The Green Bay Packers’ defense has been a bright spot for the team this year. Though, as we enter the final stretch of the season, there’s one department where the defense needs to step it up: interceptions.
Thanks to the devil-may-care style of backup quarterback Jameis Winston, the Packers had several easy interception opportunities last Sunday against the Giants. They managed to snag just one, a game-sealing grab from Evan Williams in the end zone.
Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t mince words afterward: “You had five opportunities … and we had one. … The expectation is we’re going to make those plays.”
Safety Xavier McKinney agreed: “From a back-end perspective, we’ve got to make sure that we’re on our job.” He added, “the picks are going to come … They will come, and when they do … we’ve just got to make them.”
They’d better. If Matt LaFleur wants to play ball-control football on offense, he needs the defense to start taking opportunities away from the opposition and giving them to Jordan Love and company. And as the Packers look to make a playoff push in a tight conference, the margin of error is shrinking fast.