The Green Bay Packers are headed to Minneapolis to round out the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings, hoping simply to avoid any bad luck ahead of a playoff run that will begin in either Chicago or Philadelphia next weekend.
Unfortunately for safety Evan Williams, the NFL handed him some bad news the day before the game in the form of a fine for $6,448. The punishment comes in the wake of a play against the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the teams’ Week 17 contest.
The league Office of Gameday Accountability penalized Williams for unnecessary roughness on Saturday, January 3 for what it described as a “hit on a defenseless player.”
Williams also incurred an identical fine of $6,448 for utilizing his helmet during a hit against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in Week 9. The Packers lost that game, just as they did against the Ravens in Week 17.
Evan Williams Crucial to Injury-Plagued Packers’ Defense in Playoffs
GettyGreen Bay Packers safety Evan Williams.
Williams will not miss time for his transgression, which doesn’t matter in Week 18 because Green Bay has the No. 7 seed locked up and can’t move forward in the seeding or fall out of the playoff picture regardless of a win or a loss.
However, Williams will be key for an injured Packers defense that will face a difficult challenge in Round 1 of the postseason on the road against either the high-powered Bears offense or the well-rounded and championship proven Eagles attack.
Williams ranks as the 22nd-best safety in the league heading into Week 18 out of 98 players at the position who have seen enough snaps to qualify, per Pro Football Focus.
He is the 10th-best safety against the run in just his second professional season, which makes him absolutely key against the rushing attacks of either Chicago or Philadelphia.
The Bears rank third in the league in run offense at 149.4 yards per game, while the Eagles are tied with the Packers for 17th (119.3 yards per contest) but employ Saquon Barkley, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year who ran for over 2,000 rushing yards in 2024, as their starting running back.
Green Bay won’t have edge-rusher Micah Parsons, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt or cornerback Nate Hobbs for the playoffs, as all are on the injured reserve list (IR) with season-ending injuries.
Packers Will Sit Jordan Love Against Vikings in Week 18
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers have tipped their hand and are clearly preparing for the playoffs, as the team won’t play quarterback Jordan Love against the Vikings on Sunday.
Love has missed the last game and a half with a concussion, but he has cleared the league’s mandatory protocol and is healthy enough to go in Week 18.
Green Bay will instead prioritize rest and health in the days leading up to its first playoff game, as injury issues have hobbled the offense as well as the defense in recent weeks. The Packers are now an unlikely candidate for the Super Bowl after so many key contributors have gone down with serious injuries.
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