The Inexperienced Bay Packers continued to battle towards their NFC North rivals, dropping 27-25 to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17. Head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged what the Packers should repair with a view to compete with the NFC’s most gifted groups. However on the subject of a controversial block, LaFleur is standing agency.
Second-year tight finish Tucker Kraft took out Vikings’ go rusher Pat Jones II with a low block within the first half of Sunday’s matchup. Kraft’s hit knocked Jones out of the sport and elicited jeers from the group. Nonetheless, the play didn’t draw a flag and Kraft was not penalized for the block.
On Monday, LaFleur responded to the criticism by defending his participant. “It’s the identical factor that their guys had been doing to our defensive ends, OK? It’s a cross-sift. It’s a completely authorized play. You’ve received to defeat the block, and there’s plenty of alternative ways to do it,” LaFleur instructed reporters per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
“[Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr.] received sawed off by [Vikings tight end] Johnny Mundt one time and so they received any person else. They did it to us twice within the sport. What are we speaking about? I get it. As a defensive participant, they don’t prefer it… We get it too with our defensive ends. If we’re flying off the ball, you’re going to get cross-sift[ed]. That’s a method to attempt to decelerate simply the velocity off the sting. It’s an amazing equalizer,” LaFleur added.
Matt LaFleur has no drawback with Tucker Kraft’s controversial block in Packers’ loss
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The Packers’ coach then in contrast the block to authorized low hits the protection is allowed to make. “It’s no totally different than, what are we speaking about, like low tackles. You see that across the league on a regular basis. Then we should always get rid of all low hits beneath the knee, interval.”
Vikings’ linebacker Jonathan Greenard is just not on the identical web page as LaFleur. The fifth-year defender took to social media to air his grievances, calling the play “pathetic” and telling Kraft to “Be a person block up excessive,” earlier than imploring the NFL to “do away with this block.”
The Packers clinched a playoff berth after Week 16’s complete domination of the New Orleans Saints. However Inexperienced Bay has performed poorly towards the convention’s finest groups. The Packers had been swept by the Detroit Lions and the Vikings and so they additionally misplaced to the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re simply 1-4 in divisional video games this season and their 6-5 convention report might permit the Washington Commanders to seize the sixth seed.
Finally, the Packers might face a nightmare state of affairs within the playoffs the place they’d match up towards the Eagles within the first spherical and, assuming they’re capable of win, they’d must tackle the Lions or Vikings.