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Keke Catches Daniels’ Attention After Two-Sack Game

Like Mike Daniels in 2013, Kingsley Keke is having a breakout second season for the Packers.
Bill Huber|
Keke Catches Daniels’ Attention After Two-Sack Game
Keke Catches Daniels’ Attention After Two-Sack Game

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After a two-sack performance on Sunday, Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kingsley Keke has gained one notable fan.

Former Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels noted some statistical similarities between himself and Keke, then added, “The young fella is exciting to watch!”

Keke doubled his season sack total in Sunday’s 30-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s tied with Rashan Gary for second on the team with four sacks.

On the first, he got knocked down, recovered and dropped Carson Wentz. On the second, he beat former All-Pro Jason Peters.

“It felt great,” Keke said. “Coming in, I had a really good week of practice. Just running to the ball, working hard and trying to get better and really focus in on it and help my game out. So, it paid off today.”

Daniels was a fourth-round pick in 2012. Playing about 14 snaps per game, he had two sacks as a rookie. In 2013, he registered a career-high 6.5 sacks, kicking off a five-year run of 25 sacks. Keke was a fifth-round pick in 2019. Playing only about six snaps per game as a rookie, he had zero sacks and just one quarterback hit.

After not drafting a defensive lineman in April, the Packers came into this season counting on Keke to make a Daniels-style step forward in Year 2. According to Pro Football Focus, Keke leads the team’s defensive linemen with 18 quarterback pressures. That’s three more than Kenny Clark, who hasn’t been nearly as impactful as last season.

Against Philadelphia, Keke helped power a pass rush that collected a season-high seven sacks and helped hold the Eagles to just one touchdown.

“It felt great because we have a lot of guys that can rush the passer,” he said. “Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan (Gary), Kenny, a lot of guys that can rush the passer. And to be on a team like this that’s so talented and can affect the quarterback pretty well. But seven sacks, that’s a big accomplishment for us. Moving forward, I know we can definitely keep affecting the quarterback.”

Keke was part of a massive day by the team’s 2019 draft class. First-round pick Gary had 1.5 sacks, first-round pick Darnell Savage had his third interception in two games, second-rounder Elgton Jenkins had a strong first start at center and Keke delivered his two sacks.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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