Getty Chandon Sullivan #39 of the Green Bay Packers attempts to tackle Jacob Hollister #48 of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field on January 12, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Chandon Sullivan is definitely happy he and the Green Bay Packers are moving on to the NFC Championship, but he wanted to get one last word in about one of the questionable rulings from Sunday’s divisional-round victory.
The controversy spun out of the Seattle Seahawks’ first play of their opening drive when tight end Jacob Hollister fumbled after catching a pass from Russell Wilson. The initial ruling was Hollister was down by contact, but the Packers challenged it after seeing footage of a clear fumble.
The ruling, however, was upheld after the officials determined there was no evidence of a clear recovery and resulted in the Packers losing their first timeout — much to the frustration of head coach Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay sideline after believing Sullivan came away with the football. The Packers’ second-year cornerback seemed to agree the following day, retweeting the end-of-play video of him handing the ball to the referee and saying he was “still sick” the ruling went against his team
Of course, Sullivan is most happy with the fact that the Packers came away with a 28-23 victory and are moving on to a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He finished his first-career postseason game with just one tackle, playing 23 defensive snaps and 12 more on special teams.
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Davante Adams Not Interested in Other Complaints
While some Packers were surely upset about the call against them, there were plenty of opposing fans who weren’t happy about the first-down spot of Jimmy Graham’s game-clinching catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 28-23 victory.
The aftermath was filled with frustration, especially on the side of Seattle, with head coach Pete Carroll clearly upset with officials after the ruling. He later addressed the situation in his postgame press conference saying: “Had they called him short, then it would’ve been short. … That’s how it goes.”
For the Packers, though? There weren’t many tears shed after some other previous issues with calls, including Sullivan’s would-be fumble recovery. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t comment so much on that play as much as say it didn’t matter after “we kind of got hosed on the first quarter one.”
Star wide receiver Davante Adams — who had a career game with eight catches, 160 yards and two touchdowns in the win — put it in much more direct terms, as you can see below on a screenshot from his Instagram post.
Sullivan Has Been Quietly Steady for Packers
The Packers took a chance on Sullivan in the offseason after he played five games, starting one, in his rookie year for the Philadelphia Eagles.
He was signed in May and then made the team’s initial 53-man roster cut out of training camp, slotting in as a reliable No. 4 cornerback behind starters Jaire Alexander and Kevin King and veteran Tramon Williams. While he didn’t play any defensive snaps in the first three games, Sullivan picked off Dak Prescott in Week 5’s win over the Dallas Cowboys and saw regular use in all but one game for the rest of the way.
He played 350 snaps and tallied six passes defended with excellent coverage numbers, allowing no touchdowns scored against him, a 35.5 completion percentage and a 34.3 passer rating on passes tossed into his coverage, according to Pro Football Reference. He also spotted the Packers for three kick returns during their Week 8 win over Kansas City, averaging 16 yards.
Sullivan also made his first start in a Packers uniform during their win over the Seahawks last Sunday, which only speaks to the coaching staff’s confidence in him moving forward. That’s a good sign for his future with him set to become an exclusive rights free agent in the upcoming offseason.
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