OAKLAND, Calif. – The Packers' reserve units on offense had enjoyed a lot of production through the first two preseason games, but that trend shifted on Friday night.
A slew of penalties and sacks made for a long night for the Packers, as they dropped a 13-6 preseason decision to the Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
"We came out as a football team wanting to do some things offensively and we didn't accomplish that," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said shortly after his team fell to 2-1 in the preseason. "Penalties were the theme of the evening. It was a sloppy game."
The Packers rested their entire starting offensive unit, yet things started out fine. Brett Hundley connected a couple of times with Geronimo Allison on the opening drive, and Ty Montgomery broke off an 11-yard run before leaving with a foot injury that McCarthy said was not serious.
The drive led to a field goal but was marred by missed opportunities. Two plays after tight end Lance Kendricks dropped a touchdown pass, the Packers wanted to go for it on fourth-and-3 in the red zone, but right guard Byron Bell false-started.
From there, Green Bay's backup offensive line never really got going. Right tackle Kyle Murphy wasn't the only one with a rough night, but his one-on-one struggles in pass protection stood out.
In general, there wasn't much to be found on the ground, while Hundley and Kizer were sacked a combined five times for 43 lost yards. The two QBs, who each played a half, combined to go 19-of-37 for 198 yards.
A total of 13 penalties for 110 yards were marked off against Green Bay as well, most of them against the offense, as the unit produced only three more points after the opening drive.
"We were in second-and-long, just way too many long down-and-distances and didn't overcome it very much," McCarthy said.
"It was clearly not a very good evening for us up front."
Green Bay's other field goal, which gave the Packers a 6-3 lead in the second half, was set up by a Raiders fumble in plus territory.
Safety Raven Greene forced Oakland QB E.J. Manuel to cough it up and linebacker Greer Martini recovered, but the offense didn't fully capitalize, as a successful fourth-and-goal TD run of 3 yards was wiped out by two penalties on lineman Dillon Day.
The Packers' No. 1 defense under new coordinator Mike Pettine played a couple of series and allowed just a field goal. After rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander was outjumped by receiver Amari Cooper for a 49-yard gain on the first snap of the game, the defense ultimately held on goal-to-go.
Reggie Gilbert's third-down sack and forced fumble, recovered by Raiders QB Derek Carr, thwarted Oakland's first drive.
"Third game in the system, the communication looked to be real clean between Mike and his assistants," McCarthy said. "We still have some substitution things to work on."
The first unit played without rookie linebacker Oren Burks, the third-round pick from Vanderbilt, who was injured during pregame drills. McCarthy did not have an update on the injury and said he'd continue to be evaluated.
Another rookie draft pick, fourth-round receiver J'Mon Moore from Missouri, turned in his best preseason performance to date after dropping some passes in earlier contests.
Moore led all pass catchers with four receptions for 62 yards, including a tough, 27-yard grab deep down the sideline from Kizer with the Packers playing from behind in the fourth quarter. Moore took a big hit, which was penalized, and still held onto the ball.
"He played really well tonight," McCarthy said of Moore. "He did a good job of route running and releases, and he finished it on the back end. He had some excellent catches and definitely took a step as a young player."
That final threat fizzled just shy of the red zone as Kizer was sacked on fourth down.
The defense didn't escape the penalty bug, either, as two flags aided Oakland's go-ahead TD drive in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 6.
A roughing-the-passer call on rookie defensive lineman James Looney and a pass interference in the end zone on cornerback Lenzy Pipkins accounted for 23 of Oakland's 68 yards on the scoring drive that decided the outcome.
A defensive penalty also wiped out what would have been rookie corner Josh Jackson's second pick-six in as many games. He made a great play by stealing the ball from receiver Seth Roberts along the sideline and taking it back for the score, but it didn't count.
Fellow rookie corner Jaire Alexander's first interception did count, though, and took points away from the Raiders. Early in the second quarter, he reached up and snagged a middle seam pass intended for Dwayne Harris inside the Green Bay 10-yard line.
"They kept the point total down and did a good job getting off the field," McCarthy said of the early defensive effort.
