Packers fall to Bills, 19-0, to wrap up preseason

The Packers squandered multiple scoring opportunities in their preseason finale and fell to the Bills, 19-0, on Saturday at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo. QB Jordan Love played into the third quarter for the Packers and finished 12-of-18 for 149 yards with an interception for a 69.0 passer rating. WR Malik Taylor was the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 69 yards, with WR Reggie Begelton adding four catches for 51 yards and WR Amari Rodgers contributing six grabs for 41 yards. On the ground, rookie RB Kylin Hill had seven carries for 37 yards. QB Kurt Benkert relieved Love and was 7-of-11 for 61 yards for a 78.2 rating. Love had three drives that all could have resulted in points, but none did. An opening drive against Buffalo’s No. 1 defense got inside the 5-yard line, but a missed block on third-and-goal preceded an incomplete pass on fourth down. The next time the Packers got close, Love lost his footing on a play-action rollout and mistakenly threw the ball up for grabs on first down. It was picked off by former Packers S Micah Hyde in the end zone. On Love’s final drive of the first half, a communication mixup with backup C Jake Hanson in shotgun led to a delay-of-game penalty at the 5-yard line. After an incomplete pass on third down, K Mason Crosby missed a chip-shot field goal. The Bills played their starters most of the first half, and QB Josh Allen was 20-of-26 for 194 yards with two TDs and a 122.9 passer rating. WR Gabriel Davis had five catches for 75 yards and a score. Roster cuts are due to the league by Tuesday afternoon, when all teams must be down to 53 players. Here’s a recap of all the action:Packers trail Bills 7-0 after first quarter The Packers won the coin toss and elected to defer. Buffalo used its starters on the opening possession, including All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen. Green Bay linebacker Chauncey Rivers sacked Allen for a 10-yard loss, but otherwise the Bills moved the ball easily against the Packers’ reserves. Allen completed 10-of-11 passes for 90 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown to Gabriel Davis on a deep post to put the Bills head 7-0 with 8:56 left in the first quarter. With Jordan Love under center, the Packers moved the ball downfield against Buffalo’s starting defense. Love completed a 28-yard pass to Reggie Begelton to march into Bills’ territory. Kylin Hill broke a 9-yard gain up the middle on third-and-3 to setup first-and-goal from the Buffalo 7. Two AJ Dillon got the Packers to the 1-yard line, but the drive would stall there after a Love pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal.Bills lead the Packers 13-0 at halftime With the Bills keeping Allen and their starters on the field at the start of the second quarter, the Packers turned up the pressure on Buffalo’s quarterback. Rookie linebacker Isaiah McDuffie pressured Allen into a throwaway to avoid a sack on first-and-10 at the Buffalo 35, which helped pave the way for the defense forcing a Bills punt. Love and the Packers’ offense took over at the Green Bay 25 and picked up their initial first down after a 9-yard pass to Begelton in the flat. An 11-yard run by Hill advanced to midfield, while Begelton’s third catch of the day went for six yards off an underneath pass to the Buffalo 44. The Packers converted a fourth-and-1 with a deep playaction pass to tight end Dominique Dafney for 23 yards, but former Packers safety Micah Hyde would then pick off Love after the second-year QB threw up a ball in the end zone. The Packers had Buffalo in third-and-8 and fourth-and-2 situations but Allen converted with a 10-yard pass to Cole Beasley and a 4-yard scramble, respectively. The Bills would extend their lead to 13-0 after Allen threw a 3-yard touchdown to Zack Moss on third-and-goal. A botched snap led to Buffalo missing the point after attempt. Love had the chance to run a two-minute drill before half, though it came without their starting interior offensive line. He drew Buffalo offsides and connecting with Malik Taylor for a 27-yard, tiptoe catch on the sideline. Taylor, Green Bay’s leading receiver in the preseason, caught another pass for nine yards before Love scrambled for 10 down to the Buffalo 33. Love got the Bills to jump again with 59 seconds left in the half. A 10-yard screen pass to Hill made it first-and-goal at the Bills’ 10. The Packers wouldn’t get any points from the series, as Mason Crobsy missed a 28-yard field goal to end the first half.Bills lead the Packers 19-0 after three The Packers stuck with Love to start the second half and he responded with a 10-yard pass to Malik Taylor on third-and-6 against a six-man rush. Love was sacked on the next blitz and the Packers would have to punt. With Jake Fromm in at quarterback, Buffalo got all the way down to the Green Bay 23 before undrafted rookie Jack Heflin dropped Kerrith Whyte for a 5-yard loss. However, Fromm kept the drive alive when he connected with Brandon Powell for 15 yards on third-and-15. Fromm eventually scored with a 13-yard touchdown run. Buffalo led 19-0 with 3:28 remaining after the failed two-point conversion. Kurt Benkert relieved Love at quarterback and promptly hit Taylor for 10 yards. Dexter Williams entered the game and picked up 24 yards on his first three carries.Packers fall 19-0 to the Bills in preseason finale Benkert hit Amari Rodgers on an 8-yard slant to convert a third-and-7 down to the Bills’ 25. A 15-yard pass to Patrick Taylor set up fourth-and-1, but the drive would stall after Dexter Williams was stopped for no gain on a pitch right. Buffalo native Isaiah McDuffie sacked Fromm for a loss of nine yards on third-and-9 to force a Bills punt with 8:42 remaining. The Packers went three-and-out, which led to 41-yard punt from veteran kicker Mason Crosby. Packers sideline reporter John Kuhn said there was nothing wrong with punter JK Scott. It was just something Crosby always wanted to do. Head Coach Matt LaFleur could be seen smiling with Crosby on the sideline after the punt. The Bills turned off the ball on downs at the Green Bay 32, but the Packers’ ensuing possession would end at the Buffalo 45. Kurt Benkert completed 7-of-11 passes for 61 yards.

Packers fall to Bills, 19-0, to wrap up preseason

Several scoring chances come up empty for Green Bay