The Colorado Avalanche are involved in another goalie trade today. Just nine days ago, Colorado traded Scott Wedgewood to the Nashville Predators for Justus Annunen, but today they made another deal. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round pick were all acquired by the Avalanche from the San Jose Sharks. In exchange, the Sharks got forward Nikolai Kovalenko, goalie Alexander Georgiev, a 2025 fifth-round selection, and a 2026 second-round pick.
Green Bay, Wisconsin When you only run 45 offensive plays, as the Green Bay Packers did in their 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday, it’s difficult to persuade many people to watch the football.
Ask Jayden Reed, the dynamic receiver who has been the Packers’ best passing player at times this season. Against the Lions, Reed only received the ball once.
Perhaps if he hadn’t dropped that one target—yes, his mother insisted it was a drop—he might have noticed it more. It would have been near a first down and occurred on a short out on second-and-5 from Detroit’s 47-yard line in the first quarter. On that drive, the Packers failed to get a first down and punted two plays later.
Although it was hard to tell on camera if Reed dropped it, ESPN Research reported that he has dropped seven this season, which is tied for second place in the NFL.
Reed stated that his mother is a strict grader. “I asked my Mom, and she said on the TV copy it was a drop,” Reed said. “Just coming out with a catch may have shifted the momentum. You never know, therefore that might also be the case.
But when you barely play 25 snaps, as Reed did against the Lions, it’s also difficult to get the ball. That came after the Packers defeated Miami on Thanksgiving, in which Reed participated in 36 of the team’s 54 offensive plays.
Reed has actually accumulated 73 yards receiving on eight catches in four games since his five-catch, 113-yard performance in the Week 9 defeat to the Lions at Lambeau Field. This includes last week’s zero-catch game against Detroit. “I always want the ball in my hands,” Reed shared. “But there’s a lot I can’t control. I’m not the one making the calls. It’s a team game. The blocking has to be executed well, and a lot of things need to align for those opportunities to come up.”
Some of that starts with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, who on Monday explained Reed’s limited role in the game against the Lions.
“We tried to get him involved early,” LaFleur said. “In fact, the first play was designed to go to either him or [Dontayvion] Wicks. But we got sacked on that play.
“On the first third down, we targeted him, and he drew a DPI [defensive pass interference]. Then, early in the game, on second-and-five with the ball at midfield, we threw him an out route, but we couldn’t complete it.” LaFleur stated that the Lions countered the Packers’ three-receiver formations with a defensive strategy that forced the Packers to pass the ball.
In the Green Bay Packers’ 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions, it was difficult for many players to get involved due to the team running only 45 offensive plays. Jayden Reed, who has been one of the Packers’ standout receivers this season, saw the ball come his way just once during the game.
That lone target was dropped by Reed on a short out route during the first quarter, which would have been close to a first down. The Packers ended up punting on that drive. While it’s tough to verify the drop on film, ESPN Research counted it as one of seven drops Reed has had this season, which ties for second in the NFL.
Reed himself acknowledged the drop, agreeing with his mom’s assessment that it was a missed catch. He mentioned that it could have changed the momentum of the game.
Part of Reed’s limited involvement was his playtime, as he only participated in 25 snaps during the Lions’ game. This was a decrease from the 36 snaps he played in the Thanksgiving win over Miami. Since his 113-yard performance against the Lions in Week 9, Reed has had 73 receiving yards on just eight catches over the past four games, including the zero-catch game against Detroit.
“I always want the ball in my hands,” Reed said, explaining that while he can’t control everything, such as the plays called or the execution, there are many factors involved in making big plays.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur added that they tried to get Reed involved early in the game, with the first play designed to go to either Reed or Dontayvion Wicks. However, the play ended in a sack. Later, Reed drew a defensive pass interference penalty on a third-down attempt, and on another play, a failed out route didn’t result in a completed pass.
LaFleur noted that the Lions countered the Packers’ three-receiver sets with a defensive strategy that pressured the Packers to pass the ball, which may have impacted Reed’s role in the game. “We didn’t want to get into that kind of game,” LaFleur explained. “We knew it was crucial to keep running the ball. The issue was that there weren’t many running plays that worked well against that defensive setup, so that’s why we tried to use more bigger personnel, like two-tight-end formations.”
LaFleur acknowledged that there were still opportunities to get Reed more involved on the field.
“Where we can improve is, and I talked to Jayden about this, is making sure we have plays in the game plan specifically for him to go out there and play wide receiver, because he’s clearly an impactful player,” LaFleur said. “It wasn’t by design that we didn’t want to throw him the ball. That’s never the case. We even tried to get him involved in the red zone, but they did a good job.”
Reed still leads the Packers in targets (59), catches (44), and…Reed also leads the team in receiving yards (693) and ranks second to tight end Tucker Kraft in touchdown receptions (six). Additionally, Reed has a rushing touchdown from the season opener and has accumulated 128 yards on 13 carries, including end-arounds, jet sweeps, and similar plays…….
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