4 Under the Radar Playoff Playmakers for Green Bay Packers
By Kenny Jilek
Green Bay Packers Under the Radar Playoff Playmaker: Krys Barnes
While all of the linebacker attention has been going to De’Vondre Campbell, and deservedly so because he’s a legitimate All-Pro, the guy playing next to him has been quietly having a pretty solid second NFL season.
Barnes kept an almost identical tackle total from last season of 81, and this year, he’s added four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, a sack, and four tackles for loss. None of those numbers jump off the page, but he’s made some impact plays here and there over the course of the year.
He’s played 52 percent of the Green Bay Packers’ defensive snaps this season, and he’ll probably see somewhat of a dip in the playoffs with Jaire Alexander back and Joe Barry likely wanting to get him, Rasul Douglas, and Eric Stokes all on the field together. However, he still has a sizeable role to play, especially in the run game. We’ve seen some shaky run defense from the green and gold the last few weeks of the season, and teams will no doubt attack that weakness. Barnes will have to fill gaps well and do his job if they want to get teams into third and long situations where they can unleash their freakish stable of pass rushers.
Once in a while, a defensive player will just luck into an interception or fumble recovery off of a tipped pass or just being in the right place at the right time. Barnes could easily find himself in this position of the hero as the beneficiary of some good luck.