Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers

Malik Willis has TD pass and Packers sack Jalen Milroe 5 times in 20-7 preseason win over Seahawks

Milroe played the Seahawks’ entire preseason finale Saturday as coach Mike Macdonald rested starting quarterback Sam Darnold and Drew Lock. The third-round pick from Alabama lost three fumbles and was sacked five times in the Packers' 20-7 victory.

"He’s playing his tail off," Macdonald said. “There’s things we're going to learn from. Taking care of the football is probably the No. 1 thing. He knows that. We learn from it and go from there. I think it was definitely worth it to get him out there. Having this experience, he’s definitely going to be able to build off this in the future.”

Milroe went 13 of 24 for 148 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown to Cody White. He rushed for 31 yards on seven carries.

He was asked afterward what he learned from the experience.

“No matter good, bad or ugly, keep going,” Milroe said. “Keep fighting. Keep being starving. Have an optimistic mindset as you approach the field, despite anything. Good, bad ... you’ve got to be the same person each and every day.”

While the Seahawks kept their starters on the sidelines, the Packers played many of their regulars for much of the first quarter as they built a 10-0 lead. One Green Bay starter who didn’t play was quarterback Jordan Love, who practiced on a limited basis this week as he recovers from surgery on his left (non-throwing) thumb.

“Hindsight’s always 20-20, but I just thought in my gut I feel like a lot of years we’ve come out of the preseason saying, ‘Hey, I wish we would’ve given these guys a few more reps,’” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “And we were able to do that for most of our guys today.”

Malik Willis, who won each of the two games he started in place of an injured Love last season, quarterbacked the first two series for the Packers. After throwing a deep pass into coverage that Ty Okada intercepted on the game's first series, Willis bounced back to lead a 14-play, 96-yard drive.

Willis' 1-yard TD pass to Romeo Doubs capped a drive that included a 39-yard completion to rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden. Willis also ran around right end for a 6-yard gain on fourth-and-2 from the Seattle 42.

Milroe got off to a rough start, losing two fumbles in Seattle’s first three series.

Brenton Cox’s strip-sack created the first fumble, which Kingsley Enagbare recovered at the Seattle 30. On Seattle’s next series, Milroe crossed the first-down marker on fourth-and-1 before Ty’Ron Hopper forced a fumble that Kalen King recovered near midfield.

Hopper, a 2024 third-round pick, has had an impressive preseason.

“I would say he's one of our most improved players, I think, from a year ago,” LaFleur said.

Milroe also fumbled a shotgun snap late in the fourth quarter after the Seahawks had moved inside the Green Bay 25.

“All those are on me,” Milroe said. “I’ve got to be better with ball security. It’s tough. You’re in the trenches, they’re going to swipe at the ball. Some big, strong dudes. They’re heavier than me. You’ve got to protect the ball.”

Milroe's touchdown pass to White came with 11:59 remaining. White ended up with three catches for 69 yards, plus a 35-yard punt return.

Injuries Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo suffered a concussion and cornerback Tyler Hall hurt his knee when the two players collided in the second quarter. Bobo was moving forward to catch a punt when the right side of his head ran into Hall, who was blocking on the play.

Macdonald said Hall would undergo imaging but added that initial testing indicated the knee was fine structurally.

Macdonald also said guard Christian Haynes didn't play due to a pectoral injury. He said the Seahawks are still evaluating how long Haynes might be out but added that “it's not as serious as we thought.”

Up next The Seahawks host San Francisco and the Packers host Detroit on Sept. 7 in their regular-season openers.

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