The final regular season home game for the Green Bay Packers was ruled by a visiting king.
Derrick Henrey had his way all night in a 41-24 rout of the Packers. King Henry amassed 216 yards on the ground, to go along with four touchdowns, while backup QB Tyler Huntly scrambled for an additional 60 yards, and Keaton Mitchell added 31, to give the Ravens 307 rushing yards.
Safety Evan Williams admitted it was not the defense’s best outing.
“It’s just not up to our standard,” he said. “(There’s) a lot that we can correct, a lot that we can get back right, but it all starts with how hard we play.”
While the Packers’ offense couldn’t keep up with the Ravens, QB Malik Willis had a great night subbing for the injured Jordan Love. Willis led the team in rushing, with 60 yards and two touchdowns, and threw for 288 yards and another score to Christian Watson.
This was all despite coming into the game with an injured throwing shoulder.
Coach Matt LaFleur had nothing but praise for the former Tennessee Titan.
“That speaks to the type of competitor that Malik Willis is,” he said.“He is as tough as anybody. He made pay after paly after play out there. He was one of the few bright spots on the night.”
Williams agreed, speaking about Willis’s leadership on and off the field.
“Every snap he is in, you know he is going to put his best foot forward, and he is gonna sacrifice everything he can to make sure this team is where it needs to be,” Williams said. “You saw it today. He put his body on the line. I know he wasn’t feeling too good, and for him to come out and ball like he was doing, it speaks to the kinda guy he is.”
Willis was rather humble while addressing the media, specifically praising the coaching staff.
“They want to put you in a position to be successful,” he explained. “They definitely have been continuing to grow me and prepare me so that I feel just as comfortable as when Jordan goes in there, they can call the same offense and we can play ball.”
The run game was quite ineffective, with Eric Wilson and Josh Jacobs combining for just 19 yards on the day.
Rookie Right Guard Anthony Belton admitted the front five has to be more consistent and communicate better, especially next week against a Vikings defense that likes to disguise things.
The loss drops the Packers to 9-6-1 and guarantees the Chicago Bears the NFC North crown.
Next week against the Vikings will have no impact on the postseason standings, as the Packers cannot improve their seeding.
However, they would likely want to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs and end the regular season 7-1 against division opponents.
