Pack vs. Giants Again at Lambeau, or at Waterloo?
Well, that statistic was daunting for the Packers faithful: 13 teams have gone 15-1, just two ultimately won the Super Bowl. Last year, the Pack conquers a stifling number of injuries, unknowns like Sam Shields and Erik Walden step up, the Pack sneaks in as a sixth seed and walks away the victor in Super Bowl XLV.
So, the Giants move on after a 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the first, and for them last, playoff game. 17 point victories come in a couple of flavors. Decisive conquests in which the losing team scores once or twice at the end to close a previously gargantuan gap. Might as well have been a 20 or 30 point victory.
In other games, it's much closer than the final score suggests. In this game 14 of those 17 points came about on a freak hail Mary success at the half, and on a late game touchdown when the Green and Gold was in desperation mode.
That 22 yard run just prior to the 'Hail Hakeem' jump ball was close ro freakish as well. Content to run out the clock, the Giants hand off and a great cut back decision caught the Pack D just enough out of position to gave them new life.
So Manning to Nicks becomes a Criss Angel style stunt. Magic at the mid-point in the game. Seven points appear out of nowhere. Indeed!
Manning had time, enough to hold a tail gater back there before completing yet another pass. Aaron Rodgers did not have to run for his life as feared, except in one game changing moment when the ball was knocked loose, foiling a follow through that would have likely dumped a touchdown pass into the hands of a wide open Jennings.
During the regular season Rodgers record setting passer rating exceeding 122, resulting in part from an uncanny amount of time in 'the zone'. Thread a ball through a foot wide opening? No problem. Synchronicity extraordinaire. Receivers and QB - all on the same page, some on the same sentence, so to speak!.
But, in the playoff game, the Rodgers to Jennings was out of sync. Ordinarily a three week break for an outstanding quarterback would provide needed rest and fresh legs. His legs were fresh, to the tune of sixty plus yards rushing. But . . . but, Jennings had been out even longer, recovering from a knee injury. Now, with everything on the line, two or three possible TD passes by Jennings were not to be. Timing a little off. Passes a little off. Big plays, miraculous plays, were not to be.
With Jordy Nelson's brilliant emergence during this season, the Jennings-Nelson track meet would have been a joy to behold. Jennings absence because of rhe knee may have been the difference.
So, the Patriots continue to demonstrate an admirable knack for getting to the Big Dance, while use of the words 'Packers' and 'dynasty' in the same sentence waits another year, at least.
So, the Giants move on after a 37-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the first, and for them last, playoff game. 17 point victories come in a couple of flavors. Decisive conquests in which the losing team scores once or twice at the end to close a previously gargantuan gap. Might as well have been a 20 or 30 point victory.
In other games, it's much closer than the final score suggests. In this game 14 of those 17 points came about on a freak hail Mary success at the half, and on a late game touchdown when the Green and Gold was in desperation mode.
That 22 yard run just prior to the 'Hail Hakeem' jump ball was close ro freakish as well. Content to run out the clock, the Giants hand off and a great cut back decision caught the Pack D just enough out of position to gave them new life.
So Manning to Nicks becomes a Criss Angel style stunt. Magic at the mid-point in the game. Seven points appear out of nowhere. Indeed!
Manning had time, enough to hold a tail gater back there before completing yet another pass. Aaron Rodgers did not have to run for his life as feared, except in one game changing moment when the ball was knocked loose, foiling a follow through that would have likely dumped a touchdown pass into the hands of a wide open Jennings.
During the regular season Rodgers record setting passer rating exceeding 122, resulting in part from an uncanny amount of time in 'the zone'. Thread a ball through a foot wide opening? No problem. Synchronicity extraordinaire. Receivers and QB - all on the same page, some on the same sentence, so to speak!.
But, in the playoff game, the Rodgers to Jennings was out of sync. Ordinarily a three week break for an outstanding quarterback would provide needed rest and fresh legs. His legs were fresh, to the tune of sixty plus yards rushing. But . . . but, Jennings had been out even longer, recovering from a knee injury. Now, with everything on the line, two or three possible TD passes by Jennings were not to be. Timing a little off. Passes a little off. Big plays, miraculous plays, were not to be.
With Jordy Nelson's brilliant emergence during this season, the Jennings-Nelson track meet would have been a joy to behold. Jennings absence because of rhe knee may have been the difference.
So, the Patriots continue to demonstrate an admirable knack for getting to the Big Dance, while use of the words 'Packers' and 'dynasty' in the same sentence waits another year, at least.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)