2022 Packers Preseason: Takeaways From Game Two
In Week Two of the preseason, the Green Bay Packers squared off against the New Orleans Saints. Unlike the first preseason game, the Packers showed signs of life at home on the fresh-painted Lambeau field.
After a lackluster game one of the preseason, the Packers stormed back and rebounded well by beating the Saints. Not only were the Saints beat but they were shut out of the endzone in the second half. The Packers won the game 20-10 and now stand second in the NFC North for the preseason. The Saints now fall to zero and two in the NFC South. Some flashy plays continued from preseason game one and some additional flare happened in the Week two game.
Packers Rookie Sensation Continues His Dominance In Preseason
Starting from the NFL Draft until about a month ago, the man to watch for the Packers was Christian Watson even though he was recovering from surgery. Out of nowhere comes Romeo Doubs, the new man on campus. Doubs has been a star in the making this off-season, in training camp, and two preseason games thus far. First, he receives high praise from Aaron Rodgers, and then he balls out on the field with Jordan Love behind center.
Jordan Love has only thrown three touchdowns this preseason and two of them have been to Mr. Doubs. He is undoubtedly making a name for himself and also proving that he should’ve been drafted earlier than the fourth round. After another solid performance, there’s no reason why he won’t have a spot on the Packers roster.
Doubs hauled in three receptions on five targets for 24 yards and a touchdown. He improved his ball-handling skills from last week after he had some mishaps with catching. Can Doubs take over the deep route role this season? I guess we will find out in Week one when the Packers travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. To date, Romeo Doubs has six catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns this preseason. He should have a chance to continue his carnage next week against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead stadium.
In Year Three, Can The Packers Trust Him If Something Happens?
Jordan Love will be in his third year with the Packers after being drafted in 2020. He continues to receive some praise from the coaching staff and Rodgers but when it comes to game time, he just unravels. Luckily for us Packers fans, Rodgers has been good at staying on the field these last few years. If something comes up, can we put our trust in Love, especially after the three-pick stat line in Week one of the preseason?
Week two was better, in the fact that Love didn’t throw any interceptions but he’s still throwing around 50% passing. His scrambling proves to be an asset when the pocket collapses but a higher passer rating is what Green Bay is all about. In Week One, Love threw two touchdowns and three interceptions along with 176 passing yards. In Week Two, he threw one less completion on the same amount of attempts with one touchdown, no interceptions, and only 113 passing yards.
Do The Packers Have A Taysom Hill Type Of Player On Offense?
After two weeks of preseason games, the quarterback three on the roster is Danny Etling. Etling is a 28-year-old QB that was a ghost in the NFL. I honestly had to look and see who this guy was when the Packers signed him earlier this year. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft by the New England Patriots. Since Tom Brady played all 16 games in 2018, it’s no wonder why no one outside of the Patriots fan base knew much about this guy. So far in two weeks of the preseason, he has played far better than Jordan Love even though he has been taking fewer reps and has less time on the field.
In year two with the Patriots, Etling was tested out as a wide receiver. That was the last time his name has been mentioned in the news. With Rodgers being the guaranteed Week one starter, can Etling carve out a role as a utility player similar to Taysom Hill with the Saints? Besides the three kneel-downs in preseason game two, Etling has five rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown. He exploded for an unplanned 51-yard touchdown score in the fourth quarter on his third snap of the game.
After the game, Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that the run by Danny Etling was not a planned run and that it was all on Etling’s vision. Etling only had one completion for zero yards in week two but he played very well in preseason game one when he completed six passes on eight attempts for 123 yards and one touchdown to go with his previously stated rushing yards.
Who Is The New Punter In Town For The Packers This Season?
After eight seasons with the Chicago Bears, Pat O’Donnell landed with the Packers. Due to cap issues before the NFL Draft, Corey Bojorquez was cut. Bojorquez was one of the best punters in Packers history even though he struggled as a holder on kicks. With the addition of O’Donnell and new Special Teams Coach Rich Bisaccia, hopefully, they can help cure the issues that were endured last season.
Through two games, O’Donnell has racked up 283 punt yards. In Week one he had two punts for 88 yards with zero inside the 20 and a long of 46 yards. In game two he improved by placing three punts inside the 20 on four punts and a long of 61 yards. The issues with special teams in the past have been not being able to pin the opposing offense deep and miscues between the holder and kicker. Between Pat, Rich, and Mason Crosby’s knee procedure, the Packers Special Teams can excel once again.