Five Packers Standouts From Preseason Opener

The Green Bay Packers made their preseason debut in Cincinnati, beating the Bengals 36-19 on Friday night. Here is a look at the players who stood out.

The Green Bay Packers took the field for the first time since their season ended prematurely in January with a 20-16 loss to the Detroit Lions.

The team looks vastly different from the one that took the field that night. 

Most notably, at quarterback. Jordan Love made his debut as the team's starting quarterback. 

Notable starters including Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs suited up. 

At the end of it all the Packers came out with a 36-19 win. 

Here are some of the players who stood out.

Jordan Love

All eyes were going to be on Jordan Love when he stepped onto the field for the first time as the Packers' preferred starting quarterback. 

Love played two series. The first one ended in a punt after a deep ball to Christian Watson was broken up by Bengals safety Daxton Hill. His next pass was his biggest miss of the night. Luke Musgrave was running wide open down the middle of the field for what would have been a big play. Love missed him, badly, so the Packers had to punt.

To Love's credit, he rebounded in his second series. He threw two nice passes to Romeo Doubs, one of which resulted in a touchdown.

Love finished 7-for-10 passing with 46 yards and the aforementioned touchdown pass. 

No, he wasn't playing the Bengals' starting defense, but he looked the part. Sometimes, in games like these, that's all you can ask for. 

Overall, it was an impressive debut for the new starting quarterback. 

.@jordan3love finds @RomeoDoubs for the first TOUCHDOWN of the preseason! #GBvsCIN | #GoPackGo

📺: Packers TV Network + NFL Network pic.twitter.com/scrAWh8wJp

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 11, 2023

Sean Clifford

It wasn't the cleanest line for Clifford. He threw one interception while he was under pressure that resulted in a touchdown for the Bengals. He'd throw another interception two series later. 

Earlier this week, coach Matt LaFleur said Clifford had some gamer to him. That was on display Friday night.

Clifford wasn't bothered by the fact he turned the ball over twice. He continued to play fearless. 

Clifford showed a strong arm and good athletic ability, making some plays with his legs. He finished off a 91-yard touchdown drive in the 2-minute drill with a touchdown pass to Tyler Davis. 

Clifford's line at the end of the night was 20-for-26 passing for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He added 27 yards on two rushing attempts.

His potential emergence is a big one. The Packers have the least-experienced backup quarterback room in football. 

It wasn't perfect, but his debut was one that could inspire some confidence moving forward. 

.@seancliff14 🎯 @samori_toure#GBvsCIN | #GoPackGo

📺: Packers TV Network + NFL Network pic.twitter.com/2m6QyOGyYN

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 12, 2023

Emanuel Wilson 

In the competition to be the team's third running back, Emanuel Wilson has thrust himself firmly into the conversation. 

Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson repped ahead of him, which has been the case throughout camp. Taylor and Goodson have experience. Taylor has been a solid player in pass protection and brings special teams value. Goodson has shown explosive ability.

Goodson left the game with a shoulder injury of severity yet to be determined. Wilson took advantage.

Sometimes, all it takes is one play to get yourself noticed. Wilson had that when he broke off an 80-yard run to cap the scoring.

Wilson showed off vision and speed throughout the night and finished with more than 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns

It was a special night for Wilson, playing his first NFL game on the 14-year anniversary of his father passing away. 

If Goodson is out for any period of time, Wilson will have more opportunities to make his mark.

Carrington Valentine

The darling of training camp continued to shine on Friday night. He broke up two passes while playing with the starters. Then, he intercepted a pass right before halftime with the Packers trailing 16-14.

Valentine has found himself around the ball a bunch during training camp. With Eric Stokes out, there's little question that Valentine has earned a spot on the roster. As of now, if any of the starters were to get hurt, Valentine would be the first one off the bench into the game. 

It would have been easy for Valentine to be an afterthought coming into camp as a seventh-round pick. 

His debut finished with him breaking up three passes, making four tackles and hauling in his first interception. 

His stock could not be higher as they head into the second week of the preseason. 

Keisean Nixon

Nixon's night was short-lived, but he made an impact immediately.

The first play of the game was a slot blitz in which Nixon came off the edge and sacked backup quarterback Jake Browning. Moments later, Nixon broke up a pass on third down force a punt. 

Nixon's night ended shortly thereafter, but he continues to make plays when given opportunities.

"He’s got athletic ability you look for in a nickel corner. When he’s been given opportunities, he’s made plays for us." LaFleur said earlier this offseason.

The playmaking and athletic ability were on full display in just one series. 

One thing seems certain, the more Nixon is on the field for the Packers, the better. 

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The all-important game story as the #Packers roll past the Bengals in the preseason opener. Jordan Love threw a TD pass and a bunch of unheralded rookies had strong nights.https://t.co/lYPqkbjoAl

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 12, 2023

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