The 2010 Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl. Say it again, and enjoy the taste of it as it rolls off the tongue like a delicious ice cream on a hot summer day. The Green bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl.
By virtue of their 21 – 14 win over their hated division rival Chicago Bears the Packers, QB Aaron Rodgers and Head Coach Mike McCarthy are doing what almost everyone thought was not only impossible but ludicrous. These Packers, they of the 16 IR’d players already, the team with such a horrible Special Teams unit and porous offensive line have taken the ball and run it down the throats of their critics.
The Packers are in the Super Bowl.
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| Aaron Rodgers took another shot against the Bears |
But something clicked in the Packers in that game. Matt Flynn came out of the bullpen and damn near pulled off the miracle upset. In defeat the Packers found a lot about themselves – in spite of the injuries and losses they were still a formidable team. And once they realized failure was no longer an option, they ratcheted up their game across the board.
Starting in week 15 they dismantled the Giants, gutted out a 10 – 3 squeaker against the Bears, hit the road after locking up the last available playoff spot and promptly dispatched the Eagles and destroyed Atlanta. Hot? There are islands in the Caribbean that only wish they could be this hot. Now peaking they flew into the Windy City and straight into the teeth of the ferocious Bears defense.
The Packers have all along sported one of the toughest and stingiest of defenses in the NFL this year. Bend? Sure. Break? Never.
For the Bears, a team built on smoke and mirrors all season the clock finally struck midnight. There is no questioning the Bears heart or defense. Their offense, however, is another story. Maligned all season with QB Jay Cutler at the helm the Bears felt poised to return to the Super Bowl and confident as they face Green Bay for the 182nd time, and only the 2nd time in history these famed rivals faced off.
The Bears pre game confidence fell like a soufflé in a nursery school as Rodgers methodically and purposefully marched the Pack down the field on their opening drive and called his own number on a naked bootleg to give the Packers a lead they would never forfeit. On a day when the temperature belied the heat of competition the Packers remained hot and jumped out to a 14 point lead in the 2nd quarter when James Starks picked up a TD as he ran for 74 tough yards on the day.
At this juncture that Pack was in complete control and the defense had smothered Cutler and the Bears offense. So potent was the Packer defense that Cutler was ultimately taken from the game with an injury. There will be some that question Cutler’s heart for doing this but after the pounding the Pack put on him it is reasonable to expect that the hits that just kept on coming added up.
Of course, the term “complete control of the game” and “Packers” go together like Corn Flakes and motor oil. As Rodgers positioned the Packers for the deathblow as the second half was underway when he made an admittedly horrible decision, tossing a pick right into Brian Urlacher’s waiting paws. Had Rodgers not had the presence of mind to chase down Urlacher and trip him up the outcome could have been altered. Rodgers best play of the day may have been the game saving tackle.
Rodgers took another devastating blow to the head when Julius Peppers went helmet-to-helmet on a wicked hit. From that point on Rodgers did not appear as comfortable or even quite as accurate. But Rodgers had done his job. He did not need to strap the Pack on his back and carry them; today Rodgers did enough to have the Packers carry him. The D just stepped it up and let the offense lean on them for the balance of the game.
Greg Jennings returned to form just in time picking up many key first downs from Rodgers. On this day it was not the stars that shined brightest however. The trip to Dallas was bought and paid for through the efforts of the unsung heroes, especially on defense.
As 3rd string QB Caleb Haine marched Da Bears in for 7 it was B. J. Raji who stepped up as huge as his frame. Raji’s interception and rumbling romp into the end zone will join the iconic images of Starr in the Ice Bowl and Favre in the Super Bowl in Packer lore. Raji has been the glue that held the D together when players were dropping faster than a march of penguins into the Antarctic.
Rookie UDFA P Tim Masthay was money all day and kept All World PR Devin Hester to a meager 3 yards in returns on 8 punts. Masthay’s improvements go far beyond the measurables. His distance, hang time and placement of the ball allowed ST Ace Jarrett Bush to reward MM and TTY’s confidence in him, pinning the Bears deep on coverage downs. In the battle for field position the Packers out-special teamed the Bears.
Once known as “Mr. August” for his robust play in pre season but disappearing when the big boys showed up Desmond Bishop also had a stellar outing. Second only to A.J. Hawk in tackles this year Bishop shed his iffy coverages and suspect tackling and plugged more holes than Josephine the Plumber.
The game hung in the balance when the 2 All Pros of the Packs DBs Charles Woodson and Nick Collins pulled the old “I got him/ you take him” routine on a ball to Bear WR Earl Bennett that pulled the Bears to within one TD. The Packers desperately needed someone to step up.
UDFA rookie CB Sam Shields was that player. It was not Tramon Williams or Charles Woodson or Clay Matthews but Shields who played hero grabbing 2 important picks. As Cutler tried to hit Johnny Knox Shields time his leap perfectly to come away with swipe #1. But it was his last minute pick to seal the deal that will propel Shields into the next level. As Haine launched a last gasp strike Shields cut the flight of the ball off and used his blazing speed to get the ball back to the 50 before he realized all he had to do was simply fall down to make his first trip to the Super Bowl. And with Shields blistering speed no one could catch him to tell him to plant it.
As Green Bay prepares to go to Dallas to face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers it is worth noting than despite his torrid start Rodgers had a far less than Rodgers-like day, finishing with a sore head, busted lip and an ugly QB rating around 55. For the Packers to be successful while Rodgers at times struggled is a portent of good fortune and things to come. No longer reliant solely on their big QB’s game to win the Packers fought and battled and won ugly. Over time the term ‘ugly’ will be removed.
In all fairness as high as Rodgers was there was only one place he could go. For Rodgers to not have his best game here may also work in favor of the Packers. To see their own mortality and rise above it these Packers may learn that, in this most demanding of season, they are truly capable of anything. A couple weeks rest and a refocusing on the only thing left will be on everyone’s plate.
The Packers collectively come away from this game saying “yeah, we won… but we KNOW we can play better.”
Aaron Rodgers can hardly wait. He is in the Super Bowl.
Hey Mike, just got a call from Mike McCarthy, he said to tell you all is forgiven!!
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