Happy Halloween from Packers Wire!
The Green Bay Packers are using the trick-or-treat holiday to prepare for the NFC North leading Detroit Lions, a frighteningly good football team who will come to Lambeau Field on Sunday with their fangs out and bad intentions.
Can Matt LaFleur’s team vanquish the cat-faced boogeyman and go into the bye week with a wickedly awesome five-game win streak?
Speaking of spooky, here are some players that have been SCARY good for the Packers this season:
S Xavier McKinney
The former Giant must be ghost-like because quarterbacks haven’t seen him coming all season. McKinney has an NFL-high six interceptions, including one in six of his first eight games, plus a fumble recovery and a third down sack. He ranks third among safeties in overall PFF grade and second in coverage grade entering Week 9. He’s allowed only seven catches in coverage but also defended seven other passes. Can McKinney keep spooking quarterbacks into game-changing mistakes?
TE Tucker Kraft
Kraft has developed into a true monster in Year 2. Not only has he been a terrifying blocker on the move for the run game, but he’s like Frankenstein with the ball in his hands — no one can tackle him. Kraft is second among tight ends in touchdown catches (5) and yards after the catch (250) and first in average yards after the catch (10.4). Last week, Kraft caught a 67-yard pass on an extended play, hauled in his team-leading fifth touchdown pass and delivered the key block in pass pro on Malik Willis’ 51-yard completion to Jayden Reed on the final drive. No disguise needed here; Kraft dresses up like the perfect tight end for Matt LaFleur’s offense every single day.
RB Josh Jacobs
Yards after contact are to Jacobs as blood is to a vampire. The Packers runnig back lives off bouncing off tackles and gaining the tough yards. In fact, his 510 yards after contact ranks second among all running backs, trailing only Derrick Henry (521) entering Week 9. Jacobs is also fourth in missed tackles forced and runs of 10 or more yards and fifth in total yards. He has monster-like traits with the ball in his hands. The Jaguars certainly found him slippery and slimy last week — Jacobs forced eight missed tackles and gained almost 100 yards after contact. Imagine how tough it’ll be to tackle Jacobs post-Halloween, when temps drop and the weather gets dicey in Green Bay.
WR Jayden Reed
Reed is giving some nightmares with drops (team-high seven), but he’s also scaring the…
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