The Packers traded away Ty Montgomery just days after he blew their chance at taking down the best team in football
- Ty Montgomery fumbled away the Green Bay Packers chance of winning on Sunday.
- Two days later, he was traded away to the Ravens for basically nothing.
- The sequence made clear one of the biggest differences between the Rams and the Packers so far this season.
It's been a rough few days for Ty Montgomery.
On Sunday, Montgomery spoiled the Packers' shot at yet another fourth-quarter comeback. After the Los Angeles Rams scored a late go-ahead field goal, the stage was set for Aaron Rodgers - down two points with two minutes remaining to the best team in football. The Packers would get the ball back needing only a field goal to win.
But Montgomery fielded the Rams kickoff and rather than opting for a touchback, he decided to try for a return. He fumbled the ball away, and with it, the Packers' chances of winning the game.
On the sidelines, Rodgers was miffed that his fourth-quarter comeback had been spoiled.
After the game, reports from the Packers locker room were fiery against Montgomery's decision to take the ball out of the end zone.
"I mean, what the f--- are you doing?" one player asked. "We've got Aaron Rodgers, the best I've ever seen, and you're gonna take that risk? I mean, it's '12'! All you gotta do is give him the ball, and you know what's gonna happen."
Then, just two days later, Montgomery was gone. After three and a half seasons with the Packers, Montgomery was dumped to the Baltimore Ravens just before the trade deadline. If anyone needed proof that the Packers were eager to get rid of him, their asking price was a 2020 seventh-round draft pick.
While no one involved in the deal can say it out loud, it's clear that the Packers decided that after such a monumental error, Montgomery couldn't be with the team for another game.
For the Ravens, the deal worked out - Montgomery is still a versatile offensive weapon that could be useful for a team that hasn't blown anyone away with their rushing attack so far this year. And for the Packers, it was a necessary cut off dead weight.
When the Rams got the ball after Montgomery's fumble, the winning play wasn't another score, but instead, Todd Gurley's decision to fall short of the end zone. The move came not just from Gurley, but the team's focus on knowing a situation, preparing for every moment, and putting the team before individual accolades.
For the Rams, that meant giving up an easy touchdown to ensure the Packers didn't get the ball back. For the Packers, that means taking a knee in the end zone so you can make sure your once-in-a-lifetime quarterback gets his shot to lead you to victory.
Montgomery didn't, and now he's gone.