Depending on who you ask, the Green Bay Packers’ preseason is either trudging along nicely or is a preview of the many problems that will affect the team’s chances of ending the season with the Lombardi trophy in their hands.
Many of the Packers fandom are glad the team’s 27-2 loss to the Denver Broncos happened during the preseason and not at a time when every game matters to their postseason campaign. For a team whose championship aspirations are still unclear, such problems are frustrating for Matt LaFleur.
While there’s not much to go for when it comes to Green Bay’s performance in this game, there are a few bright spots that gave fans who watched the game at least something to cheer about. Kristian Welch gave them one such highlight.
Kristian Welch talks about interception during Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Denver Broncos
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Kristian Welch isn’t the first person you think of when you think of a leading linebacker for the Packers. The 26-year-old Iowa alum went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft before starting his career with the Baltimore Ravens, but he failed to convince the Ravens to extend him before moving to Green Bay.
However, his interception captured people’s attention in such a way that he didn’t have before. It was evident in the amount of media attention he got after the game.
During his post-game interview, he talked about the game and his thought process ahead of the big defensive play.
“I just had my eyes at the quarterback at the time,” he explained. “One of the D-Linemen tipped it and I saw it go straight up. I just went up and grabbed it, come down with it, and took a hit on the way down. I was pretty happy. We needed that at that point of the game, too.”
He also acknowledged that while his move didn’t have the biggest impact on how the game turned out, it at least helped the Green Bay sideline:
“We just needed to play better, and there’s always plays we can continue to improve,” Welch said. “It was a fun momentum swing. Sure, the scoreboard doesn’t necessarily show the result we wanted, but we’re going to look at the tape and keep improving. It’s training camp, it’s supposed to be hard.”
The linebacker appeared in 14 games for the Green Bay Packers last season, notching a total of four solo tackles and two assisted tackles a part of the team’s rotation. The big play may have secured his spot on the 52-man roster for 2024, and he’ll be looking to leverage this to get more reps in the defense.
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