It was a battle won in the trenches as the Packers fall to the Chiefs 17-10 in their final preseason game. Both offenses struggled to get anything going in the sloppy slug fight. Unfortunately for the Packers, their struggles on the line and special teams cost them the win. For more than a few players, it may have cost them a roster spot.
Quarterback Jordan Love painstakingly worked his way down the field that ended in a 24 yd run for Tyler Goodson. That, coupled with a solid six catch 83 yd night from rookie WR Samori Toure were among the lone bright spots for the Packers. To be fair, the run game was also solid, as six players were able to combine for 22 carries for 98 yds. However, if you take out the Goodson score, the average rush went for a pedestrian 3.5 yds per carry. Both Love and Danny Etling struggled to throw much downfield, as the pocket was collapsing often.
As for the defense, there was not a whole lot happening here despite the low-scoring game. Jack Heflin, rookie Quay Walker, and former USFL player Micah Abernathy led the team in tackles. With one being a first-round pick and another other at a thin position, it was a welcome sight. They were not able to generate much pressure as whole unit. The lone tackle for a loss by Heflin on a broken play. The defense also managed to give up the biggest play of the game on their own busted play.
Special Teams woes continue. The blocking on punt and kick returns was virtually nonexistent. Rookie Tariq Carpenter made a nice tackle inside the Chiefs 20 yd line on kickoff coverage. Goodson fumbled a kick return himself, leaving the role of RB3 with a murky outlook heading into the season. The coverage units gave up an average of 31 yds per kick return while also giving up just under 20 yds per punt.
After the Packers fall, the next step in the offseason will be to cut the final roster down to 53 players by Aug. 31st.
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