Well sir, I really didn't think I'd be writing something like this re: the 2016 playoffs but it's now apparent we're into historical territory for this team so I want to take a hot minute and record my thoughts on the matter.
I... think that was the best game of football I've ever watched. Well, maybe not "best" exactly but certainly most entertaining and perhaps "best ever if you ignore how we kept three players 20 yards deep the entire game and did nothing to stop an unlimited number of 15 yard passes," which admittedly did suck some drama out of the Dallas drives. I've got a few points I want to make about both games so far, but first,
* Enough already with these "all star" referee squads! Do all the stats analysis you want to find the very best refs at each position over the course of the whole season; their reward can be hopping on a plane together to Hawaii or Arizona to officiate the Pro Bowl as a team. For all the actual meaningful playoff games, let's use the actual teams of refs- I want the four best, highest rated squads who've worked together for the last 20 weeks to be the only ones calling these games. It really doesn't seem like too much to ask.
re: The Giants Game
It's true, we dodged more bullets than Neo with all New York's costly drops in the first quarter. Two things though: it was really vindicating how (once Aaron warmed up and hit his stride) none of those early New York points would have mattered, and secondly I don't think it's entirely fair to say we just "got lucky" in that first half. That many drops for Giants WRs was definitely unusual but on the other hand they were extremely fortunate to have zero turnovers until the game had already been decided. Balls were bouncing off receiver's hands and getting batted into the air by our D-linemen and Eli was making questionable throws into coverage the entire game, I was really frustrated we could never take advantage of that (until Clay's double strip-sack recovery that is- what a play!).
* I hated McCarthy's decision to use a time out when the Giants were just running out the clock to end the first half. They'd soundly outplayed us for 27 straight minutes, yet they were going to settle for heading into the break with us leading 7-6 and getting the ball to start the second half. "Come on Mike, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." When that happened I would have bet any money Eli was going to land a long bomb to set them up for a field goal and we'd just throw away 3 points.
...whoops, was I ever wrong! Guess he just had supreme confidence in his D to get that stop on third and short and on Rodgers to make something happen down the field, and boy did he ever. That Cobb TD has to be the play of the year in the NFL- if not, it at least wins for "Ngamer's loudest scream"!
* I also hated McCarthy's decision to go for it on 4th and 1 from our own 42, and this time I think I was right. I mean I get where he's coming from: loves our o-line, trusts our offense, you've got to be able to make 1 yard runs in pressure situations to be able to win in the playoffs. But it was freezing cold, our defense had stoned them three straight drives, we were up 14-3 with all the momentum in the world, it felt like the Giants were about to roll over and die if we didn't give them some kind of spark to get back into the game... you've got to play the field position game and try to pin them back in that spot, right?
To be fair the 4th and 1 should have never happened- we only hadn't picked up the first the play before because the Giants almost ripped off Ripkowski's head as they tackled him by the facemask, which somehow no one saw. Between that and getting nothing out of having Jordy's ribs broken by a 100 mph helmet slam in the first quarter I was understandably a little upset at the officiating for much of the afternoon.
Ultimately though a red hot Aaron Rodgers was too much to overcome once the Giants D started to get worn down in the second half, and that was all she wrote. Still I'm not going to say I wasn't terrified the entire week leading up to the game, and the whole first half, and when it was suddenly 14-13 two plays after the 4th and 1 decision... What a relief to finally put those 2007 and 2011 demons to rest!
re: The Cowboys Game
If things had played out a little bit differently in the final three minutes slash overtime everyone would have said "oh I can't believe it, another heartbreaker for the Packers!" but honestly, I wouldn't agree. Okay, in the short term, yes, you should always win games when you can jump out to 18 point leads. Thinking long term though, I wouldn't have put the heartbreak of a loss to Dallas in the same zip code as the Arizona game... or the Seattle game... or the 2011 Giants game. We're talking about a team that was at 4-6 and deserved to be there, one that was dropping balls and running the wrong routes, with zero healthy running backs and a disastrous injury situation in the defensive secondary. I was just hoping we could turn things around enough to reach 8-8 so we could heal up over the next six months and head into 2017 with a little bit of confidence; anything beyond that (to keep our 8 year streak of making the playoffs alive) would have taken a miracle.
Stealing the division from the Lions, earning a game at Lambeau, getting a playoff win? That was all crazy talk and way way too much to ask for... let alone going on the road and taking down the best team in football this year! (All due respect to the Patriots, I thought the Cowboys had the more impressive wins in 2016.) This entire game was just the icing on the cake and I promised myself I wouldn't get too worked up if things started to go south. But then, welllll...
* I threw a fit early in the game when Davante broke over the middle and forced the defender to grab him by the shoulder to prevent a big time pass play, and there was somehow no call even though he'd torn the jersey right off his shoulder pads. Then it happened again in the third quarter and again no call (though that one wasn't quite as blatant). It ended up being okay though as things did even out; we got a first down for hands to the face on Davante as a make up call (looked like the hands had only been high on the chest on the replay) and then of course there was that hold on, I think Ty Montgomery, that wiped away the second interception. Which I still maintain was the right call (it was a pretty clear grab), though the Cowboys did have a point about the INT happening so far down the field that he would have had a tough time getting to the ball even if he'd been left alone.
* Having to scratch and claw and needing heroic performances to edge out a game where you lead by 18 early and 15 in the second half is a bit embarrassing, I must admit. But, two things- I'm not sure people outside of Wisconsin appreciate just how unbelievably awful our defensive situation has become. There's been plenty of Super Bowl teams who suffered injuries and had to rely on untested rookies to contribute big minutes in playoff games. However we were forced to play not one, not two, but three undrafted rookies on every passing play. Three. If ever there was a "no lead is safe" situation, this was it!
And the other point is that the game really should have been over on that long bomb to Davante Adams that would have put us up 22 points in the third quarter. Even as a Rodgers-lover I've got to say that was a legitimate misfire, but hey, you're allowed one of those every 315 passes or so, right? (Nitpicking perhaps but it did bother me that Davante saw that pass was going to be off the mark two seconds before it landed and didn't try to do anything about it. Probably wasn't catchable but if he dives for it he might break up the INT, or at least slam into that Cowboys safety and deny some runback yardage.)
* All credit to Jared Cook for the game-winning play, just an incredible job of not only keeping his toes in but also not letting his knees hit out of bounds before he'd fully secured the ball. (Well okay so not ALL credit, I'm not sure any other QB could have placed the ball in a space the size of a shoe box from that distance, with that kind of heat behind it, while running to the left and throwing across his body.) But Aaron had made nice throws to Cook on two of the previous three plays, either of which would have put us in a really good position, so I'm hesitant to give him tooooooo much hero credit. Granted both of those passes had been well defended and they would have required him to box out and make really athletic grabs, but I still feel like he should have been able to come down with the ball on one of those three opportunities.
(Great catch, great throw, but for the record I think the non-fumble on the blindsided sack the play before was more amazing than either.)
* I couldn't believe my eyes when Dak spiked the ball on first and one! Did he forget who was playing behind center on the other team? I really feel like against Rodgers you have to have to *have to* give him the ball back with less than 10 seconds remaining- so run a quick pass on 1st and if it only picks up three yards, great, use your final time out to stop the clock after 30 seconds have run off. If Dak disagreed and wanted the touchdown, fine, then use the TO right away to set up two throws to the end zone before tossing to the sidelines on third to set up an easily do-able field goal to get it to overtime. With 35 seconds and two time outs there was no doubt in my mind we'd be able to move the ball far enough to set up either a long FG opportunity or a Hail Mary.
* Speaking of which, poor Mason Crosby. Imagine if he kicked for someone like the Buffalo Bills and hit a 56 yarder to take the lead with 90 seconds left before nailing it from 51 as time expired, twice, to put them into the conference championship game. They'd have a ticker tape parade for him the following morning, his statue would be erected at the stadium by noon, and grandpas would be telling their grandkids what a legend he was 50 years from now. Our Wisconsin newspapers ran six pages of special coverage on the Packers for Monday's edition and there was an article saying Mason has "ice in his veins" and praising him for extending his streak to 23 straight field goals made in the postseason (a new NFL record). ...and it ran on page six.
So here we go, last-ever game in the Georgia Dome, a rematch of perhaps the most entertaining regular season game in 2016 (33-32 Falcons), Vegas setting the line at the highest over/under for total points scored in the history of the NFL playoffs, one game to decide which of these two quarterbacks deserves the title of league MVP (I'd call them 1-2 in some order with Brady just behind)... Should be fun!
