Packers Preseason Game 2 vs Jets: The good, the bad, the grade
The Green Bay Packers fell to the New York Jets 23-14 at Lambeau Field for their second straight preseason loss. However, wins and losses don’t matter as much as the development and progression of the guys on the field.
After holding out 30 players in their preseason opener against the Houston Texans, Green Bay held 32 guys back for various reasons in this contest. That meant a lot of opportunity for younger and unproven guys on the team. After every game, we’ll be reviewing the good and the bad while ultimately handing out grades as well. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
The Green Bay Packers dropped their second preseason game against the New York Jets, but there’s plenty more to digest from this contest.
The Good: Kylin Hill and AJ Dillon, Rookies, Malik Taylor, Kurt Benkert
Kylin Hill found paydirt for the second consecutive game, this time on a long run where he showed off good patience and a nice stiff arm to find the endzone. He’s clearly the team’s RB3 and should play a role as a nice change of pace back. He’ll also be the team’s starting kick returner. Fellow back AJ Dillon also had a nice game–albeit in much fewer opportunities. Dillon is a load to bring down and showed off good speed as well.
Hill wasn’t the only rookie who stepped up as a large portion of this draft class came to play as well. Royce Newman joined Josh Myers in the starting lineup and both rookie offensive linemen impressed. Eric Stokes got in on the mix by knocking down one attempted pass his direction. Lastly, TJ Slaton continued his strong summer by recording a sack.
With Devin Funchess, Equanimous St. Brown and Juwann Winfree–all Malik Taylor’s primary competition for the final wide receiver spot–all out due to injury, Taylor had a great game. He hauled in four catches for 66 yards and likely has the edge on special teams as well. The guy throwing to him–Kurt Benkert–also had a nice performance. He showed off good arm strength and made it complicated on the Packers’ front office when it comes to decision time for their final roster.