This time of year, statistics and wins don’t really matter much. It is always a nice touch to go undefeated in preseason, or shred the competition. Packers’ Jordan Love and Romeo Doubs connected again for a nice touchdown. Danny Etling broke away for a beautiful touchdown. Isaiah McDuffie and co led the defense through a fantastic performance.
Here is a breakdown of the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades for the Packers and what it potentially means for each player:
Top Overall Packers Grades vs Saints
- OLB Ladarius Hamilton: 87.5
- OT Zach Tom: 84.5
- S Micah Abernathy: 82.9
- QB Jordan Love: 82.6
- TE Sal Cannella: 82.6
Preseason has been the time of Zach Tom’s life. He’s reading each play correctly, he is eyeing down the next block, and most importantly he isn’t allowing any pressure. He played 40 snaps on Friday and didn’t account for a single Quarterback pressure.
Ladarius Hamilton finished the game with one run stop and two QB pressures. Although Isaiah McDuffie had more stops and production overall, Hamilton has the highest grade for his performance in pass and rush coverage.
Micah Abernathy also had a great performance for the Packers with an impressive INT to cap it off. He also had a tackle for a loss along with great coverage all game long.
Lowest Overall Packers Grades vs Saints
- TE Tyler Davis: 25.2
- DL Jonathan Ford: 26.8
- DL Devonte Wyatt: 29.7
- TE Alize Mack: 39.9
- G Sean Rhyan: 42.2
Not everyone can have a great game, and someone has to do poorly. Unfortunately for these Packers, it wasn’t their night against the Saints. Starting with the Tight Ends, Tyler Davis and Alize Mack. Davis finishes last in overall grade for two straight weeks and looks bad doing so. He had a turnover on a fumble and a penalty. Along with that, his blocking was all around poor as he received the lowest blocking score.
Alize Mack also struggled to block during the game but drops are what mainly killed his performance grade. Sean Rhyan was puzzling because he had a few good plays, but all around bad blocking brought his grade down significantly. It’s still early, but it might take longer than Packers fans want for Rhyan to get his NFL footing.
Ford and Wyatt both struggled to display much of anything. In a combined 55 snaps, the two registered 2 total tackles and they both came from Wyatt. The production upfront especially lacked during the game against the Saints and unfortunately it was bad performances again for multiple defensive players.
Who’s Safe on the Packers
Given injuries as well as the new nature of the NFL, there aren’t many current starters playing. Some of the best Packers players thus far are De’Vante Cross and Micah Abernathy. Since Darnell Savage, Vernon Scott, and Dallin Leavitt are all dealing with injuries, Abernathy is the lone Free Safety.
He has done a great job at making splash plays and locking up in coverage. The same can be said for Cross for has excelled in coverage
Some other Packers who have proved they are safe are Kiondre Thomas and Kabion Ento. Thomas has played excellently in both preseason contests in both the run stop and coverage. He didn’t allow a catch on four targets against the Saints. Ento looked great returning the ball and had the highest special teams grade.
Who Might Not See the Field
OLB Tipa Galeai has been rather disappointing for the Packers. He had a grade of 49.3 and missed multiple tackles on special teams that cost the team.
Some other players who also have struggled to make an impact are Jonathan Ford, Ty Summers, and Tyler Davis. The Packers have to cut a tight end, or two. Tyler Davis has had virtually no impact and struggled especially to block anyone.
This is the time for some players to prove themselves, especially Summers and Ford. There’s plenty of depth defensively and if either of these guys want to see the field, this is the time to prove it. Unfortunately, they have both struggled to record tackles.
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