There is no love lost between these Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.
Not only are the Packers aiming to avenge a 10-point loss to the Lions earlier this season, but also inch closer to the NFC North lead with a victory over their bitter division rivals.
When it comes to the game within Thursday night’s game, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft issued a stark warning to Lions safety Kerby Joseph, stemming from the star defensive back’s reputation for at times leveling dirty hits.
“He’s a respectable player in the NFC,” Kraft told reporters this week. “But in my mind, I’m not really worried about DBs too often. I’m worried more about guys in the box, and I’m sure they bring guys down, safety rotation. And we target them in the run. But it’s just a different game. I don’t have too many tidbits on Kerby. I know he’s a dangerous player. He can flip games. He’s a good DB.
“I may not agree with some of the places he likes to lay contact. He’s taken some of my brothers out of the game, and I think about that too. So if I get a chance to get my hands on him, you know, playing football.”
It doesn’t sound like Kraft is going to shy away from throwing a hard block in the open field, if he’s given the chance to.
The Kraft vs. Joseph matchup certainly pits strength against strength, with the Packers’ star tight end entering with 36 catches for 480 yards and six touchdowns, while Joseph has logged 56 total tackles with seven interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown as an instrumental cog in Detroit’s success on defense.
All eyes will be on this matchup in a pivotal game for both teams from a playoff positioning standpoint.
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