If you were wondering why you were seeing so much of rookies Vic So’oto and Jamari Lattimore on Sunday, it wasn’t because the the Green Bay Packers wanted to rest Clay Matthews and Erik Walden. It’s because they haven’t been happy with Walden’s play.
Walden has now been pulled two weeks in a row and the Packers have gotten minimal pass rush from the spot opposite Matthews, or anywhere else for that matter, all season.
Walden has 57 tackles and three sacks on the season. Frank Zombo, who saw time as a starter last season, hasn’t been a factor either. He’s played in only four games and has been injured much of the season, but was a healthy inactive against the Bears.
So now the Packers are heading into the playoffs with two undrafted rookies getting important reps. They really have no one to blame but themselves for the problem.
The team knew Walden and Zombo weren’t big-time pass rushers, but did nothing in the offseason to address the issue. It might come back to haunt them, as the defense and particularly the pass rush is the weak link on this team.