CLEVELAND – Matt LaFleur issued the challenge pregame, and Emanuel Wilson had no intention of disappointing his head coach.
After LaFleur told Wilson the importance of running his feet on contact, the Packers' second-year running back did precisely that on his 5-yard touchdown to finish a critical second-quarter series during Saturday's 23-10 preseason win over Cleveland.
Running behind the second-team offensive line, Wilson piled up 67 yards on 13 carries to power a big afternoon for Green Bay's ground game. The Packers' 155 rushing yards nearly tripled that of the Browns, who mustered just 56 yards on 21 attempts (2.7 ypc).
"I felt like I kept my feet going," Wilson said. "(LaFleur said) keep your feet going. I did what he told me to do. … My blockers, they set everything up for me and I just executed on all the plays when I got my opportunities."
The instructions clearly worked considering the Packers scored on all three series in which Wilson carried the ball, beginning with his seven rushes for 36 yards on the 13-play, 77-yard drive that culminated in his 5-yard TD that extended Green Bay's lead to 14-3 at the time.
Wilson wasn't done, though. After the methodical second-quarter series, the former undrafted free agent broke a 23-yard run in the third quarter to key an eight-play, 50-yard scoring drive that ended with a 33-yard Anders Carlson field goal.
The production was especially welcomed after rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd was sidelined with a hamstring injury he sustained early in the third quarter.
"(Wilson's) a good back, man," said Sean Rhyan, who played both center and right guard against Cleveland. "He was following me down there for a little bit, down there in the end zone. … Shoot, I think all of (our backs) – like our team is right now – just keep trending up."
Undrafted rookie Jarveon Howard finished what Wilson started, carrying the ball eight times for 44 yards in the fourth quarter to help run out the clock on the preseason victory.
Last preseason, Wilson made a huge first impression in Ohio when he broke an 80-yard touchdown in the Packers' opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. A few weeks later, he made the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.
While Saturday was a more workmanlike performance, the 5-foot-10, 226-pound running back continues to get noticed.
"I'm just being me. That's all it is," Wilson said. "They let me play free. Just playing ball."
Wicks and DuBose spark pass game: The Packers' first-team offense wanted a short, productive night and Dontayvion Wicks made it happen.
On just the third play for the No. 1 offense, the second-year receiver found himself matched against Browns safety Ronnie Hickman in man coverage on third-and-5.
With Wicks gaining a step on Hickman, quarterback Jordan Love put a perfectly placed ball on his second-year receiver and Wicks used the separation to extend the play into a 65-yard touchdown.
"I seen the coverage and I knew it was man," Wicks said. "It feels good, man. That's what we wanted to do. That's what we talked about all week – starting fast. That's what we came out and did. Coaches called the play, trusted us and we got it done."
The early exit for Wicks and the Packers' top receivers afforded more snaps to former seventh-round pick Grant DuBose, who led Green Bay with five catches for a game-high 66 yards.
Many of those receptions had huge implications, too, including his 13-yard catch off an out route on fourth-and-3 to extend the second-quarter drive that ended with Wilson's TD run.
With only 16 seconds left until halftime, DuBose made a toe-dragging catch for a 23-yard completion on third-and-9 to set up a 46-yard field goal by Carlson.
"Anytime we take the field, it's important," DuBose said. "It's an interview. It's preseason. You just gotta treat it as such. Anytime you can go out there and put some good things on film and help your team win, it's always important. I took that to heart."
Evan Williams makes yet another play: After pulling down four interceptions through the first 13 practices, the rookie fourth-round pick showed he can force fumbles, too.
Williams punched the ball from the arms Browns running back John Kelly on the first play of the second half, which Packers linebacker Kristian Welch recovered at the Cleveland 38.
Green Bay used the field position to bang through a 35-yard Greg Joseph field goal to push the Packers' lead to 20-3.
"We just talked about the importance of getting the ball back in the locker room," said Williams, who led the Packers with six tackles. "I just saw a clear path and thought, 'OK, I'll probably be the one making this play.' I put my shoulder in a good spot. I think my arm-and-shoulder kinda combo was able to knock it out. I saw the ball come out. I tried to leap on it but saw another green jersey on it and celebrated with the guys."
Good night for the defense: While the Packers weren't doing anything too exotic, it was a good first showing for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's unit. The Packers held the Browns to just 244 total yards while stopping Cleveland twice to turn the ball over on downs.
Defensive linemen Lukas Van Ness, Colby Wooden and Spencer Waege each had sacks, with Van Ness contributing three of Green Bay's four tackles for loss.
"I think we did really well. Stopped the run at an efficient rate, for sure," Williams said. "We knew that's typically what they're gonna do in the preseason game is keep it simple, pound the rock, especially a team like Cleveland. There's still a couple things we could fix up, obviously. We were pretty basic in what we were doing but definitely just harp on the techniques and try to get a little better next time."
And we're off: The Packers' special teams got their first taste of the new kickoff, with Cleveland returning all five of Green Bay's attempts for 122 yards (24.4 ypr).
Conversely, Wilson returned just one kickoff while taking two touchbacks to the 30-yard line.
"It was different. It happened so fast," safety Zayne Anderson said. "As soon as they catch it, you have to make a decision and the guy's up on you. Normally, you have some time to work your guy and stuff but it happened so fast now. It was fun getting some live action. You can't simulate that in practice either, how fast that is and guys trying to block you. It was good."
