Packers vs. Bills recap: Everything to know from preseason finale

The Green Bay Packers sat 31 players for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills and predictably dropped a third straight game to close out the exhibition schedule.

Josh Allen and the Bills scored on their opening drive and never trailed, eventually winning 19-0.

Here’s everything to know from the Packers’ preseason finale:

Final score: Bills 19, Packers 0

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It was over when...

(AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

... Bills quarterback Jake Fromm found a running lane on 3rd-and-10 from the 13-yard line and scrambled into the end zone, eluding a pair of would-be tacklers near the goal line to score the touchdown and give the Bills a commanding 19-0 lead late in the third quarter.

Packers top performers

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WR Malik Taylor: His strong preseason continued. He caught five passes for 69 yards, including an incredible catch along the sideline on a free play. He also beat Pro Bowler Tredavious White for a catch. He likely locked in a roster spot. RB Kylin Hill: His quick feet and vision created 44 yards on eight touches. The rookie running back moves so much like Brandon Jackson. LB Isaiah McDuffie: The rookie had a team-high nine tackles and delivered a half-sack with Delontae Scott. The Packers might like him as the No. 5 linebacker. DL Jack Heflin: He hit Josh Allen on a great rush, and he created a tackle for loss in the second half. The undrafted rookie gives great effort, and he flashes disruption just enough.

QB spotlight

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Jordan Love: He played well into the second half, completing 12 of 18 passes for 149 yards and an interception over four drives and almost 40 total plays. He was a mix of good and bad. Love led the Packers inside the Bills' 25-yard line on three straight drives to open the game, including a march to the 1-yard line on the opening series, and he looked confident and decisive playing from clean pockets. He did have two negative plays, both on off-schedule plays: an interception thrown up for grabs into the end zone after tripping in his dropback, and another near interception in the end zone after an immediate pressure on third down. Mistakes of inexperience. Kurt Benkert: He led three drives, two of which ended in turnovers on downs. He completed seven passes for 61 yards on 11 attempts. It was a forgettable performance overall. His pitch behind Dexter Williams on fourth down killed one scoring opportunity in Bills territory. The Packers can pencil him in as the third quarterback, but on the practice squad.

Notes, observations

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– The Packers second-team offense didn't score, but the group held its own against most of the Bills starters. Love led three quality drives in the first half with Kylin Hill, Malik Taylor and Reggie Begelton doing much of the heavy lifting. – Love will learn from his mistakes. His two poor decisions – the interception and the near-interception – both came after the initial play got blown up early. When playing on time and within structure from the pocket, he was good. His two performances during the preseason were encouraging. – The second-team and third-team defense got a lot of good reps against Josh Allen and the Bills offense. Allen carved them up, as expected. But the Packers will be able to dig into this tape and figure out which young players stepped up to the challenge. A few certainly didn't look ready for it. – The Bills picked on cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom and Kabion Ento early. – Malik Taylor is a confident young pass-catcher who is going to be the No. 6 receiver. He may not be a big contributor for a stacked Packers offense, but he made a bunch of tough catches this preseason. – Reggie Begelton also looks improved. I bet the Packers would love to stash him on the practice squad as the No. 7. – The Packers weren't really competitive in any of the three preseason games but no one should care. Matt LaFleur protected all his important players. And now he'll have a mostly healthy football team going into games that matter. – A running thread of real-time notes and observations from the game can be found here.

Best play: Love to Taylor on a free play

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What's next

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The preseason is over, and final cuts loom. The Packers have to trim the roster to 53 players by next Tuesday. What's next? Only games that matter. Week 1 is in New Orleans against the Saints on Sunday, Sept. 12.

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