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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