The stage appeared to be set for another Aaron Rodgers comeback. Then Ty Montgomery happened.
The Green Bay Packers running back lost a fumble during a kickoff return with two minutes left and his team trailing the Los Angeles Rams 29-27, where the score would remain until the final whistle.
According to NFL.com’s Michael Silver, Montgomery had been instructed by coaches to take a knee.
“Aaron was hot,” said a Packers coach. “And he had a right to be. He yelled, ‘Take a f—— knee!’ He was very, very mad.”
Rodgers wasn’t alone. One Packers player suggested Montgomery’s decision to leave the end zone rather than kneel for a touchback was an act of defiance.
Via Silver:
In the eyes of many of Rodgers’ teammates, his ire was justifiable. According to more than a half-dozen Packers players and coaches who witnessed it, Montgomery had thrown a tantrum of his own on Green Bay’s previous offensive series, becoming noticeably enraged on the sideline after being removed from the game. At least one player believed there was carryover from that incident to Montgomery’s decision to disregard his coaches’ instruction and return the kickoff.
“They took him out (the previous drive) for a play and he slammed his helmet and threw a fit,” one Packers player said. “Then (before the kickoff) they told him to take a knee, and he ran it out anyway. You know what that was? That was him saying, ‘I’m gonna do me.’ It’s a f—– joke.
“I mean, what the f— are you doing? We’ve got Aaron Rodgers, the best I’ve ever seen, and you’re gonna take that risk? I mean, it’s ’12’! All you gotta do is give him the ball, and you know what’s gonna happen.”
“That hurt us,” said another Packers player. “This game was a bunch of little bulls— that built up and caught up to us in the end. And (Montgomery’s decision to return the kick) — I don’t even know what that was. I’m still in shock.”
Rodgers Finds Positives
“Our defense was playing really well and stopping them over and over again,” Rodgers said after the defeat, per Silver. “We’ve got to get more than 10 points while that’s happening. And then to have it end the way it did, obviously, it’s frustrating.”
The quarterback connected on 18 of his 30 attempts for 286 yards, a touchdown, and no picks.
“I’m not stressing,” Rodgers added. “There’s a lot of good that happened today. I feel better about our defense. The Rams are a good team; we knew they’d score some points. I said coming in, ‘If we get to 30 (points), we win the game.’ We got 27, and we gave ’em two. So there you go.”
The Packers dropped to 3-3-1. Los Angeles remains the league’s lone undefeated team, at 8-0.
Jared Goff Nervous Before Fumble
Rodgers’ counterpart Jared Goff went 19-of-35 for 295 yards, three scores, and no interceptions. Though he wasn’t entirely confident when it looked like Rodgers would get a chance to lead his team downfield with two minutes remaining.
“It was scary,” Goff said, via Silver. “I put on my hat and thought, ‘It’s his show now.’ It wasn’t a very good feeling.”
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Packers Rip Ty Montgomery for Decision That Led to Game-Losing Fumble