Preseason 2012: Packers at Bengals Wrap Up

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‘] Green Bay Packers 27, Cincinnati Bengals 13
Preseason record: 1-2
Of interest: Despite a successful debut by tailback Cedric Benson, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was once again the Packers’ leading rusher. Rodgers capped two drives with touchdown runs of 12 and 5 yards, ending the evening with 52 rushing yards. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 154 yards in a half of play. … Benson didn’t start but rushed for 38 yards on six carries. … Receiver Greg Jennings, in his preseason debut, caught passes of 19 and 18 yards on the Packers’ first scoring drive. … The first-team defense didn’t give up a touchdown and might have found some clarity in its lineup. Rookie cornerback Casey Hayward was beat on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones later in the game but otherwise played well, as did safety M.D. Jennings. … Linebacker Jamari Lattimore returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown. … Cornerback Sam Shields also had an interception in his preseason debut. … Tight end Tom Crabtree’s shoulder injury left the Packers with two tight ends for the majority of the game, limiting the options of the second- and third-team offense. … And finally, the numbers were once again bad for backup quarterback Graham Harrell, who completed 5 of 12 passes for 26 yards. But he was sacked three times amid the continuing struggles of the Packers’ second-team offensive line.
Local coverage (in lieu of BBAO): Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “It wouldn’t be surprising if when the Packers return to practice on Sunday, rookie Casey Hayward was at right cornerback in the base defense and second-year pro M.D. Jennings was at strong safety in the nickel package. Both had impressive games Thursday night.” … Benson’s strong between-the-tackles running might have earned him the Packers’ starting job, writes Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. … Cornerback Tramon Williams played well, according to Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette, especially when he twice prevented receiver A.J. Green from jumping over him for scoring plays. … Coach Mike McCarthy continued his defense of Harrell, saying he “improved” Thursday night and adding: “We had some protection adjustments that didn’t go right. We had free runners coming two or three times. He was able to make them miss and step out of a couple of them. He’s in command of the offense, whether you’re aware of that or not. It’s part of preseason football. We’re not putting a Band-Aid on it. He’s trying to play above it.” … Rodgers said he didn’t have a communication problem on an interception he threw in the direction of receiver James Jones, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNMilwaukee.com. “I just threw a real bad ball,” Rodgers said. “… We kind of quick-snapped ’em and if I throw the ball I should have thrown, James is probably still running.”
Up next: Next Thursday versus Kansas City Chiefs
[Source] by Keven Seifert, ESPN