One of the more bizarre – and costly – plays from the Green Bay Packers’ 20-16 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night came right before halftime when cornerback Rasul Douglas batted the ball away from the long snapper and then responded to a shove from Dan Skipper by hitting the Lions offensive lineman in the helmet. The action immediately drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and Lions kicker Michael Badgley proceeded to make a 33-yard field goal.
So what was Douglas thinking?
The veteran cornerback probably had a smart idea before his retaliatory action:
Crazy people don’t get why I did this . He missed a kick earlier in the game and we called timeout on this play . I wasn’t about to let him get a free kick so I did this . Now me hitting him after he pushed me I take full accountability for . https://t.co/00sTBoEPB3
— rasul (@rd32_era) January 9, 2023
“He missed a kick earlier in the game and we called timeout on this play,” Douglas wrote on Twitter. “I wasn’t about to let him get a free kick so I did this.”
Badgley did miss a 46-yarder earlier in the first half. The kick in question came right before the half, so the Packers used a timeout to try and ice Badgley. Whistles blew, and Douglas wanted to make sure the Lions didn’t get a free kick attempt out of the deal, so he went out of his way to stop the snap. Unsurprisingly, the Lions didn’t much care for that, and the brief scuffle happened.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Douglas’ response was “unacceptable,” and it ended up hurting the Packers. Positioned an extra 15 yards closer, Badgley knocked home the kick with no problem. It’s possible the penalty handed the Lions three points, and what was a 9-3 lead before the half turned into nothing more than a three-point advantage.
What started out as a smart idea with good intentions turned sour quickly.
Douglas committed eight total penalties in 2022, which tied for the league lead among defensive players. He was also one of only a handful of players to receive two or more unnecessary roughness penalties this season.
Discipline was a downfall for the Packers.
After two costly penalties against the Lions and recurring issues throughout this year, LaFleur said his team will put a big emphasis on player discipline entering the 2023 season.
