It was yet another frustrating game to watch for Packer fans everywhere, but this one at least ended up giving the green and gold another notch in the “W” column.

This week’s Game Changing Play of the Week is the crucial interception snagged by Kevin King with less than two minutes to play, which gave Aaron Rodgers and the offense a chance to march down the field to win the game.

Let’s take a look.

I see you Kevin King. I SEE YOU. pic.twitter.com/KZsU6hXxRq

— Dusty (@DustyEvely) October 16, 2018

The Context

To understand how truly important this pick is, you have to consider how bad the team had been on defense for the vast majority of the game—especially the first half.

The Packers’ defense allowed 24 points in the first half to a 1-4 49ers team starting its backup, CJ Beathard, at quarterback. Beathard looked like the second coming of Steve Young, and the Packers’ run defense also got gashed almost the entire game. For a team that was supposed to be offensively challenged, the 49ers sure made it look easy against the Packers’ D for much of the game.

On this particular drive, the Packers had just gotten the tying touchdown to Davante Adams. On the kickoff, the 49ers were gifted an extra 15 yards on the return thanks to yet another beyond-boneheaded penalty by Tony Brown, who killed the team with a taunting penalty against Detroit.

Given how poorly the Packers’ defense had played, the starting field position the 49ers had and the amount of time they had to drive down the field, it was not looking good for the Packers’ chances of winning the game.

Until Kevin King pulled in his first interception as a professional.

The Play

The 49ers line up in a tight shotgun formation. Marquise Lee, who had been doing the most damage to the Packers among 49er receivers, is the man who’s going to be the intended target for this pass. He’s second from the top in this shot, running straight down the seam, covered by King.

Mike Pettine decides to bring pressure on Beathard, with seven rushers coming in. Circled is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who’s going to break free on the play and be the primary provider of the pressure on Beathard that forces the throw.

This is putting a lot of pressure on the DBs, because they’re all now in single-coverage against San Francisco’s receivers once the rush starts. If the rush doesn’t get there, this could turn into a big play situation.

With seven rushers coming in, the back is forced to make a snap decision of who he’s going to chip. He manages to stymie Blake Martinez, but Clinton-Dix comes in free to put a heavy rush on Beathard, and Dean Lowry pushes through his man in the center to do his part in forcing Beathard to make a rushed throw deep to Lee.

Watching this play live, I was actually a little worried that Lee had gotten behind King. But watching it again, King had pretty good coverage the whole way. And, of course, the underthrown ball helped. 

King’s first interception as a pro probably came much later than he’d have hoped, but it certainly came at an opportune moment in a game the Packers absolutely had to have, as they prepare to head into the toughest part of their schedule.

So what do we make of the Packers after this game? Is this a game to feel good about, given the way it ended, or still more reason for concern, given the way it started? The Packers still have not shown any ability to play a complete game of football so far this year, and the first-half play by the defense against a bad offense was especially concerning today.

The good news is the team has two weeks to reflect and correct before it takes on arguably the best team in the league, the Los Angeles Rams. But while this may have been an exciting victory, it certainly didn’t give me much more reason to believe as a fan that this team can be a contender in January.