Monday, December 9, 2013


GAME ON!!!!

Packers Rally to Tighten NFC North Race

Just when it looked like the season was done, right at the moment when the Atlanta Falcons took a 21- 10 lead making the frigid air in Lambeau Field seem more like a winter long deep freeze, right when all hope for any playoffs appeared to be as broken as Aaron Rodgers’ left collarbone the strangest thing happened.

The Packers rallied. And the Packers won.

In a game that had more plot twists than a “Perils of Pauline’ episode Matt Flynn played like the Matt Flynn that was a highly sought backup. His exploits in Seattle, Oakland and Buffalo were underwhelming and his play in the Thanksgiving Day massacre in Detroit caused many to wonder if Flynn was ever capable of leading a team anywhere.

All that changed on Sunday. On a day when an NFL record was set for most touchdowns scored, a
record 64 boot from the Bronco’s Matt Prater it was a weekend that saw nail biters and snowstorms go hand-in-hand and more last minute heroics in a single weekend the Packers pulled off their own bit of derring-do and finally, mercifully, thankfully came out with a much needed W and a renewed sense of hope in the home stretch to the playoffs.

For the playoffs to even make it to Green Bay the Packers have but one edict – just win, baby. No losing allowed anymore. The fudge factor is gone and with your next ‘L’ so will you. Then Packers haven’t won since before Halloween. With snowstorm battering the country and a -2 wind chill on the field the Pack needed to get hot quickly. While the high flying aerial circus from Detroit was trying to take off in the snow in Philadelphia the Falcons were merely trying to keep warm in Green Bay.

Matty Ice – the Falcons QB Matt Ryan – may have had an appropriate nickname and he looked as cool as a beer in the back of the fridge as he led the once proud fallen Falcons to a commanding and imposing lead. For the day Ryan went 20/35 throwing for 206 yards but it wasn’t enough to light the Falcons’ fire.

Matt Flynn looked like the guy everybody remembered his last go-around in Titletown. While the offensive line had a sub-par game in yielding 5 sacks Flynn never lost his poise or command of the huddle. Eddie Lacy opened the scoring after the Packers strung together what has to be considered their best drive of the season. A 9+ minute, 90 play drive is impressive regardless of who is taking the snap. The Packers executed with poise and fury in grabbing an early lead.

But Packer fans have become very wary of an early lead. The defense, the much maligned and oft-criticized defense took the field. Of late the Packers have not shown the full commitment to the effort needed to stop the run at all. Teams have gashed and carved the Packers D almost at will. The Bears. The Giants. The Eagles. The Vikings. The Lions.  Every team had eye-popping success running against a D that had risen to #4 in the league against the run.     

Ryan responded to the Packers early lead by coming right back to open the 2nd quarter. A 78 yard
drive was capped when S Morgan Burnett was burned once again as Ryan hit Drew Davis for a 36 yard TD strike. The Falcons relied heavily upon Stephen Jackson but he was held to 71 yards for the day. The Packer D played with more intensity than they had shown of late.

But the offensive line for Green Bay had a rough day overall. A blind side jarring hit on a sack forced the ball from Flynn’s hand and Ryan hit future Hall of fame TE Tony Gonzalez from the 2 to recapture the lead for the Birds. Flynn kept plugging away. At first his attempts to move the team seemed futile but there was a steady resonance building, like drums heard beating in the distance.

Lost in the collapse of the D and Rodgers’ misfortunes is the revitalized year of K Mason Crosby. After last year’s inexplicable shank-o-rama Crosby endured Mike McCarthy put Crosby’s feet to the fire quite literally in camp.  Crosby didn’t secure his job until the last week of camp. And the move is now paying dividends.

Crosby hit a key 40 yarder to close the gap to 14 -10, a score that gave the Packers hope as they would get the ball to open the 3rd quarter. Nothing goes as planned. In what was to be a last minute effort to shrink the lead the goofiest of goofy plays once again took center stage on the frozen tundra. A Flynn attempted a short toss that bounced off FB John Kuhn the ball deflected to the ground. Falcon LB Paul Worrilow stuck his foot out and the ball bounced off the top of his foot and was snagged in midair by Sean Weatherspoon who ran untouched by the Packers who thought the ball had hit the ground.

71 yards later the Pack was looking down the wrong end of a 21-10 count and many of the faithful had lost hope and headed for the exits. As the Packers headed for the warmth of the locker room they exited to a chilly response from the fans who loudly and lustfully booed their first half performance. McCarthy summed up the team at the break.  “I really like the football team, particularly at halftime, coming in, getting booed at home, and just the energy in the locker room. They never blinked, they stayed the course,” McCarthy said.   

The fact that the Packers played a complete a game in all 3 phases and for an entire 4 quarters
wasn’t lost either. Crosby added 2 field goals in the 3rd to cut the lead to 5 points. And the ball finally bounced the Packers way. Mike Neal has been quietly having a superb season after 3 injury filled disappointing years. Neal strip sacked Ryan forcing a fumble that Johnny Jolly jumped on like a starving man on a turkey leg. Since Jermichael Finley went out with a horrifying spinal cord bruise the play of the tight ends has been almost non-existent. Andrew Quarless had been feeling the heat as he had missed some opportunities to solidify his stock. The tight ends finally had their own breakout performance.

When Flynn hit Quarless in the end zone Quarless made a terrific catch to finally push the Packers into an unfamiliar position – a lead, and late in a game. Quarless had a fine day in leading the Pack with 6 catches. A missed 2 point conversion still gave the Packers the scant 1 point lead.

The lead was threatened midway thru the final stanza. As Ryan began moving the Falcons down the field the defense had a gut m check moment, a test they would finally pass. Since Rodgers went out the defense has taken a merciless pounding in the press and ion the stands.  After Jackson lost yardage on a key 3rd down the Falcons sent out the ageless Matt Bryant to try a 52 yarder on an icy day into a frosty wind. How big was the loss of yardage? In a game of inches Bryant’s kick came up oh-so-short keeping the Packers clinging desperately to its slim lead.

Out of time outs the Falcons defense rose one last time to get the ball back into Ryan’s hands. A
booming Tim Masthay punt died at the 1 yard line but as several Packers skidded past the ball they somehow managed to contort themselves away from making contact as they slid harmlessly into the end zone like children on a snow slide. Seeing how close to the end zone the ball was placed Robert McClain grabbed to the rock but didn’t get far with it. From inside the 10 Ryan had the daunting task of getting yardage with no timeouts.

These moments have been moments of failure and collapse for the Packers defense. Not this time. Jarrett Bush has seen little of the field as a defender but made a key stop slapping the ball away from Tony Gonzalez and secured the game when he later stepped in front of Ryan’s throw for a game ending interception. The relief and exultation by those in attendance was palpable as the Packers had finally done the improbable – they won without Rodgers ending a 5 game winless slide.

The win itself would be a moot point but for the fact that the Lions had their hands full in a blizzard in Philadelphia. The Eagles did the Packers a huge favor by slapping the sass out of the Lions in a 34  -20 win that suddenly tightens up the race in the NFC North. The Packers are a mere ½ game behind Detroit and the Lions still have to face the Ravens, Giants and Minnesota. After Baltimore’s last minute death defying escape against the Vikings they also have playoff aspirations while the Pack preps to face the Cowboys in Big D.

Now it gets real interesting. Some of the injured may be back on the field in time for a season ending sprint to the finish line. Will Rodgers be the next man up in Dallas? And let’s not forget Randall Cobb. Will his broken leg be well enough for him to rejoin the fun? What kind of a kick start to the offense would their dual return provide?

The plot thickens as the race tightens. Forget Santa Claus and White Christmases – this is the most wonderful time of the year for every football fan. As it gets colder outside the race is just starting to heat up. Now tune in next week for more escapades of the banged up Pack.

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