Green Bay Packers should be in the Super Bowl
By Dan Salem
The Green Bay Packers should be in the Super Bowl, if not for one simple reason. Not the crazy, insane shenanigans of the NFC title game, but simple football. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
TODD:
What a brutal loss the Green Bay Packers suffered Sunday. Before the season started, I picked them to make the Super Bowl, and I don’t think it was possible for them to fail to make it but come any closer than they actually did.
It was the latest and greatest stomach punch in the line of NFC playoff defeats this winter. Each beneficiary seemed to get its just dessert one round later, if you believe in that sort of thing.
But everyone is focusing on the wrong part of this Packers loss. Everyone wants to point to the three Bill Buckner-esk plays that occurred as reasons for the epic collapse: the botched on-sides kick recovery, the kneel-down interception and the whiff two-point conversion defense.
These were the three big ones, the plays that stood out and, more importantly, gave Packer nation specific goats to point to as the reasons for the loss.
But there were three other reasons the Seattle Seahawks managed such a historic comeback on the way to the NFC title. In my opinion, these three overarching themes had much more to do with it. They just aren’t as easy to highlight in GIF form.
1) Green Bay got smoked on defense late.
Late in the fourth quarter and into overtime, Seattle mashed the ball down the field at will, drive after drive. It was almost as if it was a different football team, or it was playing against a different football team, than the previous 50 minutes.
2) Green Bay got stifled on offense throughout.
Set up with amazing field position one time after another, the Packers were unable to get touchdowns. The Seahawks were doing just enough on the defensive end, coming up big when they needed to, and GB was doing seemingly everything in its power to keep its opponent in the ballgame.
3) Green Bay got out-coached.
The fake field goal conversion was one thing, albeit something that probably should have been mentioned to the players before the snap took place. “Hey guys, they’re down 16-0 with less than 20 minutes left in this game. A field goal MIIIIGHT not be a game-changer here so watch the fake.”
The continuous fourth-down give-ups were another. At some point the Packers had to start feeling dejected, even while holding onto a shutout on the other end.
This game will be remembered for a long time. It should be remembered for the latter three phases I outlined, however, I’m sure it won’t be.
DAN:
I’m completely with you. I’m throwing out all the shenanigans and pointing the finger solely at one phase of the football game. The Green Bay Packers could not get the football into the endzone. This would fall under category two of your three phases of Packer defeat.
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Phase one is a wash for me. The Packers played outstanding defense for the majority of the football game, holding the usually potent Seahawks to a well-documented seven points with only five minutes remaining in the game. It was a practical inevitability that Seattle would score. Simple balance dictates that something had to give, that the Seahawks would find a way to put up at least 20 points. You know, based on all prior information about both teams from the entire regular season.
With phase three you are completely right, Green Bay got out-coached. But it gets vastly overshadowed by three drives that ended in field goals for Green Bay. The first two came in the first quarter, when Green Bay went a measly five plays for 18 yards and then six plays for 22 yards, both times being held out of the end-zone. When I witnessed those two fall on your face moments I first thought I was watching my New York Jets. I then realized Green Bay would regret those field goals late.
The final drive was Green Bay’s final drive of the game, resulting in a field goal that sent things to overtime. Was there any doubt that Aaron Rodgers would get it done? I had none, and yet, did he really get it done? He did enough on one leg to save his team for one more coin flip. But the Packers could not find the end-zone when it mattered most. I’m sorry, but after your opponent recovers an onside kick, scores a touchdown, and scores a two point conversion, you better not let it go to overtime.
If Aaron Rodgers was healthy the Packers would have won. But revisionist history always plays favorites. As you noted very casually, the Cowboys won via controversy against Detroit, only to lose to Green Bay. Green Bay won via controversy against Dallas, only to lose to Seattle. Seattle won via crazy, insane, hijinks, only to… Bring on Super Bowl XLIX.