The Packers fell to the San Francisco 49ers 28-21 in their first preseason game. While any time a team takes the field, they want to win the result is not what’s important. In the preseason, coaches want to see what their team has and what certain players do in a game situation. The Packers first preseason game was full of highs and lows.
The Highs
Romeo Doubs and Amari Rodgers touchdowns. Doubs beat his man deep on a 4th and 3 and caught a beautiful ball from Jordan Love for a 33 yard touchdown pass. The big question was whether Doubs could perform in a game and it looks like the answer is yes. Doubs was targeted often throughout the first half but the touchdown was the big highlight. Amari Rodgers had a great second half touchdown where he caught a short pass and turned it into a 20 yard touchdown. The dive at the end of the run for the pylon while barely keeping his foot in bounds was a thing of beauty. It is great to see Amari Rodgers make plays and the hope is he can continue making plays throughout the season. This is what the coaches wanted to see out of the receivers in the Packers first preseason game.
The Lows
The drops by the receivers were bad. Two drops led to interceptions. While they will show up on Love’s stat sheet, they weren’t his fault at all. Other drops were less harmful but still caused drives to stall. The offensive line also looked very shaky. While many units had all of their starters resting, the offensive line we saw tonight could be the one that the Packers bring out week 1. They did okay but looked very shaky. There were a couple of 3rd and short situations where the offensive line got no push and it forced a 4th down try. It will be interesting to see whether the coaching staff makes any changes on the offensive line for the next preseason game.
Jordan Love’s Performance
Love’s performance was full of highs and lows. The 33 yard touchdown pass to Doubs was a thing of beauty. However, 2 plays before he had Doubs on the exact same route and threw it too long. He looked decisive and confident in this throws. However, he would sometimes make the wrong read and try to fit a ball where there was no window. Overall he was fine. Some good. Some bad. The good news is that he has progressed. This Jordan Love looks better than the one we saw last season. Jordan Love doesn’t need to start this season so all Packers fans were looking for in the first preseason game was progress.
There’s no need to overreact to one game especially in the preseason. The Packers first preseason game highlighted where the team needs to improve. It will be interesting to see the adjustments during practice this week. For now, Packers fans can celebrate the highs and hope for the lows to get better.