Packers get great showing from young defensive players
Carrington Valentine and Anthony Johnson combined for five pass deflections Sunday, plus an interception from Johnson
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WSAW) – In a week where the Packers traded defensive leader Rasul Douglas, the young Green Bay secondary stepped up in a big way Sunday to help the Packers snap their losing skid by beating the Rams. Rookie safety Anthony Johnson had a crucial fourth-quarter interception that helped put the game out of reach for Los Angeles.
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“Hard work paying off, and you never know when it’ll pay off,” said Johnson. “At some times you’re in the tunnel and you’re in the darkest part of the tunnel. But you just keep waking, you keep stepping, and you finally see the light.”
The Packers’ defense made life miserable for Rams quarterback Brett Rypien, who started in place of the injured Matthew Stafford. The Rams threw for just 130 yards, thanks to big plays in the secondary, particularly from another rookie, Carrington Valentine, who had three pass deflections.
“Not too bad for a seventh-round pick, huh?” said Valentine. “There was a lot of young guys out there, we all feed off each other.”
Johnson had two pass break-ups himself in the 20-3 win. The veterans on the defense recognized the importance of Valentine and Johnson’s contributions.
“36 and 37 just understanding the trade with Rasul and everything he meant to this team, and for them to come up this week and understand our defensive standard and understand it’s pressure on this week,” said linebacker Rashan Gary. “For them to come out and perform how they did is great for this defense and it’s great for them. They’re going to have a great career.”
Three points is the defense’s lowest points allowed since shutting out Seattle in 2021. The defense hopes to continue that trend next week, with Green Bay now at 3-5. They’ll travel to Pittsburgh next Sunday, a 12:00 p.m. kickoff.
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