GREEN BAY, Wis.—Jalen Milroe's first start in a Seahawks uniform wasn't perfect.
There were fumbles, missed opportunities on third and fourth down and in the red zone, and of course the final result, a 20-7 loss to the Packers in both teams' preseason finale.
But there were also plenty of positive moments for the rookie quarterback out of Alabama, and those, combined with the opportunity to start and play the whole game, and in a historic venue no less, make Saturday's game a moment to remember even if it didn't follow a perfect script.
"What a dream come true to have my first start in an NFL game, no matter where it is, to be able to do so," Milroe said. "I want to thank Coach (Mike) Macdonald, the whole staff for allowing me to take my first start. It was just a great opportunity just to be on the field, especially here in Lambeau Field. What a historic venue. So it was just a good opportunity and it was a lot of fun to be out there, to be able to compete. So now it is all about building upon today as an offense and just keep on going."
Asked what he learned from the experience of playing the full game, Milroe a third-round pick out of Alabama, said, "No matter good, bad, or ugly, keep on going. Keep fighting. Keep being starving. Have an optimistic mindset as you approach the field, despite anything. Good, bad or different you have to be the same person each and every day. You have to keep on being encouraging on the sideline. You have to keep on having that hunger mentality as you approach every single rep that you have. As a quarterback everyone looks at you, so that's important as you build upon that, each rep, no matter where you are at on the field, you just have to keep on attacking. I apply the offense to that. So now as I reflect, we can build on it. Of course we know we aren't perfect on offense. We are going to be able to build upon it and I am excited to do that."
And Milroe's ability to, as he put it, keep fighting, was on full display as he maintained a steady demeanor throughout, whether during early struggles, when he lost a fumble on a third-down sack, then lost another on a fourth-down quarterback sneak, that would have had the yards to convert had he not lost the ball fighting for extra yards, or whether he was playing well late in the game, leading an impressive touchdown drive that included 25-yard and 18-yard completions to Cody White, the latter of which was a touchdown, as well as a 15-yard run that set up the touchdown pass.