The Green Bay Packers got two scoring drives from Jordan Love, a long field goal from Anders Carlson and clutch plays from Alex McGough, Jadakis Bonds and Benny Sapp late in the fourth quarter to beat the Seattle Seahawks 19-15 in the final preseason game of 2023 on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Here are the stars, studs and duds from the Packers’ preseason finale:
Stars
OLB Brenton Cox Jr.: Three hurries, one batted pass and one tackle for loss. The undrafted rookie continues making disruptive plays. On his tackle for loss, Cox stunted inside and made the stop. The batted pass could have easily resulted in another turnover. Cox also helped stuff a run near the goal line. He’s at his best making an inside move, but he also displayed an effective spin move back outside.
OT/C Zach Tom: He’s looking increasingly comfortable at right tackle, where he’ll start come Week 1. Once again, Tom allowed no pressures as a pass-blocker. He plays calm and poised and is terrific mirroring rushes. The Packers played him 28 snaps at right tackle and eight at center.
DL Kenny Clark: The Pro Bowler dominated over nine snaps. On his first snap, he blew up the blocker and helped make the run stop. Later, he produced a quarterback. Not bad for nine snaps. He’s ready for Week 1.
K Anders Carlson: The blocked extra point didn’t appear to be his fault. Carlson made his four other kicks, including a towering 57-yarder before half. If nothing else, Carlson has been money at Lambeau Field.
Studs
CB Carrington Valentine: He made three tackles, allowed only two catches for nine yards and nearly had a pick-six. Missed turnovers are a negative, but Valentine played the route and throw perfectly. Two of his three tackles came on completed passes within one yard of the line of scrimmage.
LB Eric Wilson: The veteran started the game with a perfect tackle covering the kickoff, and he also made a tackle for no gain on 3rd-and-1 in the first half.
WR Jadakis Bonds: His 52-yard catch got the game-winning drive on the move. The young receiver did a nice job stacking the corner, gaining late separation and tracking the ball in.
LT Rasheed Walker: He allowed just one pressure, and even the one “loss” featured Walker recovering in time to let Jordan Love escape the pocket to his left. His 46 snaps at left tackle were mostly incident free once again.
S Benny Sapp: Delivering the game-sealing interception is stud-worthy, but Sapp was in on two run stops and didn’t give up a catch in coverage. He looks like a prime practice squad candidate.
Duds
OL Royce Newman: Two more penalties: a holding penalty that negated a 7-yard run, and a pre-snap false start on 3rd-and-2.
CB Elijah Mitchell: The former XFLer looked in over his head in coverage. He gave up a pair of explosive passing plays in the second half.
CB Innis Gaines: Giving up a touchdown pass to undrafted rookie receiver Jake Bobo won’t help Gaines’ chances of making the roster.
