The Green Bay Packers started slow against the Denver Broncos starters, never got going offensively and lost 27-2 in a preseason clash at EmPower Field at Mile High on Sunday night.
Matt LaFleur’s team gave up back-to-back scoring drives to rookie Bo Nix and fell behind 10-0 early. It took a safety — created by Zach Morton’s sack in the third quarter — for the Packers to avoid a preseason shutout.
Here are three players trending up and three players trending down coming out of Sunday’s preseason loss to the Broncos:
Three up
LB Kristian Welch: On a night when so many 53-man roster hopefuls struggled, Welch shined. On one play in the second quarter, he leveled the tight end in the hole and dumped the running back after a short gain. Twice, he ranged to his right and made a stop. He was also in position to make an interception, the defense’s only takeaway. Welch played like his hair was on fire and also contributed 13 snaps on special teams. If the Packers want to keep six linebackers, Welch improved his chances.
DE Brenton Cox Jr.: The second-year edge rusher impressed again, producing a sack — the result of excellent hand fighting and quickness — and a team-high five total pressures, per PFF. On one play, Cox beat a double team with an inside spin move and caused a hurried throw. He played with hustle and energy chasing plays, too. The pass-rushing talent looks legitimate.
WR Malik Heath: He made only three catches for 22 yards, but the stats hide a strong performance overall. Heath was open down the field and would have had a long catch inside the 5-yard line (or a touchdown) had Sean Clifford thrown a better ball on the first series. Later, he won deep and Michael Pratt missed him by a mile. Along the way, Heath had a tough run after the catch against Patrick Surtain II and converted a third down with a nice route. This was very close to a standout performance.
Three down
Backup QBs: The Packers didn’t run the ball well and the pass protection was inconsistent, complicating the evaluation of the quarterbacks. But it would be impossible to argue that Sean Clifford or Michael Pratt played well in a big spot in the quarterback competition. Clifford attacked downfield but was slightly inaccurate, and he fumbled a snap and threw an interception. Pratt barely attempted a pass downfield, was affected by pressure and lost a fumble. Together, the two backups led 12 drives, produced fewer than 100 total passing yards and didn’t enter the red zone or create a scoring drive. The Packers have a lot of question marks behind Jordan Love entering the final week of the preseason.
TE Tyler Davis: His night was dreadful. In fact, Davis’ struggles as a run blocker should put him squarely on the roster bubble. Despite playing on 10 run-blocking snaps, Davis still managed to draw a holding penalty and miss — by our count — five different run block attempts. His failures in terms of maintaining and finishing blocks were a big reason why the Packers’ run game couldn’t get off the ground in the first half.
K Greg Joseph: He got the first crack at a kick and missed it. The snap was good, the hold was good and 47 yards isn’t a tough distance in Denver. Joseph’s kick sailed wide right. In an increasingly concerning kicking competition, Joseph failed to convert an opportunity to get ahead.
This performance deserved an extra “down,” so here’s a fourth:
OL Royce Newman: He started and played all 59 offensive snaps. From start to finish, Newman was frustratingly inconsistent. He gave up a third-down pressure on the first series, got blown up trying to lead block on a screen, gave up the pressure that caused a sack and delivered no push on a failed fourth down attempt. Given Newman was still in the game in the fourth quarter, it’s clear he’s fighting for a roster spot. And he might finally lose the battle.
Actually, we need a fifth:
CB Kalen King: A tough night for the rookie seventh-rounder. He gave up a touchdown pass to Tim Patrick while trying to sort through traffic in man-to-man coverage, missed a tackle in the open field on a 3rd-and-17 conversion and allowed a first-down catch and missed a tackle on another third-down play in man coverage from the slot. In a tight roster battle at cornerback, King might have lost considerable ground on Sunday night.
