Stars, studs and duds from Packers' preseason loss to Broncos

The Green Bay Packers will need to regroup and move on after a disappointing couple of days battling the Broncos in Denver. Struggles for the first-team offense and defense spilled into Sunday’s preseason game, where the Packers backups got mostly dominated by the Broncos in a 27-2 defeat at EmPower Field at Mile High.

The bright spots were few. In an overall discouraging effort, the evaluation revealed more of a collective failure than a plateful of individual disasters.

Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ preseason loss to the Broncos:

Stars

LB Kristian Welch: The Wisconsin native played with an urgency that was lacking amongst the reserves. On one run snap, he took on the tight end in the hole, flattened the block attempt and made the tackle on the running back. Later, he identified the run, ranged to his right and made the tackle after a short gain. According to PFF, his average depth of tackle on three runs stops was 1.3 yards. His interception — on a jump ball after a tipped pass — was the lone takeaway. A core special teamer, Welch also played 13 snaps for the third phase.

Studs

DE Brenton Cox Jr.: The pass-rushing talent continues to flash. On his sack, Cox Jr. won the hand battle at the point of attack and beat the right tackle around the corner. Later, he beat a double team with a spin inside, creating a pressure and hurried throw. Cox needs to develop against the run, but his ability as a pass-rusher — he now has eight pressures in two preseason games — should ensure he sticks on the 53.

WR Malik Heath: What could have been. On the first series, Heath was open deep and Sean Clifford missed him by inches. A completion would have resulted in either 1st-and-goal inside the 5-yard line or a walk-in touchdown. Think of the narrative had the Packers’ backups opened the game with a touchdown drive against the Broncos starting defense. Michael Pratt also missed Heath deep in the second half. Alas, Heath finished with three catches for 22 yards, including a conversion on third down.

RB Emanuel Wilson: The second-year running back produced the offense’s two biggest plays — a 15-yard run in the second half and an 11-yard catch on a third-down screen. In between, Wilson produced a handful of impressive pass pro reps, including two where he identified the blitzer and got him blocked. PFF credited Wilson with breaking four tackles, and he gained 43 yards after contact. His one catch was an impressive grab on a lobbed pass in the screen game.

Duds

CB Kalen King: The seventh-round pick missed tackles and got beat in coverage. On 3rd-and-17, King missed a tackle on tight end Greg Dulcich, creating a conversion. Later, he got lost in traffic covering Tim Patrick near the goal line and gave up an easy touchdown. In the second half, he got beat from the slot on an in-breaking route and then missed the tackle, allowing the Broncos to convert another third down with a big play.

TE Tyler Davis: His 13 snaps were an unrelenting disaster of run-blocking. By our count, he missed or failed on five different run-blocking snaps, and he also drew a holding penalty. His in-line snaps were especially poor.

QB Sean Clifford: The backup quarterback fumbled the opening snap, missed a downfield throw to Malik Heath, threw an interception in opponent’s territory, held the ball and took a sack on third down, and didn’t operate well under pressure. Overall, Clifford was 0-for-3 on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield.

OL Royce Newman: He played all 59 snaps, a good sign he’s on the roster bubble. Newman gave up a pressure on third down on the first series and another pressure on the second series resulting in a sack. He also got blown up on a screen to Emanuel Wilson and provided no push on a failed fourth down run. This was a typical game from Newman: mostly good in pass protection, with a few glaring mishaps and little accomplished in the run game.

K Greg Joseph: The veteran kicker got the first and only kick and blew the opportunity, sailing his 47-yard attempt wide right. In Denver, a 47-yard kick isn’t difficult. Joseph’s attempt never had a chance.

DE Lukas Van Ness: The 2023 first-round pick got 12 pass-rushing reps against the Broncos starting offensive line and accomplished little. Veteran left tackle Garrett Boiles quietly handled all the power moves Van Ness attempted.