DeShone Kizer took a step forward Thursday in asserting himself in the Green Bay Packers' backup quarterback duel.
Seeing action in the second half of the Packers' 51-34 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kizer connected on 7 of 12 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. A huge chunk of that yardage came on an 82-yard touchdown reception by rookie Jake Kumerow.
Kizer did struggle at times with his accuracy and consistency. Still, it was the kind of performance that showed progress in his preseason mission to win the honor of backing up Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay this season.
Brett Hundley, last year's backup, did his part to stay in the mix for the job, completing 6 of 9 passes for 77 yards in more limited work. He also ran for 12 yards and a TD. Week 3 of the preseason figures to play a prominent role in Mike McCarthy determining what his plans are for the role in 2018.
As for QB1, Rodgers started the game and put in a very Rodgers-esque performance. He completed 2 of 4 passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
He gave the Packers' faithful a preview of what the Rodgers-Jimmy Graham dynamic might look like when the tight end used his 6-foot-7 frame to haul in a pass that looked more like an alley-oop instead of a TD toss. Graham did great things in New Orleans with Drew Brees throwing passes to him, so perhaps Graham's collaboration with Rodgers will spark a career resurgence for the 31-year-old.
