There was a noticeable drop off after Kevin King exited the game vs the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The former second-round pick tweaked a familiar groin injury during the second quarter that prevented him from returning in the second half. Veteran corner Davon House stepped in his place and the result was an obvious decline in play by the defense.
“We probably didn’t handle Kevin King’s injury very well,” Mike McCarthy said on Monday. “We just weren’t as detailed down the stretch. It was obviously an ability for them to extend drives and they hit the big play there on the touchdown, too.”
Prior to the injury, King has only allowed one pass for a total of 14 yards. Insert House, and the big plays soon followed.
House allowed three passes for 88 yards with the most impactful being a 75-yard touchdown to receiver Stefon Diggs. When King was on Diggs he was only targeted once for an incomplete pass.
Dating back to week one, King’s length has proved to be a tremendous asset for Green Bay’s defense. If he had to miss significant time due to the groin injury, it would negatively impact their pass defense.
King has had a terrible time staying healthy in his first two NFL seasons. He finished the 2017 season on injured reserve because of a lingering shoulder issue. The opposite shoulder caused him to miss a portion of this year’s training camp and now there’s the groin injury.
Groin injuries are difficult to gauge because they can creep back up at any time. The Packers sound like they will proceed with caution following their obligatory injury report on Wednesday.
“I’m hoping it will be short-term,” McCarthy said.”I think he’s going to be hard-pressed to play this week.”
Green Bay will take on the Washington Redskins this week who coming off a down week against the Indianapolis Colts. With King likely out for the game, it sounds like House will be the one starting opposite of Tramon Williams.
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Brandon Carwile was a Cheesehead at birth. His dad grew up attending games at Lambeau and passed on the legacy. He has covered the Packers for over five years and currently works with packerstalk.com. Find him on twitter at @PackerScribe.
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4 responses to “The Defense Needs Kevin King on the Field”
King very good. Unfortunately, he’s like Perry, porcelain. Too bad, but he can’t stay on the field. It will continue.
The Packers don’t need King on the field anywhere near as much as they need House off it.
I think House is what he’s always been: Frequently injured and not particularly good when healthy. King helps, but he’s dinged and we have 14 more games to go before the playoffs.
There is talk that Earl Thomas might be available. He’d help our entire defense this year, but I think if we add anybody it should be a corner, not a safety. I’d be willing to trade one of next year’s first round picks for a young guy who can play.
The main reason the Packers need King on the field is because their safeties suck.