Heath, one of four undrafted players to make the Green Bay Packers’ roster in Week 1 last year, finished with four catches for 39 yards and the touchdown, becoming the Packers’ leading pass receiver for the second week in a row.
“I’m just going to keep piling up days and try to do my best to make this team,” Heath said. “I’m going to do what I can to help this team win the championship this year. That’s all I can do. I’m going to control what I can control.”
There’s a direct connection between the Packers’ success on the ground and their ability to set up the rest of the offense. Wilson, last year’s preseason rushing champion, got things started with 78 total yards on 13 touches before Merriweather and Nate McCrary took over the reins in the second half.
Merriweather, who was on the Green Bay Packers practice squad last year, had the game’s most rushing yards with 74 on 16 carries, while McCrary added another 64 yards on 11 carries.
Wilson said he and Merriweather talked this week about what needed to happen for the running game and the offense in general to bounce back after failing to score offensive points against the Broncos. The answer was simple.
“Take it personally,” Wilson said. “We all took it personally. We went out there and did what we had to do, made plays.”
It was a particularly satisfying performance for Melton, who recorded just one catch for 12 yards on four attempts in the Packers’ 23-10 win at Cleveland and just two catches for 10 yards against Denver.
His 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter after a 50/50 ball from Pratt not only helped the Packers to a 13-7 lead over Baltimore at the time, but also started a streak of 24 unanswered points for Green Bay.
With the NFL’s mandatory roster reduction looming, big plays can make all the difference. As someone who started the last two seasons on the practice squad, Melton knows what’s at stake.
“Camp is always up and down. I’ve definitely had ups and downs, but I’ve had more ups than downs,” Melton said. “Being in the league for three years and making the team is a milestone for me. I’ll be happy about that, but I’m sure there will be a lot more things to be happy about down the road.”
Clifford and Pratt share snaps: The Packers’ plan was for Clifford and Pratt to alternate at quarterback during the game, with Clifford starting and taking over the first two series before Pratt came in.
Both quarterbacks had their moments. Clifford shook off a slow start to lead the third-quarter charge that yielded Heath’s touchdown, while Pratt led the offense down the field in the second quarter before being intercepted in the third quarter.
Overall, Clifford liked the deal as the Packers are looking for a second quarterback for Jordan Love.
“It was nice to be able to play the whole game,” said Clifford, who completed 6 of 14 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown (77.4 passer rating). “It was nice to be able to practice your role. You never know, OK, you’re going to sit here for a quarter. Maybe it’s half a quarter and then boom, you’re back in.”
Pratt finished the game 8 of 12 passing for 80 yards with a TD and INT (78.5 passer rating). He left the game briefly after tackling Trenton Simpson on his INT return, but Pratt said he simply ran out of steam.
“I thought it was a pretty good performance,” Pratt said. “I think we had some chances and drove the ball down the field and played a pretty good game overall.”
Mosby’s moment and two hat-tricks: Defensive lineman Arron Mosby changed the course of the game with his two consecutive turnovers in the second quarter.
Mosby broke free and forced a fumble by Ravens quarterback Devin Leary, which safety Anthony Johnson Jr. recovered for a 24-yard touchdown return to extend Green Bay’s lead to 20-7. He joined Johnson in the end zone for his first-ever Lambeau Leap.
