Over his first two NFL seasons, Kevin King has been a punching bag for many Green Bay Packers fans who have called him injury prone and think about what could have been if T.J. Watt had ended up in the green and gold instead.
While in the NFL availability is your best ability and prior to this season, King had only played in 15 games out of a possible 32, what has been forgotten about is King’s play when he’s been on the field.
From his rookie season to his sophomore season, we saw King take a step forward with his ability as a cover corner and through five games this season, we’ve seen him continuing to get better.
Outside of the game against Denver, King has been very good this season and has formed quite the one-two punch at cornerback with Jaire Alexander. On the season, King has six pass breakups, 23 total tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. Not to mention that he has two interceptions that have come at critical times in each game.
In week two against Minnesota, as the Vikings were driving and looking like they may take the lead but instead, King was able to come down with an interception in the endzone. Then just yesterday, as Dallas had momentum in their favor and were mounting a comeback, King comes up with another huge pick that sets up a Packers’ field goal. There have also been two other potential interceptions that hit King in his hands but unfortunately, he was unable to secure.
Yes, the injuries and time missed by King in his short career have been unfortunate, but contrary to what some think it certainly isn’t his choice and he is doing everything he can to put those question marks around his health in the rearview mirror.
Coming off of what may have been the best game of his career against Philadelphia where King was graded as the best defensive player for the Packers that week by Pro Football Focus, many expected King to miss Sunday’s game against Dallas. However, King fought through that groin injury and had another fantastic performance.
The Mike Pettine defense relies heavily on having good cover corners and there is no question that this is a much better football team with King than without. Through five weeks, he has shown why the Green Bay Packers drafted him where they did and just how important he is to this team. It’s time to appreciate his play on the field.
2 responses to “Green Bay Packers: Kevin King is silencing the doubters”
I agree. Kevin King’s a wonderful player. You can see it not only in the plays he makes but, like all great cornerbacks, in the plays he doesn’t have to make, because opposing quarterbacks avoid throwing his way due to his physicality inside five yards and his tight coverage thereafter.
So he totally Gutted it out, and played at a high level in Dallas. This player has always had the talent, the doubt is not about the talent. The doubt is about the “NFL Body”, and being able to stay available and healthy. Dude has always had excellent skills, his issues have been around availability and staying on the field. He had another decent game in Dallas, dude can play, thats never been in question. The problem is being able to stay available. Him gutting it out in Dallas was a huge win for the Packers, having him on the field. He in fact could have had 2 picks in that game. Can he stay available? That’s the reality of the doubt, not the mans ability.