The Packers kicked off the preseason with a first half that had its ups and downs against the San Francisco 49ers. Jordan Love and the offense struggled some in the first half, giving the ball up three times. Love did have two touchdowns in the first half: a pair of 33 yard strikes to Romeo Doubs and Danny Davis. The offense had a severe case of the drops in the first half, with two drops being the immediate cause of two Jordan Love interceptions. Luckily they finished strong with their final drive of the half ending in a touchdown.
The defense hasn’t fared much better, giving up 20 points to the niners offense on 5 drives and only forcing one punt. The defense got burned a number of times, giving up two deep touchdowns, one of which was a 76-yard catch and run. Sticking with the theme of finishing strong, the defense ended the half with Kobe Jones recording a sack and Krys Barnes recovering a fumble forced by Dallin Leavitt, who makes up for giving up that deep touchdown.
The Packers special teams have already looked better. Amari Rodgers had no issues fielding punts or kickoffs in the first half and even had a great return, taking the ball 50 yards to the Niners’ 46-yard line. The special teams unit is the only part of the Packers that had little to no issues in the first half, a good sign for the future.
Players of the Half
Tyler Goodson: Goodson served as the workhorse back for the Packers in the opening half and made the most of it, making some great plays in the first half. Goodson finished the half with 60 all purpose yards and displayed great ball security after a big hit by a 49ers defender in the first quarter. Goodson is making the most of his starting job and is earning his spot on the Packers roster.
Romeo Doubs: Just as he has all training camp, Doubs is turning heads in his preseason debut. On his second drive Doubs beats his man and scores a 33 yard touchdown. On the following drive Doubs did have a wide-open drop on a scramble drill but made up for it the next play with a good catch in traffic for a nine yard gain. With a first half statline of three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown, Doubs has been great so far in this game, even with the two drops. Doubs will likely continue to show out this preseason.
Players to Watch in the Second Half
Jordan Love: Love had a rough half, but that isn’t to say he hasn’t made plays. Love made a stellar throw connecting with Doubs on a deep touchdown on the second drive of the game. Overall, Love has done a solid job moving the sticks, both in the air and on the ground, showing off his mobility on a 12 yard scramble; however, Love made some mistakes in the first half, missing his target a number of times and trying to force throws rather than throwing to the open receiver. Although he did throw 3 interceptions, only one of them was his fault, as the first two interceptions were drops/batted balls. Love ended the half with a strong drive featuring a 23-yard strike to Samori Toure that helped set up a 33-yard touchdown to Danny Davis. Look for Jordan Love to keep improving in the second half and to protect the football.
The Defense as a Whole: The defense did not play well the first half for the Packers. They started strong with a bend-don’t-break mentality the first drive, but followed that up by allowing two deep touchdowns to both Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld. They ended the half on a high note however. On a short field, the Packers defense gave up only seven yards on the way to a 49ers field goal. The second string defense has to play better in the second half, especially against the 49ers third string offense.
