Opinion
Packers still in running for NFC playoffs spot
November 19, 2009
So when I sat in my room pondering what to write about this week, it only made sense to talk about one thing, and that’s my beloved Green Bay Packers. Maybe I’ll touch on something slightly controversial in the coming weeks, but right now, it’s all about the NFC playoff picture.
As a Packer fan, I can’t tell you how stoked I was about this past week’s win over the Cowboys. There were some areas in our offense that perhaps could have been better, but damn, did you see that defense? Dom Capers, you are a beautiful man! Tony Romo wasn’t able to stay comfortable for very long with the blitzes and pressure that was being brought by Green Bay’s defense. So many players shined on that side of the football. Charles Woodson proved that he is one of the, if not the most elite cornerback in the National Football League. Two forced fumbles, an interception, and one sack? That’s a pretty good day. Another player that is becoming a household name is our rookie linebacker, Mr. Clay Matthews, as he has been putting up terrific numbers basically every game, and is hopefully going to behind the defensive line for a long, long time.
Now, coming into last week, I, unlike a lot of Packer fans and other sports fans, did not think our season was over. Sure, losing to Tampa Bay was inexcusable, but the Packers have way too much talent to be considered a “lost cause.”
To me, all the Tampa Bay loss showed was that there is no such thing as an “easy game” in the NFL. Sure, there are teams that you should absolutely crush, but when you factor in momentum, home field advantage, among other things, these seemingly “crap” teams can surprise you. Need I remind Packer fans of our second Super Bowl season in the 1990s? We lost to the 0-10 Indianapolis Colts. I’ll never forget that loss, but we still went to the big game that year, and gave the Broncos a run for their money. Now, are we as good as the 96-97 Packers? No. Are we “as good” as our NFC North Rivals the Minnesota Vikings? Talent wise, I think Minnesota has the obviously better team.
Now, can we beat them? That’s a different story. 2 of our 4 losses came from the Vikes this year, but come on Packer fans, you know that there would be nothing sweeter than travelling to the Dome in January to hand the Vikings their season ending loss. The Vikings did it to us not more than a few years ago, so why shouldn’t we get our turn? Let me break down how the rest of the season looks for us Packer fans.
Going into the next few games, the major concerns are still the offensive line, and making Aaron run for his life, and perhaps our “inconsistency” as a whole. Though I agree that a win is a win, I think with the way the Packer’s defense held Tony Romo and company, the Packers offense should have been able to put more points on the board. In the home game against the Vikings, we didn’t start playing until the second half, just as we did against the Bengals.
Both games ended up being seemingly close, but if the Packers had played the whole game, I think we could easily be 7-2 right now. Now if you’re a Viking’s fan, you might say that there is no way the games were close, and that you dominated us both games. All I can say to that accusation is, it wouldn’t be an NFL post season without a Viking’s choke. Need I remind you of the 1998 season? Go Falcons!
With numerous different NFC teams in the hunt for the NFC wild card, the Packers are seemingly in the best position to take one of the top spots. If you’re rooting for the Pack, you can now officially become an anti-NFC East (Cowboys, Eagles, Giants), and anti-Atlanta Falcons fan. Since the NFC East isn’t basically locked up, unlike our NFC North division, those three teams will battle it out until the end. As the Packers current record is 5-4, these other teams are sitting right around the same record at either 6-3 or 5-4. So it’ll be interesting to see how the next few weeks play out. The only teams that we can “understandably” lose to for the rest of the season are the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and possibly the Baltimore Ravens. Teams like San Francisco, Arizona, Seattle, and others should all be wins, but hey, we did lose to the 0-7 Buccaneers. So no matter what, unless the Packers absolutely implode on themselves, the rest of the season is bound to be fully entertaining.
Stay strong Packer fans, I know some people whined about my previous column about this being Packer territory, but I still stand by the notion that we are in Wisconsin, and you should respect the state line. I get to hear from cocky ass Viking fans all the time, and I’d love nothing more than to start hearing some Packer fans on campus speak up and get jacked about the rest of our season. Sorry Viking fans, I know you’re on a high right now being 8-1, but just remember, you’re the ones that can’t disappoint. The Packers aren’t even expected to get to postseason, so when we do, it’ll be all the more pleasing.
Comments
+ Revenant + on 26 Nov 2009: Pretty good commentary here. A popular statement by Vikings players is that "we haven't played our best football yet." But that's also true of the Packers. The injuries, the shaky new defense and the poor protection of Rodgers had a lot of people labeling them as a poor team, but they sure haven't played like that lately. However, the Packers still have Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Arizona to contend with. While the team has plenty of potential, I don't quite see them making the playoffs this season. But anything's possible.
Katie on 22 Nov 2009: Fantastic commentary.
Dan=Troll on 22 Nov 2009: Dan is a flaming troll. Disregard his comments. An article written by a true fan. Go Pack Go!
Daken on 22 Nov 2009: Dan, your comment makes all us Vikings fans look like idiots. Yes, we won both games... but yes, they were close. The first game, we only won by 7 points, which the Packers would've had without a dropped pass in the endzone. At Green Bay, the Packers game back from a huge deficit and almost beat us. Stop being so cocky. Yes, we have a good team this year, yes we're doing well. But with the way we've been playing we can't get cocky until we're at that Superbowl. Get over yourself.
ralph wachtel on 20 Nov 2009: Best, Best Best commentary i have read. Will make sure to read you regularly. Thanks for restoring my faith.
Dan on 20 Nov 2009: This is so cute. Look at you... clinging to your one big win of the season. Also cute to how you're dreaming of another chance to try and beat the Vikings. It's really sweet how you considered both games so close despite the Vikings giving you a two turnover differential advantage AT GREEN BAY in the second game, and you still loss by... twelve was it? Twelve? Yeh. Real close. If the Packers would have only played their whole season with our DE fumbling a kickoff return, you guys also could be 8 - 1! Cute article. I had to chuckle!