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How Packers' bizarre fumble nearly gave Bears new life in playoff game
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- How Packers' bizarre fumble nearly gave Bears new life in playoff game
How Packers' bizarre fumble nearly gave Bears new life in playoff game originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Green Bay Packers reserve tackle Darian Kinnard isn't a household name, but he nearly became one for the wrong reasons on Saturday night.
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With the Packers ahead by 15 points and looking for more, they decided to throw the Chicago Bears ' defense a curveball by putting the ball in the hands of Kinnard and hoping he could use his size to pick up some yardage.
Kinnard, starting in place of injured tackle Zach Tom , gained momentum but saw the ball pop out and somehow not end up in the hands of a Bears defender in a heart-stopping moment for Packers fans.
Here's a look at the bizarre play that went wrong for both teams in Saturday's playoff game.
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Darian Kinnard fumble, explained
Jordan Love hit Kinnard, an offensive lineman, on a pass deep in Packers territory in the third quarter on Saturday night, and Kinnard was able to pick up six yards before he was stripped of the ball.
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Kinnard inadvertently kicked the ball, which advanced it about 15 yards up the field for what looked like a Bears recovery, but Gervon Dexter knocked it out of bounds while trying to dive on top of it. Dexter slammed his hands on the field, and the result of the play was Packers ball at the spot where Kinnard fumbled because it could not be advanced by going out of bounds.
For all of the chaos, Kinnard will go down as having a six-yard reception in a playoff game, something a journeyman tackle likely never imagined, but there is no doubt he panicked for a few seconds before the Bears wasted an opportunity to take over in Green Bay territory.
