GREEN BAY – The Packers' reserve units handled Baltimore's in a 30-7 victory in the preseason finale Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Here are five takeaways as the preseason has wrapped up and roster decisions loom on Tuesday:
- There's no clear winner in the kicking competition.
Both Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph had their ups and downs over the past month, and both made a big kick Saturday from 50-plus yards. Carlson was good from 54, barely clearing the crossbar, and Joseph from 55 with plenty to spare.
Joseph also hit from 36 yards out, but late in the game Carlson missed wide right from the left hash from just 32, leaving a lot of uncertainty as to what direction the Packers will go.
"That's not even a question for me," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said, deferring to General Manager Brian Gutekunst, though LaFleur did not rule out scouring the waiver wire to see who's out there. "We've got a really good sample size, and then we'll see what happens just around the league.
"Certainly there were some good moments … and then there's a poor moment there where we missed a chip shot. Lotta good, some we know we can be better at, and we'll wait and see."
- Same goes for backup quarterback.
Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt rotated every two possessions and each threw a TD pass – Clifford to Malik Heath over the middle, and Pratt on a nice corner fade that Bo Melton leaped up to snag. Both TDs bode well for Heath and Melton as strong finishes.
But Clifford (6-of-14, 53 yards) completed less than half his passes, though he was under duress on several throws. Meanwhile Pratt (8-of-12, 80 yards) threw a bad interception in scoring territory, drilling a quick throw into the midsection of linebacker Trenton Simpson, and then compounding the mistake by running up to tackle Simpson and getting the wind knocked out of him.
Again, LaFleur did not rule out looking outside for another quarterback who gets released by another team.
"We'll see," LaFleur said. "It's similar to the kicking competition in terms of there were some really good moments, and then there were some things we absolutely have to do better, and then we'll evaluate everything that's out there for us.
"I thought they competed hard. There's a couple throws you always want to have back."
- A few bubble players on defense did their best to state a case for a roster spot.
Edge rusher Arron Mosby, who spent last season on Green Bay's practice squad, was responsible for two of the defense's four turnovers.
He came unblocked to force a strip-sack of QB Devin Leary, which teammate Anthony Johnson Jr. scooped up and returned for a touchdown. Then on Baltimore's next possession, he dropped into coverage and intercepted Leary.
LaFleur referred to Mosby's forced fumble as a "physical play," which was reflective of how Green Bay's defense as a whole played throughout the game.
Linebacker Kristian Welch also had an interception, baiting Leary into a throw that Welch deflected to himself, reaching out to snare it for a pick.
"He's just a smart, tough, physical player," LaFleur said of Welch, who was a regular on special teams for the Packers a year ago. He's had a takeaway in each of the three preseason games this month.
Welch tied for the team-high with five tackles, a mark also reached by rookie cornerback Kalen King, who forced a fumble after a short reception for the defense's fourth takeaway. It was another example of the physical, attacking mentality the coaches have been preaching on that side of the ball.
- Physicality was evident in the way the offense ran the ball as well.
The Packers piled up 193 rushing yards on 39 attempts, a healthy 4.9 yards per carry, as running backs Emanuel Wilson (11-52), Ellis Merriweather (16-74) and Nate McCrary (11-64) consistently produced.
"All those runners ran extremely hard," LaFleur said. "There was much less hesitation in their play and they finished runs, and that's one of the challenges that we gave to these guys, is finish with low pad level, finish moving forward."
Wilson appears to be the leader of those three based on his experience and the order of game reps, which could result in him being called on behind starter Josh Jacobs sooner than later. Both AJ Dillon (stinger) and rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) are currently sidelined.
LaFleur said it's "TBD" whether Dillon or Lloyd will be available Week 1.
- No definitive answers were given on the starting jobs that were open.
The Packers didn't play any starters, or players legitimately competing for starting jobs, in this game. So whether the coaches have settled on rookie Javon Bullard or fellow rookie Evan Williams to start at safety next to veteran Xavier McKinney remains to be seen.
Right guard remains undecided as well, though for different reasons. Rookie first-round draft pick Jordan Morgan, who appeared to have moved ahead of Sean Rhyan in the competition, injured his shoulder prior to the first preseason game and has yet to return to 11-on-11 action. He didn't play in any preseason contests.
Meanwhile Rhyan made strides as camp went along, putting himself in position to start in Week 1 against the Eagles, but not necessarily by default. LaFleur also didn't dismiss the idea of rotating the two players, which the Packers did last year at right guard with Rhyan and Jon Runyan, saying there's plenty up for discussion.
"Sean Rhyan's done an outstanding job," said LaFleur, noting how his conditioning and stamina have improved. "So again, another difficult decision. Luckily we've got some time. We'll have at least five more practices before we play Philly."
