The Green Bay Packers opened the preseason with a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Who played well and who struggled for Matt LaFleur's team to open the preseason?
Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ preseason-opening loss to the Steelers:
Top 5 offense
- QB Kyle McCord: 85.3
- LT Jordan Morgan: 77.8
- WR J. Michael Sturdivant: 69.3
- OL Donovan Jennings: 68.5
- TE Messiah Swinson: 67.0
McCord didn't have any big time throws, but he was accurate and good under pressure in his Packers debut -- completing 12 of 16 passes for 102 yards. Morgan played 22 error free snaps; he didn't allow a pressure and was the team's highest graded run blocker. Sturdivant created two first downs with catches. Jennings was the team's highest-graded pass-blocker after not allowing a pressure over 30 pass-blocking snaps at guard. Swinson caught both of his targets and forced a missed tackle after the catch.
Top 5 defense
- DL Jonathan Ford: 80.6
- DL Chris McClellan: 71.9
- DL Jaden Crumedy: 70.2
- CB Brandon Cisse: 69.9
- CB Benjamin St-Juste: 69.8
Ford was in on three run stops and even added a hurry over 32 snaps; his run defense grade of 82.6 led the defense. McClellan had a hurry and was in two run tackles, including a stop. Crumedy had three stops against the run. Cisse had two tackles, including a pivotal, touchdown-saving stop, and allowed only two catches for 13 yards over 13 coverage snaps. St-Juste wasn't targeted over his 13 coverage snaps. Note: Lukas Van Ness earned a 75.0 grade over his three snaps, one of which ended in a sack and another in a run stop. Also note: Warren Brinson led the team with three pressures, including one where he missed a sack.
Bottom 5 offense
- OL Anthony Belton: 50.1
- RB Jaden Nixon: 51.2
- OL Jager Burton: 51.3
- OL Dillon Wade: 53.0
- TE Drake Dabney: 53.2
Belton gave up a hurry and was the offensive line's worst-graded run blocker while playing 36 snaps at right tackle. Nixon turned four carries into only one yard. Burton gave up two pressures, including a hit, while playing 36 snaps at guard. Wade allowed a pressure. Dabney was fine as a blocker, but he managed only one catch for four yards despite running 21 routes.
Bottom 5 defense
- DL Anthony Campbell: 30.4
- LB Kristian Welch: 36.8
- S Kitan Oladapo: 41.5
- CB Keisean Nixon: 43.8
- CB Shemar Bartholomew/CB Jaylin Simpson: 46.4
Campbell was in on three tackles, but he earned the defense's worst run defending grade. Welch allowed three catches for 33 yards, earning the worst coverage grade. Oladapo had a chase-down sack, but he also missed a tackle and gave up three catches for 51 yards against his coverage; he played 19 snaps in the slot. Nixon missed a tackle and gave up a catch. Bartolomew and Simpson combined to give up six catches for 133 yards in coverage.
Special teams
Shemar Bartholomew (89.9) and J. Michael Sturdivant (84.3) both had ST grades over 80. Bartolomew had two total tackles; Sturdivant was in on three. Isaiah Neyor and Kitan Oladapo were guilty of penalties on special teams. Trey Smack was the highlight player after making all four of his kicks. Daniel Whelan's six punts had a net average of only 37.5, although two touchbacks were very nearly downed inside the 5.
Quarterback play
- Jordan Love: 62.3
- Tyrod Taylor: 56.7
- Kyle McCord: 85.3
- Kyron Drones: 26.9
Love completed three of his five passes, including a 19-yarder to Jayden Reed to convert on third down. Taylor finished 4-of-8 passing for 20 yards, including a throwaway. McCord was the standout passer for the Packers, with an adjusted completion percentage of 85.7 across 16 attempts. He got the Packers into field goal range in a end-of-half situation. Drones, who took the final two drives, was sacked three times and didn't have a completion over six plays.
Former Packer stars
Former Packers tight end Robert Tonyan caught four passes for 62 yards and earned an elite 93.5 grade. Overall, the Packers struggled in coverage; all three of Pittsburgh's quarterbacks had a final grade of at least 80.0, and Aaron Rodgers didn't even play.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers PFF grades: Best, worst players from preseason-opening loss to Steelers