In early 2017, the Green Bay Packers’ promising season came to an abrupt halt with a 44-21 beatdown at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.
A lot of things went wrong in that game. But the most dispiriting aspect was Julio Jones catching nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns at the expense of the Packers’ helpless secondary (most often Ladarius Gunter).
As with most of the defense’s playoff failures in the 2010s, Ted Thompson addressed the problem via the draft, selecting Kevin King with the 33rd pick that spring.