The Green Bay Packers labored through a disappointing effort Thursday night in Baltimore against the Ravens, who extended their preseason winning streak to 15 games with a 26-13 victory over Matt LaFleur’s team at M&T Bank Stadium.
Here are a few takeaways from the defeat:
No takeaway is the only takeaway
Sure, the Packers missed a bunch more tackles, committed more penalties and generally played another sloppy all-around football game, but it’s almost impossible to take away anything of significance from the team’s first two preseason games. Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t played, and a scheme-heavy defense did nothing out of the ordinary over what amounted to two drives with the starters on the field. Many of the guys making the biggest mistakes aren’t going to be on the team come Sept. 5. If there’s a concerning takeaway, it’s that Matt LaFleur’s team was the far less physical squad on the field Thursday night.
Four WRs fighting for one spot?
The Packers’ receiver competition is shaping up to be a four-player race for one spot, and two of the four competitors flashed Thursday night. Allen Lazard caught three passes for a team-high 63 yards, with two of his catches setting up the Packers’ only touchdown. He’s a huge target at 6-5. His opposite is the 5-11 Darrius Shepherd, who produced a 37-yard kickoff return and his second touchdown catch of the preseason on a second-reaction play in the second half. The rookie would be a very difficult player to cut at this point, especially given how comfortable he is as a returner. Two other relevant points in this discussion: Trevor Davis desperately needs to get healthy, and it’s getting harder and harder to see the path to a roster spot for J’Mon Moore. After two preseason games, Shepherd is probably (and rightfully) ahead of the other three listed here.
Bolton balls out
There’s a good chance Curtis Bolton solidified his spot on the Packers’ 53-man roster Thursday night. He played fast on defense, caught a deflected pass for an interception and made two strong tackles on special teams. Meanwhile, Ty Summers missed at least four or five more tackles. Bolton just looks like a more natural fit to replace Oren Burks. He moves much better in space and has been a far more reliable tackler. Having Bolton start next to Blake Martinez in Week 1 wouldn’t be ideal, but he looks like he can play.
Kumerow’s case
The Packers look settled with the three receivers (Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison) at the top of their depth chart, but Jake Kumerow is making a legitimate case for playing time. He got open four times in the first half, catching three for first downs with one drop. One of the completions came against the coverage of Ravens starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Kumerow got him completely turned around before hauling in a pass uncontested along the sideline. He also won cleanly three times on in-breaking routes. All five of his catches this preseason have gained first downs. Kumerow is a fun story, but he’s also a legitimately good player. He should be firmly situated as the No. 4 receiver.
The Quiet Place
Every snap Rashan Gary plays during the preseason is going to get overanalyzed. That’s just life for an elite athlete and a top draft pick. Still, Thursday night in Baltimore will be a forgettable one for the rookie. There are times when it appears he has no plan for attacking the offensive tackle. Other times, he just doesn’t have the bend to turn the corner. On one snap in the third quarter, Gary beat a chip block and blew past the offensive tackle, but he couldn’t turn 90 degrees and instead ran past the quarterback. Later, he was decisively fooled on a quarterback keeper. It took Gary two or three seconds to realize the running back didn’t have the football. He played a lot of snaps during the second and third quarter and did next to nothing.
Scott shines
Looking for a bright spot? Go back and rewatch JK Scott’s night punting the football. He hit a bunch of moonshots. The second-year punter averaged almost 53 yards per punt over six punts, with a long of 64. And he didn’t just hit them long, he hit them high and long, with terrific hangtime. Scott has been good during each of the preseason games to start 2019.
Tough calls on Jenkins
It’s tough to say definitively without seeing the end zone angle, but both holding calls on rookie Elgton Jenkins looked soft, at best. On the first, Jenkins easily moved his man off the line but possibly held the block a second too long. The running back was already past him. Later, Jenkins appeared to simply make a terrific block from the center position to spring Dexter Wiliams. If that’s holding, they can throw the flag every play. Matt LaFleur wasn’t happy about either call.
What to make of Josh Jones?
Jones didn’t play again Thursday night. He’s now missed both preseason games. Last Thursday night, he had an unspecified injury. It’s unclear why he missed the game in Baltimore, although he did sit out Tuesday’s practice with an illness. Are the Packers protecting him from injury? Jones isn’t doing himself any favors in terms of making the roster. He’s no better than the fourth safety on the depth chart. A fringe roster player missing preseason games usually suggests a divorce is forthcoming.
