Studs and duds from Packers final preseason game

This is due to the trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets and the team’s enormous youth movement. All offseason and preseason, there have been numerous players that fans have found themselves attached to, as they do every year. Obviously, there has been a great deal of buzz surrounding Jordan Love as well.

On Saturday, many of these players had their final chance to make the final 53-man roster or get their final “game” reps in before the regular season begins. Many of them showed out, but others did not.

Stud - K Anders Carlson

If there has been any one player who has had the definition of a roller coaster preseason, it is Anders Carlson. While he has shown consistency in the power he has in his leg, he has not been consistent with his accuracy. However, in the last two preseason games, Carlson has been as close to perfect as one could ask.

Aside from a blocked extra point (that was not his fault), Carlson was perfect again against the Seahawks on a windy day in Green Bay. Not only that, but he drilled a 57-yard field goal with plenty of distance to spare:

On the broadcast, they reported that the 57-yard field goal was the third-longest field goal made in Lambeau Field history.

Stud - QB Jordan Love

The starting quarterback for the Packers had another solid outing in the half that he played. What was most notable in this game was how Love was able to use his legs to pick up first downs and extend plays. He ended up rushing three times for 21 yards along with 63 yards passing.

As in the first two preseason games, the Packers’ offense seemed to start slowly. Also like in the first two preseason games, Love did not blink and ended up leading Green Bay on a touchdown scoring drive.

When WR Christian Watson dropped a long pass that would have put the Packers in great field position, Love did not lose confidence in him and ended up throwing his lone touchdown pass to him. Some throws were a tad late; the timing is still a work in progress. But Love never gets rattled, and his poise is truly something to behold.

Stud - EDGE Brenton Cox

If it were not for the character issues that got Brenton Cox kicked out of two college football programs, he would have been an early Day 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. As it is, the Packers signed him as an undrafted free agent and all he has done is impress.

In many ways, Cox has been even more of a force than first round draft pick Lukas Van Ness. Then again, Van Ness has also absorbed a great deal of blocks that have freed up his teammates to make plays. In any case, Cox finished the day with two tackles, multiple pressures, a tackle for loss, and pass deflected at the line of scrimmage.

Cox has been a major contributor in each of the three preseason games. Will it be enough to earn him a place on the 53-man roster?

Stud - DC Joe Barry

Joe Barry has been fodder for Packers fans ever since he was hired, and many times the criticisms were valid. However, the job that he has done with the defense all preseason needs to be noted somewhere.

The defense consistently beat the brakes off of the offense early in training camp. In every single preseason game, including against the Seahawks, Barry has called the right plays (most of the time) and has put his players in a position to succeed.

So what changed? For one, he listened to the players who told him that they wanted to play more aggressively. This was evident in each game, as cornerbacks were playing closer to the line of scrimmage and there was more of an interior pass rush than has been seen in Green Bay in years.

Barry also moved to a booth overlooking the field for the preseason. Perhaps that gave him a better vantage point and has allowed him to make better decisions. Will he remain there for the regular season? If it’s working, why fix it?

Dud - TE Tucker Kraft

Remember that blocked extra point that was not Carlson’s fault? Meet the culprit. Tucker Kraft failed to seal the edge on the play as the Seahawks defender zoomed right by him. He also was flagged for a false start early in the game.

While Kraft is still a talented tight end with a bright future, there are certain things that he needs to work on. It sometimes feels like every possible rookie mistake he could make, he does.

Dud - RB Emanuel Wilson

More than any other bubble player, fans perhaps are rooting for Emanuel Wilson the most. He played extremely well against Cincinnati and followed it up with a strong performance against New England.

However, Wilson did not have a very productive game against the Seahawks. He carried the ball 17 times for 49 yards (an average of 2.9 yards per carry). The rest of the Packers’ running backs combined for 18 carries for 72 yards.

In other words, the Packers gave Wilson every opportunity to show what he could do one more time. Unfortunately, 2.9 yards per carry is simply not going to get it done.

Dud - OL Royce Newman

There have not been many names mentioned on the Packers offensive line this preseason. That is because, overall, the unit as a whole has done an excellent job of keeping Love and Sean Clifford clean. One name that does keep popping up, though, is Royce Newman.

Everyone knows that if one hears an offensive lineman’s name over and over again, it usually is not for a good thing. And this true for Newman. It is hard to believe that he was, at one point, a starter on on Green Bay’s offensive line.

Newman’s struggles to contain pass rushers and his penalties have all but spelled the end of his run with the Packers.