If the Green Bay Packers’ defense is going to find a way to help this team make the Super Bowl, it will probably need players like Chandon Sullivan and Rashan Gary to make solid contributions down the stretch. However, in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, those two players were barely seen in the second half.

Sullivan played 33 snaps at Ford Field on Sunday, his fewest since week eight and third-fewest in any game all season. Likewise, Gary’s 19 snaps were more than just two other games this year, and both of those were contests that found him dealing with injuries.

Gary’s absence from the defense in the second half came without any explanation from the Packers, but Sullivan’s was more easily explained. The latter seemed to be performance-based, as he struggled to cover the Lions’ receivers for much of the game. Grading and advanced coverage stats later this week should tell his story a bit better, but for now, the Packers need their young slot corner to elevate his play moving forward, particularly with a talented Panthers receiving corps on deck next week.

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