The Green Bay Packers faced the Cleveland Browns in week 1 of the preseason. Starters played on offense for one series, and it ended with a 65-yard touchdown from Jordan Love to Dontayvion Wicks .
"I saw a lot of good things," head coach Matt LaFleur said during halftime. "For the most part, everyone's competing hard, doing their job and making some plays."
Let's evaluate what happened in the game, a 23-10 Green Bay win.
Jordan Love is so comfortable
Love played one series, and it was against the Cleveland Browns backup defenders, so let's not draw definitive conclusions. But with the evidence we have from last season, it's easy to see how comfortable Jordan Love is.
The touchdown pass was a perfect example of that, working well inside the pocket before bombing it to Dontayvion Wicks. But in general, even without two starting offensive linemen, Love is calm and in total control of what's happening.
It's clear that he's taken several steps forward compared to a year ago.
Step forward for a former first-rounder
Lukas Van Ness didn't have a major role as a rookie, but you can see why the Packers took him in the first round. In his first action as a sophomore , the edge defender got a sack and three tackles for loss in two drives, plus more pressures after that.
It was the backup offense for Cleveland, but Van Ness took advantage in a big way, and this is exactly what you would expect from him to have more impact behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
Who AJ Dillon should be vs who he is
We were getting good vibes from AJ Dillon in training camp, but he had two chances to convert in short yardage and couldn't. Second and two, then fourth and one, and stopped in both runs. It's not like the offensive line opened amazing holes, but this is exactly the type of play you would expect a running back built like Dillon to convert.
Meanwhile, Emanuel Wilson keeps showing promise. After leading the NFL preseason last year in rushing yards, he got a couple of effective runs, including a five-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Tough reality for the young linebackers
The two off-ball linebackers drafted by the Packers couldn't play because of injuries. Edgerrin Cooper (hip) and Ty'Ron Hopper (ankle) were inactive, which makes them miss an important part of the developmental and evaluation process in their first training camp. They hadn't been starters, and that's not the point here. It's more about their individual paths than about what the Packers defense will be early on — and it sure seems like Isaiah McDuffie will be the short-term starter alongside Quay Walker.
Undrafted rookie Ralen Goforth ended up taking advantage of the extra reps, with several good plays and an impressive demonstration of athleticism.
Intriguing test
Sean Rhyan played at right guard with the ones because first-round rookie Jordan Morgan wasn't available with a shoulder injury. But after the first drive, with the twos, the coaching staff made an interesting observation. Jacob Monk entered the game at right guard, and Rhyan moved inside to center.
If the third-year lineman can play well there, and he was solid against the Browns, he could compete with Josh Myers for the starting job.
Promising duo
The two Packers young safeties, Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, showed good early signs. Bullard is a versatile defensive piece, playing deep and in the slot. Evan Williams is always close to the action, and he isn't afraid of the contact.
Backup QB competition
Michael Pratt might be a seventh-round rookie, but he clearly has what it takes to compete for the QB2 job behind Jordan Love. He was playing against the backups of the backups, so it's always important to take everything with a grain of salt.
But he operates in the pocket better than Sean Clifford, who's always trying to escape to create out of structure. This can be good sometimes, but it's not the most sustainable way to build an offense.
Late in the game, the Packers started to run a lot to kill the clock, so hopefully Pratt will have more chances to throw the football in the next two exhibition games.
Related: Preseason wow play shows that Jordan Love is getting even better
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