A strong quarterback, a disruptive defense and a nearly flawless special teams performance enabled the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Cleveland Browns in their preseason opener Saturday afternoon in Cleveland. Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass on the first series, both Sean Clifford and Micheal Pratt were solid overall, the Packers defense produced 22 pressures and 11 run stops and kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph made a perfect 5 of 5 kicks.
Based on Pro Football Focus ratings, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ opening win over the Browns:
Top 5 Attack
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1. WR Dontayvion Wicks: 94.3
2. QB Jordan Love: 90.3
3. WR Julian Hicks: 84.9
4.WR Grant DuBose: 84.6
5. QB Michael Pratt: 84.5
5. TE Joel Wilson: 84.5
Wicks played one snap and caught his only targeted pass for 65 yards and a touchdown. Love attempted two passes and completed both for 63 yards, a touchdown pass and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Hicks had a 23-yard catch and a 14-yard run in 16 snaps. DuBose caught five of six targeted passes, gained four first downs and averaged nearly 3.5 yards per route run. Pratt completed five of his seven passes and one of the miscues was a drop. Wilson received an excellent grade for his run blocking, catching all three targeted passes for 30 yards.
Top 5 Defense
1. CB Robert Rochell: 80.5
2. S Evan Williams: 79.2
3.LB Christian Young: 78.2
4. DL Colby Wooden: 77.1
5. S Zayne Anderson: 76.9
Rochell allowed just one catch for five yards on three attempts and was praised for two pass defenses, including one on fourth down. Williams made six tackles, including two tackles that were ruled “stops,” and a forced fumble. Young did not have a tackle but earned a high grade in coverage. Wooden made one sack, two total pressures and two stops against the run. Anderson made two stops, including a tackle after a one-yard completion.
Lower 5 Attacks
1. WR Bo Melton: 42.0
2. Running Back AJ Dillon: 47.2
3. TE Ben Sims: 49.3
4. OL Royce Newman: 50.0
5. OT Kadeem Telfort: 50.1
Melton was credited with three drops on four targets, finishing with just one catch for 12 yards on 22 routes run. Dillon gained just two yards on four carries, but managed seven yards after first contact, showing the quality of the blocks in front of him. Sims did not have a single catch on 12 routes run and performed poorly in blocking in the run game. Newman was excellent in pass protection, but was one of the team’s worst run blockers. Telfort allowed pressure and was the lowest-rated run blocker.
Defending the bottom 5
1. CB LJ Davis: 29.8
2. DL Spencer Weight: 31.3
3. DE Brenton Cox Jr.: 43.0
4. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 47.0
5. DE Kenneth Odumegwu: 50.4
Davis allowed a 17-yard catch and committed the defense’s only penalty. Waege was credited with a short sack, but he also received the defense’s worst run defense grade. Cox had three pressure situations, but also missed two tackles. Enagbare had three pressure situations, but received average grades against the run. Odumegwu had a pressure situation on five pass-rush snaps, but abandoned the containment strategy on a fourth-down conversion.
Special teams
Both kickers were perfect on field goals and extra points. Anthony Johnson Jr. led the special teams in tackles (two) and special teams rating (82.8). Gemon Green and Robert Rochell both had a solo tackle and a rating over 75.0. Receiver Malik Heath missed one tackle. Ben Sims led the team with 15 special teams snaps.
Quarterback play
Jordan Love: 90.3
Michael Pratt: 84.5
Sean Clifford: 76.5
Both Love and Pratt had great throws, and none of the three quarterbacks had a turnover-worthy play. All three quarterbacks had a passing grade above 75.0.
Things to know
Lukas Van Ness produced four pressures, one sack, three hurries and two run stops. He was penalized for a missed tackle, but his overall grade – 76.4 – reflected a strong performance in the season opener for the 2023 first-round pick.
