GREEN BAY – The Packers opened their preseason with a dud, losing 30-10 to the Jets on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Here are five takeaways from the rough night:
- The starters didn’t perform well, and it went downhill from there.
The starters, minus injured players, played the bulk of the first quarter, but a dropped pass by Romeo Doubs contributed to limiting the offense to just two first downs (one via penalty) on two possessions. The starting defense played one series and surrendered a 10-play, 79-yard TD drive that included a pair of third-down conversions.
The second units didn’t pick up much slack, as more drops were compounded by penalties, and then two turnovers – one when QB Malik Willis was sacked and fumbled in the end zone three plays after Mecole Hardman mistakenly fielded a punt at the 5-yard line, and another when Hardman muffed a bouncing punt – handed the Jets 10 points.
“That was a humbling experience,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. “Definitely not what we want to put out there. I don’t care preseason, regular season, it doesn’t matter to me. It was just sloppy football.
“Too many penalties, drops, missed tackles, bad decision making, and it really showed up in every phase of football. And if you do that, you’re going to get your (butt) kicked, and that’s exactly what happened.”
- One new injury in the starting lineup is a potential concern.
Receiver Jayden Reed didn’t play and was in a walking boot due to a foot injury unrelated to other foot issues that have had him bouncing in and out of practice thus far in training camp.
While LaFleur said the hope is he’ll be back for the start of the regular season, nothing is certain.
“Anytime you see a guy in a boot, that’s a concern,” LaFleur said.
Safety Zayne Anderson (knee) and running back Jalen White (foot) both left the game with injuries of unknown severity.
- The flags wouldn’t stop flying on offense, and it bogged everything down.
The offensive reserves were flagged for holding six times (one was declined) and for alignment penalties twice (one declined). Second-year lineman Jacob Monk was guilty of three of the holding fouls, and rookie lineman Anthony Belton had both of the declined calls.
“All those penalties were a major problem, and it’s hard to get into any type of rhythm when you’re having multiple penalties,” LaFleur said. “You have a short-yardage situation, third-and-1, it looks like it’s going to be an easy first down, and you get called for holding. You just can’t have those.”
LaFleur suggested practices need to be officiated tighter, and plenty of work on fundamentals and technique is forthcoming. The offense went 1-of-10 on third down.
“The thing about it is you’ve gotta have the urgency to fix it, and it’s gotta get fixed fast,” LaFleur said, “because the regular season is going to be here in no time.”
The defensive reserves stopped a fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay 25-yard line and held the Jets to a field goal after the muffed punt put them in goal-to-go. But the Jets put together 13 points on scoring drives of 45, 79 and 56 yards in the second half, finishing 8-of-15 on third downs in the game.
Some bright spots included defensive lineman Colby Wooden‘s six tackles, including one behind the line, and one tipped pass, while rookie Barryn Sorrell got some pressure and recorded two QB hits.
- A new arrival got on the field right away, and a young running back showed something.
Irish kicker Mark McNamee, who had a holdup with his visa and finally arrived in Green Bay around 11 p.m. Friday night, took the field and handled the Packers’ three kickoffs in the game.
Regular kicker Brandon McManus made a 46-yard field goal and the lone extra point, following running back Amar Johnson‘s 39-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.
Johnson, an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State, had just gotten the Packers over 100 yards of total offense three plays earlier on a 15-yard run to open that drive, and he finished with 67 of the team’s 188 total yards.
“I thought it was a good showing for him,” LaFleur said of Johnson. “I thought he ran hard and obviously flashed some playmaking ability, so he’ll probably earn some more opportunities next week.”
- The starters are probably done for the preseason.
Asked if the performance would have him rethink whether the starters need to play in any more preseason games, LaFleur said “probably not,” though everything is subject to change based on how the next week of practice goes, and particularly the upcoming joint practice in Indianapolis.
“It’s good tape to learn from, to grow from,” said QB Jordan Love, who was just 1-of-5 for 7 yards. “But it’s Week 1 of preseason, so we’re not going to rush to any conclusions.”
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