Cheesehead
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,854
- 0
“You talk about a pivotal point in the game,” LaFleur said. “That was absolutely critical.
“The margin for error in this league is so small…if they go up there 17-14, you’re talking about a completely different game. That was the turning point of the game and what helped open it up a little bit for us.”
On its heels much of the day, Green Bay’s defense came up big twice in the fourth quarter to preserve the comfortable margin.
First, the Packers stuffed Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (21 carries, 124 yards) on third-and-goal from the 2 and fourth-and-goal from the 1. Moments later on Oakland’s next drive, Carr made his second key error, tossing an interception in the end zone. Safety Adrian Amos tipped it and cornerback Kevin King grabbed it in front of tight end Darren Waller, who had been having his way in the game (seven catches, 126 yards, two TDs).
“That’s a resilient group,” LaFleur said of his defense.
Especially King, who had just surrendered a 36-yard completion to Marcell Ateman on the previous snap. The two stops kept the Packers in front, 35-17, and only eight minutes remained after King’s pick, his third of the season.
“Those are the close-out plays we’ve gotten from our defense all season long,” Rodgers said.
There’s plenty for that unit to dissect and improve upon after allowing 484 yards, 7-of-11 third-down conversions, and several big plays.
But games get like this in the NFL sometimes, and in this one the Packers had all the offense they needed. The question is where it goes from here.
“We know that we’ve got to get back to work in order for it to happen again,” LaFleur said. “You can never feel comfortable. When you have great players, especially our quarterback, it definitely gives you confidence that whatever you call, he’s going to make it work.
“But it takes all 11 guys doing their job. I can’t speak enough about the effort, the execution of our guys.”