There were some dazzling plays, confounding mistakes and even sorrowful injuries but the youthful Green Bay Packers are bringing home a ton of positive reinforcement overall after finishing the week in Cincinnati, Ohio with a 36-19 victory over the Bengals in the Pre-Season opener on a humid, 83 degree night at Paycor Stadium.
As you would expect, most of the attention was on the quarterback position. The one who didn’t play for the AFC Champion and AFC runner-ups the last two seasons, and the ones who did for the Packers. That’s where we have to begin.
Jordan Love opened up and played two series that produced a touchdown, rookie Sean Clifford then went nearly the rest of the way experiencing a little bit of everything along the way in generating 23 more points. Combined, they completed 27 passes in 36 attempts for 254 yards, two scores and a pair of interceptions. Love’s rating on 7 of 10 with a touch was 112.9. Clifford recovered from a pick six to hit Tyler Davis with a touchdown right before intermission, winding up 20 of 26 for 208 yards.. He also had a couple of key scampers for another 27 yards.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur opened his post game visit by saluting the energy and enthusiasm the team played with from start to finish, there was so much to build off and teach from, but it didn’t take long to ask him about the QB’s, beginning with the Cincinnati kid, Clifford, who played his high school ball here and did some ballin’ back in his hometown.
Love’s two series had Aaron Jones and Luke Musgrave use their speed for short winning matchups early but after one first down, there was the bad miss to the wide open rookie tight end. Given it right back with a 3 and out of the defense, Love converted third and five with a hard out to Christian Watson for 7. From the 9 on second and goal, Love ran a play they called in Wednesday’s practice where Watson and Romeo Doubs cross over the middle of the end one. Based on there the safety leans, Love throws it to other side. Watson caught an easy score to start the week, this time Doubs outmuscled Sidney Jones IV for the contested catch touchdown and a 7-0 lead that ended Jordan’s night.
Jordan Love joins happy locker room.
A brief appearance on the podium followed his brief Pre-Season debut.
Enter Clifford. His first throw was squeezed through a pair of defenders into the hands of Samori Toure who gained 25 yards. Jayden Reed pulled down another tough, contested catch for 15 to end the quarter and after a PI in the end zone, Tyler Goodson got in low from the one to give Green Bay a 14-3 lead.
Clifford’s most difficult throw came on third and six, trying to hang in there against a blitz, he fired out to the right for Dontayvion Wicks but Tycen Anderson had a bead on it, jumped the route and had smooth sailing for a 43 yard pick six that brought the Bengals to within 1.
The former Penn Stater came right back, hitting Toure for 28 but that series died with a 4th and 5 incompletion. His second pick was a ball over the middle, just off the frame but in the hands of tight end Tucker Kraft. It was Anderson again who was able to lean in front and all but pull the ball out of Kraft’s hands.
Carrington Valentine pilfered one right back for the defense which had given up only three field goals to this point. He got after a tipped ball and set up Clifford for one last shot at points with :47 left in the half. He delivered a pretty deep post to Wicks who found space and gained 47 yards. The QB bolted around left end and angled to the sideline for 13 yards, stopping the clock with :25 to go. On the next snap, a quick turnaround hit Tyler Davis over the goal line for a fist pumping moment back home. The backup offense turned a Dallin Leavitt third quarter interception into a field goal. The last scoring drive was set up by Toure’s 44 yard kickoff return (coming after he botched a catch and got hemmed in deep), and Emmanuel Wilson finished off a three play drive with a well blocked 11 yard touchdown run.
The hometown kid Clifford.
Caught up with Clifford in the locker room and asked him if he experienced just about every result possible in his professional debut:
There were several noteworthy performances. On offense, Wilson, the free agent running back from Fort Valley State, ripped off an 80 yard touchdown run bouncing a carry wide to the right sideline, showing impressive top end speed. How about 6 carries for 111 yards and two scores on opening night?
Defensively, the aggressive Packers secondary, without Jaire Alexander, choked off the Cincinnati passing game for the most part, minus Joe Burrow. Jake Browning and Trevor Siemian had a combined passer rating of 49.9. Packer defensive players were credited with a whopping 13 pass break ups led by Valentine with three early and William Hooper with three late. Throw in a couple of picks and only three catches went for more than 20 yards. The front 7 allowed just 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, even better if not for a 33 yard leak out late.
Some concerns about Anders Carlson. He made his only field goal attempt from 45 yards but missed two extra points wide right. Still making the boss a bit queasy I’m sure.
Two significant injuries unfortunately. Davis, who caught a TD suffered the most serious injury, LaFleur said it was a bad knee injury and he felt badly for the veteran. Backup offensive tackle Luke Tenuta had to be carted off the field with another lower leg injury.
Nine players didn’t dress, Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rashan Gary, David Bakhtiari, Jake Hanson, Innis Gaines, Lew Nichols, Josiah Deguara and Grant Dubose. Kenny Clark was a healthy scratch.
Some quick stats: Packers outgained the Bengals 437-274. 21 first downs to 12. Cincy converted just 4 of 15 third down plays.
LaFleur said the entire week proved very beneficial for his young team, ready to get back home and welcome the New England Patriots for a couple of workouts before the home Pre-Season opener next Saturday night.
There was a lot to like on the banks of the Ohio River as the Packers set sail on the 2023 campaign.
