Jonathan Greenard calls hit that hurt Vikings teammate 'pathetic'

Pat Jones II got injured on a low block from Packers tight end Tucker Kraft on Sunday.

Dec 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) reacts during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Packers tight end Tucker Kraft's low block resulted in a potentially significant knee injury for Vikings OLB Pat Jones II during Sunday's game. Jonathan Greenard, who shares a position room with Jones, was not pleased.

"Dude motioned from 30 yards away to STILL cut him," Greenard posted on X/Twitter after the game. "Pathetic. Be a man, block up high. @NFL get rid of this block PLEASE."

Dude motioned from 30 yards away to STILL cut him. Pathetic. Be a man block up high. @NFL get rid of this block PLEASE. https://t.co/x6XP1Us9ji

— Jonathan Greenard (@jongreenard7) December 30, 2024

Kraft's cut block may have been a legal one within the current rules, as Tom Brady noted on the FOX broadcast. The hit occurred near the line of scrimmage while Jones wasn't engaged with any other blocker. But it was also interesting to see that one happen not long after Harrison Smith was flagged for a low block on defense when he hit a Packers offensive lineman in the midsection, not the knee area.

Greenard clearly wants the league to make those blocks by offensive players illegal, considering how dangerous they can be for defensive players. And legality aside, he believes it was a weak move from Kraft to go low instead of blocking Jones up high on the play.

Jones, a fourth-year player with seven sacks this season, did not return to the game. Kevin O'Connell said afterwards that he expects him to miss some time moving forward.

"It's a right knee injury," O'Connell said. "Hopefully we avoided kind of a super long-term injury, but I won't know much more than that until he gets fully evaluated. But expecting him probably to miss a little bit of time. Like I said, I don't know what that looks like as of right now."

Greenard has 11 sacks and has established himself as a team leader in his first season with the Vikings.

---

Stay up to date on all things Vikings by bookmarking Minnesota Vikings On SI, subscribing to our YouTube channel, and signing up to receive our free Vikings newsletter.