This week was the first time that the Green Bay Packers got to go up against an opponent on the field this offseason. In preparation for their first preseason game of the year on Friday, the Packers and Cincinnati Bengals held a joint practice on Wednesday.
For Green Bay, a lot of eyes were going to be on the offense. That unit has been getting beaten regularly during competition periods by the Packers’ defense and it would be interesting to see how they fared going up against another unit.
In 2022, the Bengals were a stingy unit when it came to surrendering points, ranking sixth in points allowed. However, teams found some success moving the ball against them as they ranked 16th in yardage allowed. Cincinnati was especially susceptible through the air, which would make this a good challenge for Jordan Love.
Love has the huge task of replacing Aaron Rodgers as the team’s starting quarterback this season. Against the Bengals in practice, the Packers’ 2020 first-round pick had some ups, but also some downs.
There were some highlights during the 7-on-7 portion of practice, which the offense should always find success. Jayden Reed and Christian Watson both had nice plays that were caught on tape.
In the 11-on-11 period of practice, Love started hot. He completed 3-of-5 to start the day. He hit three different receivers, connecting with Samori Toure, Henry Pearson and Watson, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. His misses were to Romeo Doubs on a deep route and Watson on a corner route.
Love would eventually connect with Dobbs in a deep ball, which went for a 51-yard touchdown. He was reportedly getting open in the Bengals’ secondary all day as Cincinnati had no answers for the second-year wide receiver out of Nevada. It came against potential starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, which has to give the young duo plenty of confidence.
But, it wasn’t all good for Love and the Packers’ offense on Wednesday afternoon. During the red zone drills, he threw one touchdown to Watson but was also picked off on a bubble screen by Mike Hilton.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported that it could have gone the other way for a 90-yard touchdown. Overall, Love was 4-for-8 during the red zone session, an area in which he needs to improve.
The Packers’ offense also stalled out during their two-minute drill competition. It led to Anders Carlson being called on for a 58-yard field goal attempt, but it fell short. The kick was on target, but he just didn’t have enough distance, falling about two yards short.
For the first joint practice, there is plenty to take away. There were some positives from Love, but definitely, a few things that the Packers will pinpoint and highlight as areas of importance during practice in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how he responds during the first preseason game on Friday night against the Bengals again.
