The Green Bay Packers went into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams as nine-point underdogs, the biggest underdog Aaron Rodgers had ever been in his NFL career. Against all odds, the Pack shut the Rams out for the entire first quarter and held them to just eight points in the second quarter. The Packers were in this game the entire time and came close to knocking off the last undefeated team in the NFL. Ty Montgomery‘s selfish choice in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter cost Green Bay the game.
Ty Montgomery’s Selfish Choice
According to the NFL’s Michael Silver, the Packers coaching staff gave Montgomery instructions to take a knee in the end zone on the final kickoff from the Rams on Sunday. Montgomery, angry about being taken out of the game during the previous play, decided to take matters into his own hands. He tried to run the ball up the field and make a play. Instead, he ended up fumbling the ball and turning it over. Rodgers was visibly upset on the sideline.
An anonymous Packers coach said, “Aaron was hot, and he had a right to be. He yelled, ‘Take a f—— knee!’ He was very, very mad.” Had Montgomery simply taken a knee, Green Bay would have received the ball at their own 25-yard line. The goal was to get the ball back in the two-time MVP’s hands. The king of comebacks never got that chance on Sunday, though. Montgomery chose to make the moment about him “making a play” rather than about the team winning the game.
“They took him out (the previous drive) for a play and he slammed his helmet and threw a fit,” explained an anonymous Packers player. “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.”
Montgomery’s selfish choice to ignore instructions and try to run the ball doesn’t sit well with the coaches, the quarterback, other players, or fans. With two incredibly talented backs in Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, could it be time for the Packers to cut Montgomery? Had he simply followed instructions, Rodgers would have likely completed a game-winning drive, but Montgomery wanted to be the hero. He wanted to prove that he could make a play. He wanted the credit. There’s no room in the Packer locker room for this kind of selfish attitude.
The Rams didn’t seem unbeatable. Green Bay was able to contain Todd Gurley more than anyone had anticipated. They put pressure on Jared Goff. Davante Adams came up huge everytime they needed a big play. One might even argue that the Packers exposed a few of their shortcomings. The Packers were poised to win this game with just enough time on the clock for some vintage Rodgers magic. If Montgomery hadn’t gone rogue, the outcome of this game would certainly be different.
