Paul Bretl | 8/19/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The good thing for the Packers following their 27-2 loss to the Broncos is that wins and losses in the preseason do not matter. What does matter, however, is how they respond to what has a humbling four days in Denver.
It wasn’t only in the preseason game where the Packers were pushed around, but the starters in Friday’s joint practice took their share of lumps as well.
“That was a long night,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “Certainly, I think I was hoping our guys would come out with more strain, effort, grit after kinda getting humbled the other day in practice.
“And then to have it happen again (is) not where you want to be. I think it’s a good lesson for our guys in terms of, it doesn’t matter who’s out there. If you don’t put your best foot forward each and every time you go out on that field, these things happen to you. We’re going to have to regroup, take a long, hard look in the mirror. We’ve got to get better. We need that urgency from everybody.”
In addition to putting up only two points, which were obviously scored by the Packers’ defense, the offense totaled just 168 yards and averaged an abysmal 3.1 yards per play. The Packers also turned the ball over twice and picked up only 10 first downs.
With 31 players not suiting up, the Packers second and third string players had the challenge of going against the Broncos starters on both sides of the ball for a large portion of the first half. That talent gap was then magnified by the team’s inability to capitalize on advantageous situations that they found themselves in.
That is where the frustration for LaFleur lies. As we’ve heard LaFleur discuss previously, particularly during this time of the year, it’s not all about the results, but rather the process, with the thought being that consistently executing the process will lead to the right results.
So regardless of what unit is on the field, executing on the “simple” things needs to happen, especially when those opportunities present themselves. At halftime of Sunday night’s game, LaFleur mentioned that a lot of “simple things” and “Day 1 installs” were being busted. Even in going against Denver’s starters, the Packers had premiere plays–or ideal looks based on their play-call–that they were unable to execute on.
“It was great to see a lot of our younger players go up against NFL starters,” said LaFleur. “I thought there was more resiliency and fight in the second half, especially defensively there were some good moments. Certainly getting that interception, a safety, there was a couple I want to say three-and-outs. I think the defense was in some tough situations with some of those sudden changes, where the field position was flipped and we were backed up.
“But all in all, offensively, just want to see more fight from our guys. That was frustrating, just the lack of ability to move the football, both in the running game and in the passing game. We’ve definitely just got to re-evaluate and take a long, hard look at everybody.”
Those issues on offense started with underwhelming play from the Packers’ backup quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. Combined the duo would complete 16-of-26 passes for 80 yards with one interception that was thrown by Clifford. Their collective quarterback rating was just 52.6.
Clifford has been turnover-prone throughout training camp and has battled consistency issues. Oftentimes when we’ve seen him throw interceptions, Clifford’s timing is off–which isn’t uncommon for quarterbacks–and his rhythm is disrupted. Or he’s just trying to do too much. With the offensive line struggling against Denver, Clifford was rarely able to find a rhythm. A good example of when he did was on that out route to Malik Heath when the offense was backed up in it’s own territory.
Then on his interception, that was a throw that never should have been made and seemed desperate at the end of the half with Clifford wanting to make something happen. We’ve often heard LaFleur mention Clifford’s bounce-back ability, but in terms of generating big plays, that hasn’t been the case this training camp–only an overwhelming number of negative plays.
“Definitely humbled today,” said Clifford after the game. “Just did not make plays when they were there, just a lot of opportunities missed today. (I’ve) got to be better. I pride myself on making those plays, especially in critical moments, third downs, and just wasn’t able to convert. So lots to work on.”
Overall, Pratt was inaccurate and it looked like things were moving a bit quickly for him. While he has certainly made strides since arriving in Green Bay, whether it’s LaFleur, Adam Stenvaich, or Tom Clements who is asked about Pratt, they all mention that the learning curve he is navigating right now is quite steep, and we were watching those growing pains in real time.
While all the attention will be on the play of Clifford and Pratt, it’s not as if everything around them was perfect either. The offensive line really struggled, resulting in pressures and an inability to get the run game going, which put the offense behind the sticks and in predictable passing situations.
“I think the production kinda speaks for it, but I think it wasn’t just on them,” said LaFleur on the play of Clifford and Pratt. “It’s everybody. It’s all 11. We’ve got to block better up front, we’ve got to finish runs better, we had a couple drops. So I think it’s just collectively all 11 have got to be better in order for us to have any success offensively.”
Even for the best teams in the NFL, adversity is going to strike over the course of a season–that’s just how it goes. So the odds are this won’t be the first time the Packers hit a wall in 2024.
However, there’s also no need to hit the panic button either—I repeat, the Packers were without 31 starters. If I’m able to glass-half-full guy, going through some humbling experiences, particularly during the preseason and in practices, can end up being a net positive, even if in the moment it’s tough to handle.
Without question, this is a team with high expectations this season with the focus being on getting to and winning a Super Bowl. But it’s these moments during Friday’s joint practice and Sunday’s preseason game that can serve as a reminder that if the Packers want to accomplish their big goal this season, it begins with the little daily tasks and executing the processes correctly. Then you’re at least in a position for everything else to have a chance of falling into place.
“You always want whoever you put out there to go out there and compete at the highest level,” said LaFleur. “The thing I challenged our team on is, I said, ‘You’ve got to check yourself. On every play, are you giving your max effort? Are you straining the way that we want you to strain? Is the style of play what we want to see?’ I think it’ll be a good opportunity for all of us to evaluate and see the guys that really want to put it all out there, not only for themselves but for the team.”