ALMOST…

Flynn Rallies Pack from Huge Hole

The dread hung in the frigid air over Lambeau Field. Some 80,000 strong felt as if they watching the end of an injury riddled disappointing season at the hands of their arch enemies from Minnesota. The Vikings held a 23 – 7 lead halfway thru the 4^th period over the Packers and hope had joined warmth in an early exit.

Scott Tolzien started his 2^nd straight game and made a highlight reel spin-o-rama move that left several Viking jockstraps on the field as he scrambled, spun, juked and launched himself into the end zone for his first rushing TD as a pro, a score that would give Green Bay its’ only lead for the day. After the score Tolzien, the Packers offense and the Pack’s rushing D all went into the deep freeze.

Playing Minnesota is a fairly simple equation – on paper. The Vikings basic format

reads something like this: Adrian Peterson runs left, Peterson runs right, Peterson up the middle, Ponder throws (lonely if he has to and we cross our fingers) and occasionally Toby Gerhart spells Peterson. The task? Stop Peterson.

Once again the Packers rush defense was bowled over and had no answers for the future Hall of Fame lock. Peterson had another huge day at the Pack’s expense with 146 yards, but the true backbreaker was found in his relief in Toby Gerhart who put up 91 yards of his own and a gaudy 11.2 yards/ carry average. As a team Minnesota rushed for 232 yards and in the process exposed the glaring inefficiencies of the Pack’s run defense.

It was only a month ago the Packers rushing defense was in the Top 10. 4 weeks – 4 games. But that was before. Aaron Rodgers was lost in the Bears game early with a broken collarbone and the Packers haven’t been the same since on either side of the ball. It was expected the offense would dip especially after Seneca Wallace went down with an injury for the year and Tolzien came from the practice squad to lead the team.

Under Tolzien the Packers offense has been sporadic, lifeless, and unthreatening. Eddie Lacy has become the Packers workhorse RB but he alone cannot carry the flag and hopes of the Packers by himself. Tolzien has looked at times promising. Against Minnesota that promise never quite materialized. Tolzien’s tendency to sling the ball side arm, a throwing motion most likely the culprit for him slipping thru the draft unchosen, resulted in only 1 big play – a 34 yard strike that Jordy Nelson jumped to catch but he was well off on his other deep balls.

Jarrett Boykin was underthrown on no less than 3 occasions while Christian Ponder

of Minnesota was looking like the franchise-savior he was supposed to be when he was taken in the Top 10 2 years ago.

Ponder was concise and deadly accurate for the day throwing for 233 yards, 1 TD but zero interceptions. For Ponder that is a great stat line. But in playing the Packers, a team that has single digit interceptions this year the feat pales to a degree. Once again the Packers defense field to pick off a pass, and only a missed facemask call on A.J. Hawk resulted in a fumble recovery. As Peterson collided hard with the Packers’ leading tackler this year Hawk’s hand clearly yanked Peterson’s head down on the grab but no flag was thrown. As Leslie Frazier, the head coach of the Vikings, threw the red flag to challenge the ruling on the field as a fumble the officials emerged from the review even more red-faced as Hawk was clearly caught red-handed. But since a flag was not thrown on the play it could not be applied retroactively.

It didn’t matter.

After marching the Packers downfield to grab an early lead Green Bay’s offense sputtered and was held by a Viking defense playing for pride. Ponder kept cool and kept finding open receivers while Peterson ran wild. 3 Blair Walsh field goals, a TD posted by Peterson and Ponder’s pitch to Rhett Ellison from the 12 staked the Vikings to a seemingly insurmountable lead. The Packers knew entering the fray what this contest meant. Losing would all but kill their chances for the playoffs this year.

By the middle of the 3^rd quarter Mike McCarthy had finally seen enough. Under

Tolzien the Packers were stuck in the mud and beyond Lacy, who had 110 bruising yards on the day, were flat lining offensively. Tolzien, a week removed from “…hitting all his big throws…” according to McCarthy whiffed on them after Nelson yanked his early on. With the game and the season hanging in the balance McCarthy and Packer Nation turned their lonely eyes to an old favorite in the recently acquired Matt Flynn.

This is the same Matt Flynn that, by virtue of two starts and a monster day against Detroit 2 years ago as  a Packer, departed for the green pastures of free agency only to find even more disappointment in being cut loose by 3 different organizations. Whatever Flynn was not showing elsewhere was not evident as he entered the game and immediately provided a spark the Packers haven’t seen since a certain league and Super Bowl MVP went onto the shelf.

Flynn led the Packers in two long marches down the field. After Eddie Lacy thundered thru for 6 McCarthy wasted no time in doing what any coach in the league would have done – he went for two. And that one came up blank, a point that would be oh so tantalizing in the end. Flynn did more than provide a spark – he jump started the entire team. The defense stiffened. Flynn led another long drive that was capped off with a strike to Jarrett Boykin, cutting the lead to 3.

And in the most improbable of ways Flynn did it again in driving the Packers into position for the game tying field goal with 46 seconds left. The seemingly insurmountable lead had vanished for the Vikings. The Pack was back, and the momentum carried right thru into the overtime where Green Bay won the toss.

Naturally Flynn drove the Packers right down the field aided by a free play offside penalty where Flynn underthrew a prayer that Jarrett Boykin contorted himself to snag and do the tippy toe tap on the sidelines. From there it was Lacy who almost bulled his way in until enough Vikings piled on to bring him down. On 3^rd down Flynn missed Nelson altogether and the Packers took their first lead since Tolzien’s jaunt and turned the game over to the defense.

And the Vikings did what they do best – gave the ball to Peterson and his

replacement and ran the ball right back down the Packers’ throats. The defenses inability to make the big plays when needed has become a tired mantra. On 3^rd and 9 Peterson took a draw play for 15 yards and a key first down to extend the drive, a drive that saw Walsh knot the score once again. After 2 meaningless series the teams exited in a very strange tie. The point not taken when Green Bay went for two is truly a moot point. At the time it was the right move. Now there are options more than playing not to lose.

Thankfully the Lions and Bears shot themselves in the foot.  Detroit fell to a suddenly strong Tampa Bay squad that picked off Matt Stafford 4 times and killed them off when Calvin Johnson coughed up a deep ball late at the Bucs 8 yard line. Chicago fared no better against St. Louis by being whacked thoroughly. Now the NFC North is a real mess.

In spite of the tie the Packers till control their own destiny. By winning out they can clinch the NFC North. There are but 5 games left and 12 are against the Lions and Bears. Winning out is the same formula that was used in 2010. Can it happen again? Is Flynn the answer after all? Will Rodgers be back for Thanksgiving? Can the Packers rally?

McCarthy himself probably doesn’t know if his $43 million dollar man in Rodgers will be ready by Thursday. He doesn’t typically play the Bill Belichick annoyed with the media non-answer to a question game. The strong sentiment is as much as McCarthy wants to see Rodgers on the field and the fans and the media want an answer to the question about is he ready has to be simply “I just don’t know”.

If Rodgers can’t go on Thursday in the critical contest against Detroit McCarthy has to

like seeing what Flynn did on Sunday. McCarthy is far beyond sentiment and building for the future. The future is now, and Flynn gives the Pack the best chance at winning right now. Whatever shortcomings Flynn had elsewhere were not evident as he led the Packers once again. Flynn’s showing gave the Packers life.  And more importantly it gives the Packers and their fans hope.

It’s the best time of the year for football fans. The games all mean something now. There is no underscoring just exactly how huge a contest the Turkey day matchup is. No hyperbole, no hype, no build up. Just win fellas and first place is entirely possible.