Packers: Top five players from preseason Week 2 vs. Ravens
By Jesse Fry
After a preseason loss, who were the stars of the game for the Green Bay Packers?
We are now halfway through the preseason and heading towards the opener in Chicago. The game didn’t start the way most assumed it would as Aaron Rodgers was ruled out before the game started with back tightness.
While I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, it still left some fans disappointed since we have to wait another week before seeing the 2019 debut of the true first-team offense.
The Packers cleaned up some of the problems from Week 1 of the preseason, while some still remained.
There were still some missed tackles and plenty of penalties, though the first teams weren’t major offenders in either category. Although the defense was bailed out from some bad tackling by a penalty against the offense on Lamar Jackson‘s beautiful would-have-been touchdown run.
With Rodgers on the sideline, DeShone Kizer got the start for the second week in a row and looked pretty good. Kizer didn’t lead the offense on a touchdown drive or many dazzling plays, but he did stand tall in the pocket and made some sharp throws. Tim Boyle was next in line and played a majority of the game before giving way to Manny Wilkins in the fourth quarter.
There is still more to clean up for head coach Matt Lafleur but the team is making strides.
Game two against the Baltimore Ravens didn’t feature as many highlights as game one, but there were still some performers worth noting.
1. JK Scott
JK Scott had an inconsistent rookie year and spent training camp focusing on being the consistent punter the team needs him to be.
Scott made booming punts with good-to-great hang times, limiting returns from the Baltimore Ravens.
It’s not often a punter finds their way in the top performers list, but Scott deserved this spot. There are going to be games when the offense will struggle against good defenses. It is at those times the team will need to rely on their defense and special teams.
You’d have to go all the way back to the mid-90s and former punter Craig Hentrich the last time the Packers had a Pro Bowl punter. But, if Scott can keep booming punts with good hang times, the Packers may have one in the future.