On Thursday night the Green Bay Packers started their 2015 preseason with a convincing win over the New England Patriots. After a shaky start, and being down at halftime, they rallied and scored thirteen points in the second half while blanking the Patriots.
Nearly everyone on the roster got some play time, and there were some pleasant surprises but also a couple of disappointments. Here are five negative takeaways from the Green Bay Packers preseason opener win over the Patriots.
The Defensive Breakdown on Jonas Grey’s Touchdown Run
While the offense played well throughout this game, it was actually the Packers defense stole the show, especially in the second half. There is of course one major exception and that was Jonas Grey’s 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. He exploited a large gap on a rush to the outside, Ha Ha Clinton Dix not only missed the tackle but also failed to contain, allowing Grey to the outside for an easy jog into the end zone. It was one play, but it was a costly one. The Patriots do this for a living too, and the blocks were where they had to be. Not to fret however, it is one game, and preseason. Clinton-Dix is young but also a hard worker and a smart player, he’ll learn and such mistakes will be decreased and eliminated over time.
A Few Costly Incompletions
Throughout the game, the Packers four quarterbacks combined for 27 passes competed out of 43. This a completion ratio of 62.8%, which is better than many quarterbacks will achieve in the regular season. With that said, a few of those incompletions were well thrown balls, to receivers who could have made the catch. Early on, Davante Adams let a pass go that hit him in the hands and would have been a touchdown.
Ty Montgomery made a beautiful catch that would have been a first down but he failed to keep his feet inside the boundaries (it was nearly impossible given two Patriot defensive backs on him). There were others, but overall, the offense looked composed and were effective, despite some minor hiccups.
First String Offense Couldn’t Finish in the Red Zone
For much of the first quarter, fans were treated to a full set of offensive starters. Much of the first two drives consisted of play reminiscent of last year. Davante Adams, Andrew Quarless, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were recipients of solid passes from Aaron Rodgers, while Eddie Lacy and James Starks provided a consistent rushing attack (along with Starks leading the team in receiving with three catches for 38 yards).
Twice they seemed to be on a roll to the endzone but sputtered and couldn’t complete drives. This is probably the most serious problem the team has had, and it is a troubling reminder of the first quarter of that NFC Championship game about which nobody wishes to talk. Rectifying this red zone situation should surely be around the top of coach Mike McCarthy’s “to do” list for the remainder of training camp.
It should be noted that Scott Tolzien let a picture perfect pass fly to Jeff Janis from just outside of the red zone for a score in the second quarter and Brett Hundley tossed a touchdown pass to John Crockett in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
Thank God for Elusive Quarterbacks
The offensive line gave up four sacks, which is neither a terrible number nor a great one. Sack numbers are generally higher in preseason, and with a tip of the cap to the Packers defense, they sacked Jimmy Garoppolo seven times.
With that said, Brett Hundley, Scott Tolzien and Aaron Rodgers all extended a couple of plays after offensive line breakdowns. David Bakhtiari and Don Barclay both allowed rushers past more than once but those are affordable, correctable mistakes in the first game of the preseason. In short, the number of sacks allowed could have been far higher if it were not for heads up quarterback play.
Poor Play in Short Yardage
The Packers weren’t terrible on fourth down, but 2/5 on conversions isn’t a high enough number to be happy. Still 40% is better than a kick in the teeth. Where they looked particularly uncomfortable however, was on those two point conversion failures. Twice they went for a pass, and twice the offensive line broke down and nobody got open.
It’s a small problem, and admittedly I struggled to come up with a fifth negative point to take away from the game. They played well overall, but some important parts of the game need improvement. That’s why the preseason and training camp exist.
