Packers Take Giant Step Forward

On tonight’s episode of “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, the story of the 2011 Green Bay Packers go into New York and come out with a last minute win. Tune in to see a team with a perfect record go against a struggling team fighting for its playoff life.

It makes for an interesting analogy. The Packers put their perfect season against the G Men and the Giants, facing a similar situation as the Packers did from a season ago give the Pack everything they could handle. Eli Manning put up a big day but also failed to deliver the knockout blow, while Aaron Rodgers adds to his own spectacular season with another impressive start.

The Giants had their own manhood challenged in the days leading up to the confrontation with the Packers. Having been smoked in New Orleans the week before the Giants faced the unenviable task of having to take on the defending Super Bowl champs the following week, a daunting task for any team in any season. It goes beyond saying that drawing the last 2 Super Bowl winners on your schedule is a quirk that is less than appealing.

The Giants started off red hot, scoring on their opening drive when Manning launched a rainbow into the arms of seldom used Travis Beckum, who weaved his way through the soft coverage of Charlie Peprah and lost Morgan Burnett not once but twice en route to the end zone and a Giant lead.

Enter Rodgers, stage left.

Rodgers responds with his own drive, hitting a drop-prone Jermichael Finley at the 2 who rolled the rest of the way into the end zone to know the score. Packer faithful are growing accustomed to the sight. Rodgers comes off the bench, surveys the landscape, does something brilliant then goes back and doffs the beanie and takes a seat innocuously on the bench near Matt Flynn. Just another day in the life of the NFL’s big dog.

And in a game of chess the Giants retook the lead with a Lawrence Tynes field goal. While the Giants held a slim margin it was also an ‘uh oh’ moment. The Packers have the luxury of knowing that trading field goals against touchdowns is still a winning formula. Getting 3 and leaving points on the field against this Green Bay offense is a no no. The Packers are supremely confident in the ability to get the job done at any point in a game and from both the offense or the defense.

And so it was when Manning stepped back, tried to look off the Packer D and he tossed a pass that was picked off by Clay Matthews who ran it in untouched. Bang! Bang! Just that quick the Giants went from a lead to behind and looking dismayed in the process. But Rodgers did the unthinkable – he threw an interception in his own end. It was a very unusual sight and it set the Giants up for a 1 play plunge by Brandon Jacobs that gave the boys in blue a lead again.

Maybe the Giants should have called a timeout to enjoy the moment a bit longer. Maybe they would have had Tom Coughlin not wasted all his TO’s on challenges that went against him. With Rodgers at the helm the Packers are never far behind if they find themselves behind. The Giants have the lead? Okay, here’s our answer. Rodgers uses his legs at finds the Old Man in the corner of the end zone all alone and Donald Driver cradled the ball like a newborn child as Green Bay went into the half back on top 21- 17 in a back and forth contest. Mason Crosby had only his second miss as the half closed, pushing a 43 yarder wide right, points that were left on the field.

Mike McCarthy has learned his lessons well. His halftime adjustments are right now unparalleled in the NFL, and the Packers getting the ball to open a half is a scary sight. Rodgers marches the Packers down the field and caps it off with a toss to Greg Jennings to open up an 11 point lead.

But the Packers were not hitting on all cylinders. Their old friend, the dropsies, showed up for the game. Jermichael Finley saw a fair amount of balls and left a few of them on the turf. Jordy Nelson had an ugly drop as did Randall Cobb. Frustration was seen creeping into the smile of the affable Rodgers and he could be seen giving his receiving corps a death stare that made Darth Vader seem cuddly. Afterwards Rodgers said “We left a few yards on the field (with the dropped passes), but that’s going to happen. It’s part of the game.”

Give Manning credit. He moved the Giants back immediately hitting a couple long throws along the way and Hakeem Nicks brought his team close yet again. After a Tynes field goal the Giants had the uneasy feeling of a man wearing fiberglass underpants in a sauna. The Giants sideline held a feel of “We’re KILLING these guys! How come we’re still BEHIND???” Rodgers again marched the Packers back to open up an 8 point lead, and Manning set out to shake off the notion he can’t lead a comeback.

He did.

9 plays in 2 ½ minutes Manning finds Nicks again and D.J Ware naturally slams it in for 2 points to knot it up. Crosby’s miss looked that much larger now. The omens were in place. The dream was over. The Meadowlands were rocking, all of New York celebrated and the Packers perfect season was a fleeting memory while the Giants could grab the NFC East in a stranglehold.

But wait… hold the phone. Manning left 58 seconds on the clock. As Jermichael Finley scoffed post-game “that’s almost too much time” for this offense.

Cobb did a subtly brilliant thing by fair catching the ensuing kickoff and giving Rodgers the ball at the 20 with the entirety of those precious 58 ticks on the clock left. It took less time than it did to type this commentary or less time than it took to read it for Rodgers to strike. 3 consecutive passes for 24, 27, and 18 yards to Finley, Nelson and Jennings that set the ball on the Giants 14 showed how much faith McCarthy has in his troops. McCarthy deserves slot of credit for green lighting his potent offense to go after the W. Lombardi would have been proud. A lesser coach takes the knee and takes his chances. MM showed a bold initiative by attacking and taking the W away from New York, whose sideline was left in a dismayed sense of disbelief. And McCarthy clearly has his eye on the ball. His mantra of “We’re keeping our foot on the gas” is followed up by running the G Men over in the last 58 seconds. These are the small moments that once assembled make a full portrait of the man.

After killing the clock with 3 seconds left Crosby atoned for his gaffe with a 31 yard shot right down Main Street to make the talk this week all about ‘Can They Stay Perfect?’ and not ‘It’s Over’.

Afterwards Rodgers faced a phalanx of reporters, and his face answers more questions than he ever could. A writer asked Rodgers “Does this now silence your critics who say you’ve never had a late drive from behind?” Rodgers seemed taken aback by the question and he instinctively made a face that said “Are you kidding me? Really?”, but he immediately composed himself, shrugged, and said clearly and dismissively “Sure.”

With the win along with the Lions loss Green Bay locked up the NFC North and secures a playoff spot, a ho-hum addendum as this has been a foregone conclusion since the lockout was in full swing. When you’re on the kind of run the kind Rodgers and the Packers are on, words aren’t necessary. The results speak for themselves.