‘Prime Time’ Rasul Douglas retains saving Packers with late-game INTs – Inexperienced Bay Packers Weblog

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Nobody would enable two “Prime Time” nicknames, proper? Definitely not the one and solely “Prime Time” himself, Deion Sanders.

Don’t inform that to Jaire Alexander.

The Professional Bowl cornerback has given out that nickname within the Green Bay Packers’ locker room earlier than — and he is executed it once more — however the ultra-confident Alexander will not be speaking about himself.

He meant it for Rasul Douglas, who made one other game-clinching interception Sunday. The cornerbacks’ choose towards the Miami Dolphins with 1:29 left within the sport secured a 26-20 road win that stored the Packers (7-8) within the playoff hunt with two video games to go.

It was Douglas’ ninth interception for the reason that Packers signed him off the Arizona Cardinals‘ observe squad in October of 2021. Six of these have come within the fourth quarter, together with three with lower than 2:00 to play.

“Man, he jogged my memory of Rasul final 12 months,” Alexander mentioned. “I referred to as him ‘Prime Time’ final 12 months as a result of he was all the time making prime-time performs. He did it once more [Sunday]. So he was ‘Prime Time,’ after which we celebrated ultimately zone.”

Neither Douglas nor the Packers’ protection has lived as much as the preseason hype around a unit that was anticipated to hold the crew whereas the offense adjusted to life after the departure of star receiver Davante Adams whereas breaking in a few rookie receivers.

A minimum of the protection confirmed Sunday that it could possibly nonetheless shut out a sport.

That it got here after Douglas, Alexander and the remainder of the secondary appeared out of place or out of whack on lengthy go performs to Dolphins receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill solely furthered the necessity for the protection to redeem itself.

Secondary coach/passing sport coordinator Jerry Grey — one of many doable candidates for a promotion ought to coach Matt LaFleur determine to maneuver on from embattled defensive coordinator Joe Barry after this season — had seen sufficient massive performs towards his guys and wished the previous Douglas & Co. again. He lit into the defensive backs at halftime after Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had burned them a number of instances.

Douglas referred to as the usually mild-mannered Grey’s response, “stunning.”

“All people was like, ‘We actually received in bother. We actually received in bother,’” Douglas mentioned. “As a result of [Gray] talks, but it surely’s extra like soccer stuff. He’s all the time like a relaxed, chill individual. When he’s mad, stuff’s received to alter.”

And it did.

First, Alexander picked off a go that Tagovailoa launched over Hill’s head early within the fourth quarter. Then linebacker De’Vondre Campbell dropped into protection and snagged an interception. The Packers had been solely capable of flip that right into a discipline aim with 2:02 left, which means the Dolphins may win it with a landing.

Two performs later, Douglas ended it.

“It was an amazing play by him; he type of baited him,” Packers security Adrian Amos mentioned, “It was an amazing play by him. He baited him into that throw. Only a reduction; sport over.”

It was paying homage to Douglas’ first massive play with the Packers final season at Arizona, when he sealed a game with an interception ultimately zone with 12 seconds left. Or of final 12 months’s Christmas Day dwelling sport towards the Cleveland Browns when he did the identical factor with 50 seconds left.

These performs satisfied Packers basic supervisor Brian Gutekunst to reinvest in Douglas, signing him to a three-year, $21 million contract within the offseason.

Douglas began this season slowly, maybe as a result of he was enjoying out of place because the nickel/slot cornerback. He moved again exterior after Eric Stokes’ season-ending ankle damage in early November. Three of Douglas’ 4 interceptions this season have come after the transfer.

Because the begin of the 2021 season, Douglas has extra fourth-quarter interceptions than anybody within the NFL with six. Three others have 5, whereas Alexander ranks tied for fifth with 4.

Relationship again to the 2000 season, Douglas is one in all 5 Packers with six or extra fourth-quarter interceptions of their careers. Charles Woodson has 11 adopted by Tramon Williams (10), Nick Collins (10), and Sam Shields (eight). Douglas is on that record regardless of enjoying lower than two seasons with the Packers. He’s additionally the one non-Professional Bowler on that record.

“I’m actually simply happening really feel,” Douglas mentioned of his game-ending interception at Miami. “I do know the performs they like working and I’m going off really feel, making an attempt to maintain it in entrance of me and hold him in bounds, extra so as a result of they’d used all their timeouts, and simply going off really feel. If I really feel I can go get one thing, I’m going to attempt to finish it. If not, simply play the state of affairs.”

Whereas the emergence of rookie receiver Christian Watson has pushed the Packers’ offensive resurgence of late, the protection has lastly begun to do its half, too. The Packers have compelled eight turnovers of their previous three video games and have allowed simply 9 factors within the second half of these video games — the fewest factors allowed and the second-best level differential (45-9) within the NFL after halftime within the month of December.

“We simply stepped up, we simply began enjoying higher,” Douglas mentioned. “All of us checked out one another, like, ‘We’ve received them. We may get them. Come on.’ And we simply stored leaning on one another. All of us talked to one another and all the things. We noticed, we communicated it and received it proper.”