Packers wrap up preseason with win over Ravens

Packers take apart the Ravens 30-7

The Green Bay Packers sure seemed to bounce back from a spiritless performance in Denver last week by putting a beat down on the Baltimore Ravens to the tune of 30-7.

With 38 players in street clothes for the Packers and the Ravens resting most of their starters as well, it was a battle of the backups with plenty of fringe roster guys making a case for inclusion on the initial 53 man roster, which is set to be formed on Tuesday when general manager Brian Gutekunst and his personnel staff must make their decisions on who stays and who goes (to the practice squad or to the street.)

Gut Reactions: Packers 30 Ravens 7

Aaron gives his gut reactions to the Green Bay Packers preseason win over the Baltimore Ravens and chats with Packers fans worldwide about all things Green and Gold.

Packers Snap Counts - Preseason Vs. Baltimore

The final preseason game did not resolve many questions. The Packers got good performances from multiple players at positions many consider deep already, and poor to middling performances at positions of need.

The Packers will not practice on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, so there will be no more practices prior to the cut down deadline on Tuesday, August 27, at 4:00 p.m. EST. Remember, under the new rules up to two players can be placed on IR immediately (that is, today) and still be eligible to return for week 5 of the regular season. If the Packers have more than two players who have to go on injured reserve, they will have to carry them on the 53-man active list (that is, not place them on waivers or cut them). They can put any remaining players on IR on August 28 (after they made the team for most of a day) so that they will be eligible to return.

New Injuries to Ralen Goforth and Jonathan Ford, who were carted off the field, only complicates things. Goforth has an ankle injury and Ford has a calf injury. Ford had 3 tackles (1 solo) and was tough to move for the most part. Robert Rochell did not play against Baltimore due to a hip injury.

Check out who did play and how much right here.

The Preseason Ain't for Us....

The preseason isn't for fans to enjoy or even walk away with fond memories. Instead, what truly matters, especially when talking about the organization housed within that majestic building on 1265 Lombardi Avenue, are just two individuals: Head Coach Matt LaFleur and General Manager Brian Gutekunst.

Tough day at the office for Sean Clifford

While he didn’t exactly get much help at times, backup quarterback Sean Clifford. The second year player out of Penn State finished Saturday’s preseason game 6 of 14 for 53 yards and a touchdown with a quarterback rating of 77.4.

Rookie quarterback Michael Pratt started a bit stronger but threw a bad interception later in the game and nearly knocked himself out trying to tackle the defender. Pratt finished the game 8 of 12 for 80 yards with one touchdown and one interception and a quarterback rating of 78.5.

After the game, Clifford said “I thought that we did some good things today. It was a little bit slower start in the passing game. It was getting heated up a little bit, but I thought we rebounded pretty well, made some adjustments at halftime and it definitely showed. It was a good day. When you win by that margin in the NFL, whether it’s preseason or not, you’ve got to be happy with it and I got a touchdown at Lambeau, so I’m happy about that.”

The deadline for cutting the roster to 53 players is Tuesday afternoon. We’ll see if the team makes a move at backup quarterback.

Rasheed Walker Quietly Had a Great Camp

When the Packers selected Jordan Morgan in the first round of the draft, some guessed the Packers might view him as a guard. However, GM Brian Gutekunst said the team would try him at tackle first. His college position was left tackle, the same position Rasheed Walker plays.

Yet from the start of OTAs, Walker has proven he is the best candidate to protect Love’s blind side. Instead of sulking or being bitter about the selection of Morgan, Walker just went out and did his job. It showed on the practice field. Almost every day in practice, Walker has been not just good, but dominant.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur praised Walker before Thursday’s joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. “He truly loves the process, and he grinds at it,” LaFleur said. “I think he’s starting to pick up the detail that really starts to separate some of the players in this league. So, I’m excited to see where he goes this year. I think he’s got a high ceiling.”

Can Walker reach that high ceiling? Can he take a step forward and become an elite pass blocker and strong run blocker like his predecessor, David Bakhtiari? The quest to take the next step forward beings in Brazil on September 6th. But thus far, Walker has done things the right way and has made steady progress towards becoming a quality NFL left tackle.

Matt LaFleur’s postgame thoughts:

“I thought it was a pretty productive week for us. Have to give hats off to the Baltimore Ravens. First class operation. Have a lot of respect for Coach (John) Harbaugh and his crew and just the way those guys conducted themselves in practice. It was a great opportunity for us to play and practice against a premiere team in this league. I thought there was a lot of value into that and I was pleased with our performance today. I thought the guys competed and did everything we asked them to do in terms of our playstyle, and I thought in every phase of the game we played fast and we played physical. Certainly, the takeaways played a huge difference in this performance, but I thought all in all I was really pleased with everything that went on this week.”

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