This Thursday, Packers fans came to Lambeau Field hoping to see their team defeat a side that could score only three points in its previous outing. However, the Atlanta Fans came out guns blazing, causing immense pain to the Packers community. The stress aptly materialized in Maddie Clark, who went viral for pretending to check her pulse during the game.
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“Beginning of the fourth quarter, second drop in a row, and I do this little bit when I just have a minor inconvenience happen and I put my fingers up to my neck to check my pulse,” Clark said on FOX 11. “I was just doing it just to kind of relieve my own stress, and make my dad laugh and make myself giggle in such a hard time for us cheeseheads. Apparently I made the rest of America giggle as well.”
Clark was captured by the broadcast cameras, visibly stressed out. Green Bay was behind 20 points by then, with little hope of orchestrating a comeback. No wonder Clark felt prompted to pull the pulse-checking gag. However, she made it clear that this wasn’t an actual emergency.
“Oh, I feel bad for the people who thought I was really going through something right there,” she told FOX 11, which tracked her down afterward to check in. “I am obviously fine and doing okay. But it’s just a funny little thing I do for myself. I own my own business. I work with animals all day long. So, it’s just something that I do just to alleviate my own stress as a bit.
“It’s a little bit I do for myself to make me giggle in the midst of chaos. I’m a theater kid. I just think it’s okay to be overdramatic over minor inconveniences.”
Clark was informed of her virality minutes after the shot reached the masses. She said she received more than 500 messages from family and friends, who were not surprised at her reaction.
Clark’s hometown team is the Arizona Cardinals, but Green Bay has been her favorite team since childhood. She came across some diehard fans while visiting family there, who told her the story about the team. Clark “fell in love,” and the rest is history.
She added that one of those fans passed away and willed their Packers memorabilia to her. Clark felt it was her duty to carry forward that “legacy.”
As for the game, it was rough for the Packers Fans. Atlanta walked into Lambeau and left with a 35-14 win, snapping Green Bay’s 13-game home opener streak.
Michael Penix Jr. made his return from ACL surgery look easy, while the Packers defense gave up nearly 500 total yards. The run game was nonexistent, with the offense managing just 17 yards on nine attempts.
Jordan Love threw for 312 yards but spent most of the night under pressure and out of rhythm. Matthew Golden was the one guy who showed up, with 100 yards and his first career touchdown.
Matt LaFleur didn’t sugarcoat it afterward, calling the loss “humbling” and a “b–t-whooping.” It’s his first 1-2 start in eight seasons, and the 21-point margin is the worst home loss of his tenure.
The numbers were reason enough for Clark to react like that, who added that she “completely dissociated” at that moment.
“Certainly I don’t think anybody’s pleased about this,” LaFleur said. “You know, we’ve got a couple extra days here and everybody’s got to take a long hard look at themselves and we got to find solutions and just come back ready to work. But it certainly was a tough night.”
Green Bay heads to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next. Packers fans should not be left to check their pulse again.