Barnes has been a good complement to veteran Christian Kirksey, who has 16 tackles, two sacks and an interception as the 'Will' linebacker in the Packers' base and nickel packages the last three games.
"From the day he walked in here, one, you would never think he was an undrafted rookie," Pettine said. "Just the way he carries himself, he's very poised. He's not overly emotional. If he has a bad play, he shakes it off and it's on to the next one. He's another one of those guys … when he makes a mistake, he's locking it in and he doesn't do it again."
Barnes' takeaway is one of 12 the defense generated over the last eight regular-season games, twice what it had through the first eight games. Meanwhile, tighter red-zone defense saw Green Bay surrender 39 fewer points (4.9 per game) in the second half of the year than the first.
Winning the battle on the ground also has played into the Packers' fortunes. Rushing champion Derrick Henry was held under 100 yards against Green Bay in Week 16. The following week? He bulldozed through Houston for 250 yards to launch over 2,000 for the season.
David Montgomery, one month after breaking a 57-yard run against Green Bay in Week 12, had just 69 yards on 22 carries last Sunday at Soldier Field.
In the end, the Packers finished inside the top 10 in total defense (334.0 yards per game) for the first time in a decade. As the gold rush continues on offense, Green Bay's defense is holding up its end of the bargain, as well.
"I think it's been critical," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "The red-zone defense has been exceptional over the last month of the season and we need that to continue. Because now come playoff time, everything gets a little bit tighter, every team is pretty equally competitive and it's going to be a tough game."
January 08, 2021 at 11:33PM
https://www.packers.com/news/packers-winning-in-red-and-gold-zone-this-season
Packers winning in red (and gold) zone this season - Packers.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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