The Green Bay Packers were crushed 27-2 by the Denver Broncos in Sunday night’s preseason game. The result was undoubtedly less important to coach Matt LaFleur than the performance of his backup quarterbacks and offensive tackles.
Since Jordan Love and almost all of the team’s regular players had the night off, Sean Clifford started at quarterback. On the first play of the game, he and Sean Rhyan botched the switch between center and quarterback.
Clifford recovered and avoided a disaster on the first play, but struggled against Denver’s starting defense. Then again, everyone struggled against Denver’s starting defense. But when it was backup against backup late in the first half, Clifford threw an interception that gave the Broncos a touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
When the offense returned to the field with 30 seconds left in the half, LaFleur replaced Clifford with rookie Michael Pratt.
Pratt didn’t fare any better. Midway through the third quarter, rookie right tackle Travis Glover was mauled by third-year defensive end Nik Bonitto. Pratt tried to escape, but was sacked and stripped by Jonah Elliss.
Clifford completed 6 of 10 passes for 43 yards and one interception for a passer rating of 30.4. Pratt completed 10 of 18 passes for 52 yards and a passer rating of 67.7. Neither quarterback was adequately protected by the backup players.
The Packers’ training camp will conclude with a practice on Tuesday, a joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday and the final preseason game against the Ravens at Lambeau Field on Saturday.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst will reduce the roster to 53 players next Tuesday.
Zach Morton provided the first real highlight of the evening. Towards the end of the third quarter, Morton lined up as right defensive end and ran through the middle. Broncos lineman Will Sherman didn’t notice Morton until Morton’s No. 60 was on quarterback Zach Wilson for a safety.
Morton was signed in the middle of training camp and is ranked fifth in the Defensive End Depth Chart.
Who is Zach Morton? (Aside from the star of the game)https://t.co/2YKSKzIUCM
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) 19 August 2024
Trailing 20-2, the Packers mounted a solid attack after the free kick. Pratt completed two passes for first downs and Emanuel Wilson picked up another. But the attack stalled after a holding penalty on Lecitus Smith and Greg Joseph missed a 47-yard field goal.
As LaFleur promised, the Packers relied on their young reserve players. In fact, two dozen starters and key reserve players had the night off.
On offense, every member of the starting offensive line was allowed to watch from the sidelines. On defense, the only starters who played were veteran linebacker Eric Wilson and rookie safety Javon Bullard.
The Broncos fielded their regular players, so the game was not entirely harmonious.
On offense, the Green Bay Packers had three first downs in the first three series. It was not until their fourth possession that they managed a third down conversion.
LaFleur would not use the duels between starters and substitutes as an excuse.
“The bottom line was it wasn’t good enough,” LaFleur said during his halftime interview. “We had a lot of misses across the board. We had some quality plays. We threw a pick against a quality look. We’ve got to do a better job in the second half.”
Defensively, the Broncos managed nine field goals and 11 touchdowns, with rookie Bo Nix completing 8 of 9 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown to lead the No. 1 offense for two series. Despite being starters versus backups, the depth of the Packers’ defensive line was underwhelming. Lukas Van Ness was under pressure, but that was about it.
“We had some situations where we couldn’t get off the turf,” LaFleur said. “We just broke a lot of simple things, a lot of things that were installed on day one. It’s disappointing.”
Still, the score was 10-0 late in the first half when the Packers finally crossed the halfway line. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Clifford tight end Joel Wilson ran too far on a lateral route and was intercepted by Keidron Smith, whose 56-yard return gave the Broncos a lead at the 14-yard line. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham evaded tackles from Brenton Cox and Ralen Gorforth to score a 9-yard touchdown.
The half ended with Clifford on the bench and Pratt in the game.
Early in the third quarter, Packers defensive end Arron Mosby charged at quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Stidham turned and quickly threw to his left, but the ball was deflected by James Ester and intercepted by linebacker Kristian Welch at Denver’s 46-yard line.
The Packers also missed the chance. On fourth and 1, Pratt’s fastball was a little too high and a little too far behind receiver Grant DuBose. The ball went through DuBose’s hands – the Packers will probably count it as a drop – and the Broncos took control on downs.
More news from the Green Bay Packers training camp
After charging the batteries and applying a little WD-40 to eliminate an annoying squeaking noise, #Packer Lock-O-Meter 2024 has 36 roster locks.
Here’s a look at the team’s 91-man roster ahead of tonight’s game.https://t.co/ybXYuvIkua
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) 18 August 2024
Packers – Broncos: Live updates | Roster Lock-O-Meter before the game | How to watch the game on Sunday | Practice highlights | Jordan Love involved in brawl | Four players who need a good weekend | Quarterbacks are the focus
Latest news and analysis: Bo Melton hopes for promotion | Jalen Wayne’s famous cousin | The biggest squad battles | Grant DuBose plays with the right attitude | The Packers’ new linebacker, Chris Russell | New Packers running back Nate McCrary | Quarterback battle | 53-man squad projection (Westendorf) | Waiting game: Love vs. Williams | No. 1 Recipient and vomit | 53-man projection (Huber)
Highlights of the training camp: Joint training against Broncos | Exercise 15 | Exercise 14 | Exercise 13 | Exercise 12 | Exercise 11 | Family night | Exercise 9 | Exercise 8 | Exercise 7 | Exercise 6 | Exercise 5 | Exercise 4 | Exercise 3 | Exercise 2 | Exercise 1
