CLEVELAND – The Packers controlled much of the action and defeated the Browns, 23-10, on Saturday in the preseason opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Here are five takeaways from the victory:
- The No. 1 offense wasted no time.
Three plays, touchdown. That's all Jordan Love & Co. needed, as Love hit receiver Dontayvion Wicks for a 65-yard touchdown on the third snap of the game, ending the first-team offense's day early.
"We had a great play dialed up for that situation, one-on-one with Wicks in the slot, the safety was a little off him," Love said. "He lulled him to the sleep at the top (of the route) and was able to run past him."
Neither Love nor Head Coach Matt LaFleur was disappointed the first team's day didn't last any longer.
"No, I'm happy with it," Love said. "Ending with a touchdown, that was the goal."
LaFleur said the objective was to focus on the mental preparation to play a game, and then just "get their feet wet a little bit and knock some rust off … work on that pregame routine so it's not the first time they're doing it when we play Philly in Brazil."
He added he doesn't anticipate the starters playing in next week's preseason game at Denver, instead using the joint practice with the Broncos for the first-team reps and turning the game over to the younger players.
As for the starting defense, which had a couple of players sitting out, it allowed a short drive for a long field goal early in the game, and that was about it.
- The No. 2 offense got rolling after a slow start.
One possession ended with three straight run stops beginning with a second-and-1, but after that, backup QB Sean Clifford got that unit moving and put together three scoring drives (one TD, two FGs) spanning halftime. Running back Emanuel Wilson capped off the best drive (13 plays, 77 yards) with a 5-yard TD run.
Clifford finished 10-of-19 for 111 yards, including an effective 58-second drive to end the first half with a field goal. He hit receiver Grant DuBose along the boundary to convert a key third down, and then threw intentional incompletions to kill the clock and leave the field goal for the final snap of the half.
"I thought the two-minute operation was big time," LaFleur said. "Overall, just his command, his presence, the communication, the urgency in and out of the huddle, I thought was pretty clean."
Added Love: "I definitely think he was able to get in that groove. He started seeing what the defense was doing.
"He's a baller man. He turns it on when it's game time. Great job by him."
- Wilson and DuBose were a big part of the offensive production.
Wilson was a preseason star last summer and looked like it again, carrying 13 times for 67 yards and the TD, including a 23-yard run when he broke free. He got a little more work than expected because rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd left the game early in the third quarter with a hamstring injury.
"He was running hard," LaFleur said of Wilson, the second-year undrafted prospect out of Fort Valley State. "He lowered his pads, was able to stick his foot in the ground and get outside.
"We all know the speed he has. He's got real speed. The challenge to him pregame was to keep his feet running on contact and run through people, and I thought that happened."
Meanwhile DuBose, a seventh-round draft pick last year who dealt with injuries in camp and spent his rookie year on the practice squad, was Clifford's go-to guy in the passing game with five catches on six targets for 66 yards. The third-and-9 conversion on the no-huddle series at the end of the half was good for 23 yards, with a nifty toe drag to stay in bounds.
In an open battle for the No. 5 receiver spot, DuBose took a significant step forward, and showed up as a blocker as well.
"It's not surprising," Love said. "Since we started camp, Grant's been making plays every day, knowing what he needs to do with his assignments …
"He's been doing it all camp. Definitely look forward to seeing more from him."
LaFleur acknowledged DuBose was disappointed to not make the 53-man roster last year and is channeling his energy into a strong response in Year 2.
"He shows up every day and competes hard," he said. "The DBs know that they're going to feel him, whether it's a run play, pass play. They're going to get his best effort on every play."
- The reserve defensive units rose up in some key moments.
Cornerback Robert Rochell effectively defended a fourth-down pass from the Green Bay 23-yard line to thwart a drive, defensive lineman Colby Wooden got a third-down sack late in the first half, rookie safety Evan Williams forced a fumble on the first play of the second half (recovered by linebacker Kristian Welch), and defensive lineman Arron Mosby batted away a fourth-down pass at the Green Bay 11 early in the fourth quarter.
On balance, there was a lot to like from the debut of new coordinator Jeff Hafley's defense.
"I thought guys competed hard," LaFleur said. "It was not like an overly complicated game plan. Hafley had a very minimal call sheet, and that was by design. We just wanted to see our guys go out compete, play fast, play physical, run to the football."
Williams was the statistical leader with six solo tackles and showed the plays he's been making on the practice field were no aberration.
- The kickers had a productive night.
Anders Carlson made field goals from 46 and 33 yards out. Greg Joseph made one from 35. Each made an extra point, and their kickoffs all fell between the 10-yard line and the goal line (or one yard deep) as the Packers repped the modified kickoff in a game for the first time.
Unfortunately, the Packers didn't get to practice their kickoff return with the new setup, as the Browns kicked two touchbacks.
