Packers' Projected Winners of Key Position Battles

The Green Bay Packers kicked off the preseason in style with a 23-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. The final score to a preseason game doesn't mean much, but there were a lot of positives to take from the game regardless.

Jordan Love only threw two passes but he completed them both. One of which was a 65-yard bomb to Dontayvion Wicks that shows how explosive the offense should be.

Getting into the swing of things is an important objective in the preseason. Sorting out position battles and figuring out the depth chart is another.

There should be some movement on that front. After a few weeks of training camp and preseason there's plenty to analyze and some players are separating themselves from the pack.

Let's revisit some of the most important position battles, see where things stand and make some predictions ahead of Preseason Week 2.

Backup Quarterback

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Sean Clifford

The Packers have their long-term starter in Jordan Love. The intrigue at the position starts with what happens if Love were to go down for any period of time.

The Packers have one of the least proven backup quarterback situations as second-year player Sean Clifford and rookie Michael Pratt are the other quarterbacks on the roster. Neither have an NFL pass attempt to their name.

Clifford has an advantage after spending his rookie year with the Packers. He also saw much more action in the first preseason game, going 10-of-19 for 111 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Those stats aren't gaudy, but the Packers scored on three-consecutive drives with him in and he completed a clutch fourth-down pass to Grant DuBose at one point.

Pratt came in to relieve Clifford and was much more efficient throwing the ball in a small sample. He completed 5-of-7 attempts for 46 yards.

Ultimately, the number of snaps given to Clifford and the offenses general success when he was in points toward him being the backup by the end of the preseason.

Prediction: Clifford is the backup, Pratt will be emergency third quarterback

Kicker

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Anders Carlson

Kicker doesn't seem like an important position battle until you go through the pain the Packers felt in last year's postseason. Anders Carlson's missed field goal from 41 yards out with just over six minutes remaining against the Niners came back to bite them in a 24-21 loss.

Special teams has been a thorn in the side of the Packers in one way or another over the past few seasons.

This year, they've brought in competition to figure out who the best place-kicking option is. Carlson has returned to fight for the job, but veteran Greg Joseph is in the mix too.

Both had opportunities to kick field goals against the Browns. Carlson went 2-for-2 hitting a 33-yarder and 46-yarder with one extra point. Joseph also hit a 35-yarder in the third quarter.

The good news is that both kickers made all three of their attempts. Their performance isn't reflective of an up-and-down camp for both of them as the Packers signed rookie Alex Hale to join the competition a week ago.

The fact that Carlson got two of three in-game attempts and he made them, it still seems like it is his job to lose. A few more consistent performances and he should wrap up the job.

Prediction: Carlson Retains Kicking Duties

No. 2 Running Back

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Emanuel Wilson and Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs is going to be the Packers primary back. They didn't give him a four-year, $48 million contract this offseason to take a back seat to anyone.

However, Matt LaFleur has proven that he will split carries and the second running back in the offense is a relevant weapon. The competition for who gets that role is going to continue to be intriguing.

AJ Dillon is the incumbent. The team gave him a one-year deal to return and he didn't look great in the preseason contest. He picked up just two yards on four carries.

MarShawn Lloyd didn't get too much run either. He had just one carry and one catch on the evening before he was pulled out of the game with a hamstring injury. Emanuel Wilson made a strong case for a roster spot and a role in the offense, though. He took 13 carries 67 yards and scored a touchdown.

Stat lines don't matter much in the preseason, but he had good burst out of the backfield.

The severity of Lloyd's injury will play a major role in deciding who is the second back early in the season. Emanuel Wilson could be on his way to pulling a roster upset and commanding the second spot behind Jacobs until Lloyd is fully healthy.

Prediction: Emanuel Wilson Starts Season as No. 2 Back