Wednesday Cheese Curds: Za’Darius Smith wreaking havoc once again

Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives.

So too, does Za’Darius Smith.

After a relatively quiet start to the season, Smith broke out in a big way Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. This comes on the tail of his crucial forced fumble of Taysom Hill in last week’s win over the New Orleans Saints.

Smith is now tied with Myles Garrett for the league lead with five sacks after a three sack performance Monday night.

Aside from what’s on the stat sheet, Smith was a destructive force all game. If he wasn’t throwing Matt Ryan to the turf he was at least in close enough proximity to affect the quarterback’s read progression and accuracy. It was a showcase in what Green Bay brought Smith in to do and served as a reminder that his stellar 2019 was no fluke.

With Kenny Clark nursing a groin injury and unavailable, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has been moving Smith around and not always utilizing him as strictly a pass rusher.

Yet he’s still making his presence known and making life miserable for quarterbacks. That’s a great sign for a defense still looking for a consistent full game.

Now for today’s curds.

Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith named NFC Defensive Player of Week—Packers Wire

The Z train has left the station again and is striking fear into the hearts of opponents. What a beautiful sight.

What You Might’ve Missed: Nobody could block him—Packers.com

You can try and block Smith but you likely won’t succeed. All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable.

Packers say no fans until COVID-19 rates improve—PackersNews.com

On a much more serious topic, Green Bay and surrounding areas are among the worst in the country right now for COVID-19 cases which means fans won’t be in Lambeau Field for awhile yet and really I don’t think they’ll be there at all this season barring a drastic turnaround.

Riding high at 4-0, Packers enter atypical bye week—Wisconsin State Journal

NFL protocols require players to stay in their teams’ cities during the bye week so players won’t be able to take their usual getaways during their off time. Thankfully the hot start should ward off any bye week blues for the Packers.

Ancient mummies unearthed in Egypt after more than 2,600 years—NBC News

Just what 2020 needed. A real life version of The Mummy.