For a while there, the Packers-Lions rivalry looked like it was going somewhere. Two in-division rivals, both 10-win teams, chirping at each other both on the field and in the media? Sign me up. Sign everyone up.
Things came to a head after the Packers-Lions' game last Thursday, when Tucker Kraft and Kerby Joseph kinda had to "be separated" in the tunnel after the game. It wasn't really as dramatic as it sounds, but the NFL only needs a split moment of drama to create A Full Blown Narrative. They got it on Thursday night, and it had the world (THE WORLD!) talking about what was going to happen next.
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Turns out: not a whole lot. While speaking to media members during his mid-week press availability, Kraft downplayed the entire ordeal, even going as far as saying that his beef with Joseph and the Lions "was over."
“I’m going to drop it, actually," Kraft said this week. "It’s over. It’s done. Just going to move on from that. Not going to stoop down there anymore. I’m not going to talk about my opponents anymore. I’m just going to talk about us because the only thing that matters is the guys in this locker room.”
Womp. It was fun while it lasted. If I got to be the NFL Commissioner for one day, I would send a memo to all 32 teams imploring them not to be scared of giving other people bulletin board material. It's fun! It sure beats watching a Falcons-Raiders game on Monday Night Football. If we're going to spend every waking minute of time between games also concentrating about said games, they might as well be interesting. This could have been interesting!
All that being said: I get it. You lost to the Lions twice. It's tough to talk trash when you just keep losing. But we were so close to greatness. This could have been the spark that turned Packers-Lions into the must-see rivalry of the modern NFL – we could have forgotten the Bears entirely. (Unless you already have?) We could have had it all. But now we're just going to get a bunch of the world's most bland quotes for the final month. This is what two Lions losses in one year does to a team.