wilson added four tackles and played a positionally sound game when he was in the lineup.
These two veterans made a case to either earn a bigger role on defense in the case of Wilson and to stay on the roster in the case of Welch.
Ten Quick Takeaways from the Packers 27-2 Loss to the Broncos, Number Nine: Penalties Kept the Game Closer
The Broncos committed 13 penalties for 120 yards as compared to just four penalties for 40 yards for the Packers. Without those penalties, the outcome of this game would have been even more one-sided than the 25-point margin of defeat for the Packers.
Make no mistake, this was a tough game to watch and a poor overall performance in almost every facet of the game.
Number Ten: It’s Still Only Preseason
As ugly as this game was, there is still no need to panic. This was a preseason game, and the Packers rested nearly all their starters and key players.
Both the offense and defense were basic and vanilla. The defense played passively and did not make major adjustments as the Broncos used short passes in front of the Green Bay zone to march unimpeded downfield. The offense was never in sync and just couldn’t make big plays.
Still, in two weeks, the score of this contest will not matter. The biggest thing to be determined by this game was the battle for spots at the bottom of the roster. Those will be further determined by next week’s preseason finale in Green Bay.
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