Tramon Williams says Pack lacks focus
The Green Bay Packers committed one error after another and the New England Patriots capitalized in a 31-17 win at Gillette Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
The Packers won the toss and selected to defer. Mason Crosby kicked off to Cordarrelle Patterson who had a 36 yard return. Green Bay’s Josh Jones was once again called for a special teams penalty, this time offsides on the kickoff, giving Tom Brady the ball with good field position, 1st & 10 at the New England 41. The Patriots marched down the field and took a 7-0 lead.
The Packers had a good offensive drive that took them to 1st and goal from the 9, when Aaron Rodgers shoe game off. The future Hall of Fame quarterback took about :30 seconds to carefully tie his shoe. Next thing you know the Packers are charged with a delay of game penalty, now 1st and goal from the 14 yard line. They failed to score a touchdown on three plays and had to settle for a field goal, 7-3 New England.
Later in the game the Packers had just begun an offensive drive, 1st and 10, and as Rodgers came to the line, called a time out. A player was out of position. Time out. On first down?
On defense the Packers held Brady and company in-check, so New England had to punt. But back-up tight end Robert Tonyan, trying to block the kick, instead ran into the punter. Roughing the kicker. New England’s ball. Lost opportunity for the Packers offense.
Safety Jermaine Whitehead, now with the opportunity for more playing time after Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was traded to the Washington Redskins last week, got shoved in the chest by the Patriots center after a play was over. Instead of walking away, Whitehead slapped the facemask of the offensive lineman, caught on video. He was charged with a personal foul, and ejected from the game.
Packers veteran Tramon Williams, who has now been shifted from cornerback to safety, summed up the team’s problems after losing to the Rams, and now the Patriots.
“We need to clean up some of the discipline,” said Williams. “That was the difference in this game. We were more undisciplined than them.”