The defense Friday had far more highlights than the offense, whose biggest moment came in that pre-game tossing session.
Burrow has not practiced since he strained his right calf during the second day of training camp July 27, and Friday marked the first activity he’s done in public. He wasn’t even using the protective compression sleeve he’s been seen wearing since the injury, a good sign he’s recovering.
The Bengals didn’t use any of their projected starters on offense Friday, so Burrow likely wouldn’t have been involved anyway, but it was a rough day for the backups on that side of the ball. Anderson’s 43-yard interception return for a touchdown accounted for Cincinnati’s only trip to the end zone, as Evan McPherson went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts for the Bengals’ other points.
Only Dax Hill was among the starters on defense from the first-team unit listed on Cincinnati’s depth chart, and after three strong series, he gave way to Anderson. It was a triumphant return for Anderson, who suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in the second preseason game last year and missed his entire rookie campaign.
Anderson recorded his pick-6 on a good read of Sean Clifford’s pass intended for Dontayvion Wicks, cutting the Packers’ lead to 14-13 with 9:16 left in the second quarter. Late in the half, Anderson intercepted Clifford again, but Bengals quarterback Jake Browning was picked off two plays later, and Green Bay added another touchdown to carry a 21-16 lead into halftime.
Browning got the start at quarterback for Cincinnati, and his first series set the tone for a difficult outing, but he improved as the game went on – even if it didn’t reflect much in the stats. A penalty on the punt return following Green Bay’s opening drive put the Bengals at their own 10-yard line, and then a first-down sack pinned them back another 8 yards. On third down, the pocket – provided by an offensive line of D’Ante Smith, Max Scharping, Trey Hill, Cody Ford and Jackson Carman – collapsed quickly and Browning’s pass intended for Stanley Morgan fell short.
The Packers scored touchdowns on their next two series, including on the second drive for Jordan Love and the first-team offense when Love connected with Romeo Doubs for a 9-yard touchdown over Sidney Jones IV. Green Bay switched to Clifford and the second-team offense after that drive but a lack of execution for Cincinnati’s offense enabled the Packers to maintain a lead for all but about 80 seconds in the second quarter.
Cincinnati didn’t change quarterbacks until the second half, but Trevor Siemian, who is competing for the backup job, took over after the break and experienced even greater struggles than Browning. His first series was a three-and-out, and the second ended in a pick to set up a field goal that gave the Packers a 24-16 lead with less than eight minutes to go.
Siemian completed 15 of 28 passes for 121 yards and had one interception, though he was nearly picked off at least two other times. Browning went 10-for-17 for 95 yards and one interception and took the only sack allowed by Cincinnati, though the Packers got plenty of pressure on both quarterbacks.
Chris Evans led the running game with 49 yards on seven carries, and rookie sixth-round draft pick Andrei Iosivas had a team-leading 50 yards receiving on four catches and 10 targets. Linebacker Joe Bachie (chest), tight end Tanner Hudson (concussion) and safety Yusuf Corker (hamstring) all suffered injuries in the first half and did not return.
The Bengals travel to play the Atlanta Falcons in their second preseason game Aug. 18.
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