Five Disappointing Performances From Packers’ Loss to Chiefs

The Green Bay Packers lost 17-10 at the Kansas City Chiefs in Thursday night’s preseason finale. Who failed to rise to the occasion?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Every April, the Green Bay Packers – like every other team – act is if they’d just drafted two Hall of Famers and 10 instant contributors.

That first-round pick is exactly who they had targeted for weeks. That Day 2 pick was someone they’d considered drafting a round earlier. That late-round pick was someone they figured would be off the board a couple rounds earlier.

Then the reality sets in. The NFL is a different world and scouting is the most inexact of sciences.

The Packers, with a talented core of veteran starters, didn’t need a bunch of sudden-impact draft picks. Good thing, because there’s not going to be a lot of sudden impact.

To be sure, first-round linebacker Quay Walker looks to be exactly who the Packers thought they were getting with the 22nd overall selection. An instant starter, he’s never looked out of place. “Certainly, he is far from a finished product,” coach Matt LaFleur said after a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday night to close the preseason. As an unfinished product, Walker’s already pretty darned good.

But the other first-round pick, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, has been bad. Second-round receiver Christian Watson’s development was stunted by a knee injury. Third-round offensive lineman Sean Rhyan has been bad. The two fourth-round picks, offensive lineman Zach Tom and Romeo Doubs, could be starters at some point this year, but none of the five players selected in the final three rounds look like they’ll be immediate contributors.

That’s OK. In an instant-gratification world, the draft isn’t as much about today as it is about a thousand tomorrows. Rashan Gary was nothing special as a rookie and now he’s one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Two of last year’s late-round draft picks, defensive lineman T.J. Slaton and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, have taken huge strides during training camp.

Here are five disappointing performances from Thursday’s game at Kansas City.

Offensive Linemen Royce Newman and Jake Hanson

Royce Newman (70) protects for Jordan Love. (USA Today Sports Images)

We’ll lump Royce Newman and Jake Hanson into one because, more likely than not, one of these guys will be the Week 1 starter at right guard.

Maybe it’s because he’s played so much right tackle this summer, but Newman hasn’t taken that step forward that you’d like to see from any player who started 16 times as a rookie. He hasn’t been good enough in practice and he hasn’t been good enough in games. He’s had some good moments, such as a big block on an 11-yard run by Amari Rodgers, but he showed poor awareness vs. a blitz.

Meanwhile, the team has talked up Hanson, a sixth-round pick in 2020 who has played six regular-season snaps on offense. However, Jordan Love bailed him out of a potential goal-line sack on Green Bay’s second series and he was guilty of three penalties in the three games.

“Jake had a pretty rough first training camp and the steps that he’s made to put himself in a conversation to be a starter in the National Football League is outstanding,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said this week. “He’s improved his body. He’s improved his craft, his footwork and he’s one of those guys you’re really, really proud of.”

Guard Sean Rhyan

Sean Rhyan peddles to practice. (USA Today Sports Images)

Last year, Royce Newman didn’t make his move into the starting lineup until late in training camp. Given his experience at UCLA (three-year starting left tackle) and draft pedigree (third-round pick), it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see rookie Sean Rhyan make that same sort of late push.

That hasn’t happened, though. Not even close. Rhyan has taken all the second-team reps at right guard and even some third-team snaps for extra work but he hasn’t moved an inch on the depth chart. Given the mediocre play of Newman and Jake Hanson, that has to be a disappointment.

Rhyan played 32 snaps against the Chiefs’ backups. He was OK. But for a man who played left tackle in college, his pass protection has been underwhelming. And for a man with a thick lower half, his run blocking has been a disappointment.

Defensive Tackle Devonte Wyatt

Devonte Wyatt was the 28th pick of the draft. (USA Today Sports Images)

The Packers used the second of their first-round picks on Devonte Wyatt, the Georgia defensive lineman with the exceptional upfield burst. Unfortunately, Wyatt has been moved backward rather than exploding forward far too often.

In two preseason games in which he played 53 snaps, Wyatt produced one tackle. In the sharpest of possible contrasts, in three preseason games in which he played 131 snaps, fellow defensive lineman Chris Slayton – a 2019 draft pick who has not played in a single regular-season game – had 13 tackles. Same position, facing the same caliber of players, and wildly different results.

Wyatt played 27 defensive snaps against the Chiefs. His name shows up in the NFL’s official gamebook just once: as a starter. Mostly, he was pushed around and flopped on some piles.

“I’d just say just thinking a lot. That’s all it is with me,” Wyatt said earlier in the week. “My talent’s there forever. I’m going to still win my one-on-ones. Knowing the system and knowing how to work around the system or not even just working around the system, just work in the system and just make plays. So, I just think a lot when I always get on the field and I’m like ... ‘What I’ve got to do?’ I’m always all over the place, but once it all clicks in, it’ll be better.”

Outside Linebackers

Jonathan Garvin tracks down Chad Henne. (USA Today Sports Images)

At outside linebacker, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith will start and provide excellent play. Who will provide some production when those two need a breather?

According to the official stats, Green Bay’s outside linebackers contributed four solo tackles, five assists and zero quarterback hits against the Chiefs.

Third-year player Jonathan Garvin figures to be the next man up. In 15 snaps against the Chiefs, he had two tackles and zero pressures. In fact, according to PFF, he didn’t have any pressures in the three games. Based on special teams, Tipa Galeai also is a good bet to make the roster. He didn’t play Thursday due to an elbow injury. In 33 snaps against the Chiefs, Kobe Jones had three tackles and one pressure. In 28 snaps against the Chiefs, La’Darius Hamilton had two tackles and zero pressures. In 32 snaps against the Chiefs, Kingsley Enagbare had two tackles and two pressures.

That’s just not good enough, especially when going up against backups. When the games count, those snaps will be coming against starters. Simply put, the Packers need more production than what Garvin and Galeai provided as the top backups last year.

Rich Bisaccia’s Special Teams*

Tyler Goodson drops a kickoff. (USA Today Sports Images)

Did someone abduct the esteemed special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and replace him Shawn Zook “Mo” Mennenga?

A week after having 12 men on the field for one punt return and 10 men for another, the Packers once again were outclassed on special teams. What a debacle. Green Bay punted six times and gave up 118 return yards. Kansas City punted five times and the Packers had 0 return yards. After kickoffs, the average starting field position was the 27 for Kansas City and the 15 for Green Bay. The Chiefs ended the night with a ridiculous 166-yard edge in field position. But, hey, at least they didn’t turn it over, though running back Tyler Goodson did muff a kickoff.

The asterisk on the heading wasn’t a typo. This, for instance, was Green Bay’s return unit for the opening kickoff: Innis Gaines, Ray Wilborn, Micah Abernathy, Ty Summers, Shemar Jean-Charles, Jonathan Garvin, Alize Mack, Kingsley Enagbare, Juwann Winfree and Patrick Taylor all blocking for Amari Rodgers.

There’s a chance seven of those blockers won’t be on the 53. In other words, nothing that went wrong on Thursday matters other than the possibility the coaching points aren’t being absorbed by the players.

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Seventh-round pick Samori Toure caught 6-of-8 passes for 83 yards. One of those incompletions came on fourth down in the waning moments and sure looked like pass interference. He made one catch in traffic and broke a couple tackles, too.

“It’s just about playing fast and playing detailed, being detailed with your routes,” Toure said afterward. “It just comes from reps in practice. I feel like the game’s been slowing down a little bit. I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunities.”

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