Wicks and DuBose trigger passing game: The Packers’ first team offense wanted a short, productive night and Dontayvion Wicks made it happen.
Already on the third play of the No. 1 offensive lineman, the second-year receiver found himself confronted with Browns safety Ronnie Hickman on the third and fifth attempts in man coverage.
As Wicks took a step out on Hickman, quarterback Jordan Love delivered a perfectly placed ball to his sophomore receiver and Wicks took advantage of the distance to extend the play to a 65-yard touchdown.
“I saw the coverage and knew it was a man,” Wicks said. “It feels good, man. That’s what we wanted to do. That’s what we talked about all week — start fast. That’s what we did. The coaches called the play, trusted us and we got it done.”
The early exit of Wicks and the Packers’ top receivers gave more playing time to former seventh-round pick Grant DuBose, who led the Green Bay Packers with five catches for 66 yards (the highest of the game).
Many of those pass catches also had far-reaching implications, including his 13-yard catch after an out route on fourth-and-3 to extend the second-quarter drive that ended with Wilson’s touchdown run.
With just 16 seconds left until halftime, DuBose made a 23-yard field goal on third and 9 with a 23-yard catch that set up a 46-yard field goal for Carlson.
“Every time we step on the field, it’s important,” DuBose said. “It’s an interview. It’s preseason. You just have to treat it as such. Anytime you can go out there and capture some good stuff and help your team win, it’s important. I’ve taken that to heart.”
Evan Williams makes another move: After making four interceptions in the first 13 practices, the fourth-round rookie showed that he can also force fumbles.
Williams knocked the ball out of Browns running back John Kelly’s arms on the first play of the second half, and Packers linebacker Kristian Welch recovered it at Cleveland’s 38-yard line.
Green Bay took advantage of field position to score a 32-yard field goal from Greg Joseph, extending the Packers’ lead to 20-3.
“We were just talking in the locker room about how important it is to get the ball back,” said Williams, who led the Packers with six tackles. “I just saw an open path and thought, ‘OK, I’m probably going to be the one to make that play.’ I put my shoulder in a good spot. I think my arm-shoulder combination managed to knock it out. I saw the ball come out. I tried to jump on it, but saw another green jersey on it and celebrated with the guys.”
Good night for the defense: Although the Packers didn’t do anything too exotic, it was a good first outing for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit. The Packers held the Browns to just 244 yards and twice stopped Cleveland, causing him to lose the ball on one down.
Defensive players Lukas Van Ness, Colby Wooden and Spencer Waege each had sacks, with Van Ness contributing three of Green Bay’s four tackles for loss.
“I think we did really well. We definitely stopped the run efficiently,” Williams said. “We knew that’s what they usually do in preseason: keep it simple, ram the ball, especially a team like Cleveland. There are obviously still a few things we could improve on. We were pretty simple in what we did, but we’ll definitely stick with the techniques and try to do it a little better next time.”
And here we go: The Packers’ special teams got their first taste of the new kickoff, with Cleveland returning all five of Green Bay’s attempts for 122 yards (24.4 yards).
Wilson, on the other hand, only returned one kickoff and managed two touchbacks to the 30-yard line.
“It was different. It happened so fast,” said safety Zayne Anderson. “As soon as they catch the ball, you have to make a decision and the opponent is right on your heels. Usually you have some time to work on your opponent and stuff, but this time it happened so fast. It was fun to see it live. You can’t simulate how fast it goes and how the opponents try to block you in practice. It was good.”
