The Green Bay Packers are headed to the post season once again under Jordan Love. On Sunday, they’ll face off against the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings who are trying to stay in the race for the number one seed in the NFC.
However, it’s Detroit Lions Za’Darius Smith who is creating headlines this week.
“They Lied” Packers See Za’Darius Smith Open Old Wounds Ahead Of Playoffs (Report)
There is still a great deal of resentment between Smith and the Packers. During his first interview with Go Long in 2022, Smith spoke candidly about his back injury.
It turns out he barely scratched the surface during that conversation:
He has a lot more to say.
“It wasn’t right. I gave that team my all. They lied to me about my back,” Smith begins. “For a lot of fans who think I did wrong or was the mean guy in the locker room, that’s not my M.O. I’m not that type of player. I want to help my team win. But they didn’t know that story. And outside looking in, I’d be mad at me, too.”
He won’t forgive. He won’t forget. He’d love the chance to end their season. (Minnesota, too.) At 32 years old, Smith can go long stretches without dinging the quarterback. But even with the Lions — his fifth team in a decade — Smith has teased that he’s the rusher most-equipped to wreck a playoff game. One sack, one turnover is all this dynamite offense needs. Smith is well aware that the defense needs someone to put on the Superman cape.
The Packers hated when Smith opened up this wound in 2022, and they’ll probably hate it again. Smith doesn’t care.
Here is a look at Smith’s season stats:
| Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Tackles | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Team | Opp | Result | Int | Yds | IntTD | Lng | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | FRTD | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sfty | |
| 2024-12-22 | DET | @ | CHI | W 34-17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024-12-15 | DET | BUF | L 42-48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024-12-05 | DET | GNB | W 34-31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2024-11-28 | DET | CHI | W 23-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2024-11-24 | DET | @ | IND | W 24-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2024-11-17 | DET | JAX | W 52-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2024-11-03 | CLE | LAC | L 10-27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2024-10-27 | CLE | BAL | W 29-24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2024-10-20 | CLE | CIN | L 14-21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2024-10-13 | CLE | @ | PHI | L 16-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024-10-06 | CLE | @ | WAS | L 13-34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2024-09-29 | CLE | @ | LVR | L 16-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024-09-22 | CLE | NYG | L 15-21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2024-09-15 | CLE | @ | JAX | W 18-13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024-09-08 | CLE | DAL | L 17-33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
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