Jordan Love throws long TD pass on Green Bay's 3rd play, Packers down Browns 23-10

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Love has never felt better about a three and out.

Love made the most of limited playing time, throwing a 65-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks on Green Bay's third play as the Packers rolled to a 23-10 exhibition win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

Love, who s igned a four-year, $220 million contract extension at the start of training camp last month, completed both pass attempts in his one series. Sean Clifford replaced the 25-year-old Love.

“I'm happy with it,” Love said of his brief appearance. “It ended with a touchdown. That was the goal.”

The Packers have faith in Love following in the footsteps of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers to continue Green Bay's lineage of great quarterbacks. He led the Packers to 10-9 record last season in his first year as a starter.

On Green Bay's first possession, Love waited for Wicks to get behind safety Ronnie Hickman before hitting him in stride for an easy, quick-strike score.

“We had a great play dialed up for that situation, one on one with Wicks and the safety a little bit off of him,” Love said. “He ran a great route, kind of lulled him to sleep at the top and I was able to get a pass to him.”

A fifth-round pick from Virginia last year, Wicks came on strong at the end of his rookie season, scoring four TDs in a three-game stretch before being blanked in the divisional playoff loss to San Francisco.

While the Packers got Love some work, the Browns rested starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is coming off right shoulder surgery.

Watson has thrown almost every day in camp and appears to be on track to start the Sept. 8 season opener against Dallas. But the Browns are remaining cautious with Watson, who has been limited to just 12 games in his first two seasons with Cleveland.

Backup QB Jameis Winston started for the Browns and played just one series in his debut for Cleveland, which signed him as a free agent in March. He went 4 of 5 for 30 yards.

“I thought he operated well,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. "I know we talk about that word operation, but it’s getting your team from the huddle to the line of scrimmage, making the correct run checks, pass checks, that type of thing. I thought he did a nice job.”

Stefanski chose to sit many of his starters, including star defensive end Myles Garrett, the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year, wide receiver Amari Cooper and Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio.

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur took a different approach, choosing to give many of his starters at least some playing time.

“We just wanted to get their feet wet a little bit,” LaFleur said. “Knock some rust off. It's always good not only to go out there and play but just the preparation mentally to play a game.”

THE OTHER QBS

Clifford may have solidified his spot as Green Bay's No. 2 QB, completing 10 of 19 passes for 111 yards. The former Penn State standout attempted just one pass as a rookie in 2023.

Seventh-round pick Michael Pratt went 5 of 7 for 46 yards.

One of Cleveland's few bright spots was Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He went 14 of 18 for 134 yards. Thompson-Robinson, who made three starts as a rookie last season, is battling Tyler Huntley for the No. 3 job.

KICK STAND

Green Bay's kicking competition between Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph remained highly competitive.

Carlson, who struggled at times as a rookie in 2023, made field goals of 46 and 33 yards and converted his only extra-point attempt. Joseph booted a 35-yarder and made a PAT.

Dustin Hopkins will handle Cleveland's kicking, but the 33-year-old didn't play. Cade York, who was cut by the Browns last season before they traded for Hopkins, kicked a 55-yard field goal.

INJURIES

Packers: Rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd went out with a hamstring injury. The third-round pick from USC had one carry for 8 yards. ... CB Robert Rochell was treated in the medical tent during the second quarter for an apparent shoulder issue.

Browns: Second-year backup C Luke Wypler suffered a broken right ankle and will undergo surgery, Stefanski said. ... Hickman injured his back on the Wicks TD and didn't return. ... WR David Bell went out with a quadriceps injury.

UP NEXT

Packers: At Denver on Aug. 18.

Browns: Host Minnesota for two practices this week before facing them in an exhibition on Aug. 17.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Green Bay Packers quarterback Sean Clifford hands off to running back Emanuel Wilson (31) for a 5-yard rushing touchdown during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson (31) breaks through the Cleveland Browns line for a 5-yard rushing touchdown during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston looks downfield during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Jameis Winston (5) and Deshaun Watson (4) watch from the sideline during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson breaks through the Cleveland Browns line for a 5-yard rushing touchdown during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb talks to teammates during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns defensive back Myles Garrett stretches before an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski during pregame of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson poses with his girlfriend Jilly Anais during pregame of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Jameis Winston (5), Deshaun Watson (4) and Tyler Huntley talk during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Green Bay Packers, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love throws during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Cleveland Browns, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing a plan to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm.

Harris' plan includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men.

Harris already has said she supports legalizing marijuana and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.” She also is calling for better regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets.

The vice president's so-called “opportunity agenda for Black men” is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or her opponent, Republican former President Donald Trump.

The vice president unveiled the plan Monday, ahead of an evening campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was to appear with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. Her push comes after former President Barack Obama suggested last week that some Black men “aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

The Harris campaign also has been working to increase support among other male voting blocs, including Hispanics, by founding the group “Hombres con Harris,” Spanish for “Men with Harris.” The latest policy rollout is notable because it comes with the stated purpose of motivating Black men to vote mere weeks before Election Day.

As her campaign has done with the “Hombres” group, Harris’ team plans to organize gender-specific gatherings. Those include “Black Men Huddle Up” events in battleground states featuring African American male celebrities for things like watch parties for NFL and NCAA football games. The campaign says it also plans new testimonial ads in battleground states that feature local Black male voices.

Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign and a former Louisiana congressman who is Black, said Harris wants to build an economy "where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.”

Black Americans strongly supported Joe Biden when he beat Trump in 2020. Harris advisers say they are less worried about losing large percentages of Black male support to the former president than that some will choose not to turn out at all.

Trump, too, has stepped up efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters of both genders. He has held roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in swing states and will sit for a townhall sponsored by Spanish-language Univision this week. He also has sought to openly stoke racial divisions, repeatedly suggesting that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans.

Harris' new round of proposals includes a promise that, if elected, she will help distribute 1 million loans of up to $20,000 that can be fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others who have strong ideas to start businesses. The loans would come via new partnerships between the Small Business Administration and community leaders and banks “with a proven commitment to their communities,” her campaign says.

The vice president also wants to offer federal incentives to encourage more African American men to train to be teachers, citing statistics that Black males made up only a bit more than 1% of the nation's public school teaching ranks in 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey.

Harris also is pledging to expand existing federal programs that forgive some educational loans for public service to further encourage more Black male teachers. She also wants to use organizations like the National Urban League, local governments and the private sector to expand apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities.

The vice president's advisers have been urging her to talk more about cryptocurrency as a way to appeal to male voters. Her campaign said that as president, Harris will back a regulatory framework meant to better protect investors in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which are popular with Black men.

Harris also promised to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, mental health challenges and other health issues that disproportionately affect Black men.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas. There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at East Carolina University, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/David Yeazell)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)