Green Bay Packers: 5 Highlights in Victory Over Rams
By Kenn Korb
Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Quinten Rollins (24) returns an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie Contributions
A big part of what has helped make the Packers a consistently successful team during the Ted Thompson era has been their propensity to build through the draft. This week was a great showcase of what happens when you do well in that type of team-building plan.
Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery (88) rushes for a touchdown after catching a pass during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The first three Green Bay picks in this past draft all made contributions in the game that helped bring about the victory.
The 1st-rounder Damarious Randall got some action late, making 4 tackles; those included a touchdown-saving tackle of Todd Gurley on a 55-yard run and a 3rd down tackle on a drive that ended with a missed 63-yard field goal by St. Louis.
2nd-rounder Rollins had a fine game. I already talked up his interceptions, but I’ll note their importance again. One countered a pick by the Packers offense to turn what could have become a 7-7 tie into a 14-0 lead on his 45-yard INT-return TD. The other officially ended any last-ditch hopes St. Louis may have been clinging to. To think, these were his first two professional interceptions after having only one year of football experience in college. He may just be scratching the surface of his potential.
3rd-rounder Ty Montgomery was the man to start the scoring for Green Bay. He took advantage of a blown coverage on the initial Green Bay drive to score on a 31-yard pass. On the day, he managed 5 targets, garnering 4 catches and 59 yards to go with his touchdown.
The contributions of these rookies were quite literally essential in providing Green Bay with what they needed to win; the scores by Rollins and Montgomery directly put more points on the board (12, not counting XPs) than the Rams’ offense could manage on the day (10).
Next: Injury Allows Opportunity