Matt LaFleur Blasts Lions Starter for Dirty Hit vs. Packers

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur isn’t usually the type to call out an opposing player after a big win, but he made an exception for Oday Aboushi after the cheap shot the Detroit Lions veteran put on one of his young defenders on Sunday.

Aboushi, the Lions’ starting left guard, was flagged for unnecessary roughness during the second quarter of Sunday’s game after blindsiding Packers defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster with a cut block that was a combination of late, downfield and far away from the play. Lancaster was injured on the hit and was forced to temporarily come out of the game.

“I was definitely not happy about that one,” LaFleur told reporters Monday during a Zoom conference call. “Tyler was clearly in front of the offensive lineman, and he landed right on the back of his legs. That’s illegal. There’s no place for that in our game.”

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Packers Escape Without Much DL Damage

The Packers were lucky not to lose Lancaster in a substantial way given how ugly the hit looked and their current situation on the defensive line. They are already without star nose tackle Kenny Clark, who missed Week 2’s win with a groin injury, and would likely be facing disaster if they lost another starting defensive lineman for any significant time.

Assuming Lancaster doesn’t pick up an injury status for Week 3, the Packers will count him as just one of three healthy defensive linemen on their active roster. Montravius Adams was able to play against the Lions after a sprained toe kept him out of the season opener, but he was questionable until prior to kickoff and will presumably need more time to heal.

The Packers also elevated undrafted rookie Willington Previlon from the practice squad for the duration of Sunday’s game; though, he was one of just two active Packers who did not play.

Fortunately, the Packers were able to use outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary as power supplements to cover deficiencies on their defensive line, helping restrain the Lions to just seven points over their final three quarters while their offense cruised to a blowout victory at home. Aboushi’s cheap shot also ultimately cost the Lions their follow-up drive after the Packers pulled within four points in the second quarter.

WIll Billy Winn Get his Shot?

The Packers may have promoted Prevlion to their game-day roster last Sunday, but there is another candidate for the defensive line among their practice squad: Billy Winn.

The veteran Winn was signed to the Packers’ practice squad in the middle of Week 2 and is looking to reignite his NFL career after injuries have kept him mostly sidelined since 2016. While his recent experience is lacking, The 31-year-old defensive tackle has started multiple games for three different franchises with his most (18) coming in his first three seasons for the Cleveland Browns from 2012-14. He also played 12 games (three starts) for the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 and the entire regular season (two starts) for the Denver Broncos in 2016.

Normally, someone who hasn’t played a regular-season snap in almost four years would not jump off the page, but the Packers had a penchant this past offseason for investing in experienced players who have been derailed by injuries. Christian Kirksey, the Packers’ new middle linebacker, played just nine games over his final two years with the Browns. Offensive tackle Rick Wagner missed four games with Detroit in 2019 and has only played all 16 games twice in his career. Even Devin Funchess, who opted-out of this year due to COVID-19, was coming off an injury that ended his 2019 season in Week 1.

Given the Packers were able to affordably stash Winn on their practice squad, it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to recoup their investment on him. The question now is whether the Packers will consider him for a game-day promotion in the upcoming months or choose to him exclusive to their reserves.

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