Yesterday’s NFC Championship between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers had all the makings of an all-time classic championship game. You had the quarterback match-up between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The game was held on the hallowed grounds of Lambeau Field. Two high scoring offenses took the field. I mean, it was one of those “get your popcorn ready” type of games.
Once the game got going, it certainly looked like it was going to be a classic. There weren’t a lot of penalties at first, so it was nice and clean. The Bucs jumped up early, but the Packers adjusted and made it a five-point game. Brady and Rodgers were dealing. The defenses stood up later in the game. I’m tellin’ y’all – it was great. It was all building to a head as the Packers entered the red zone down eight points.
They had done everything they could to scratch and claw their way back into this game. It was that “drive of truth” – all the marbles were on the line, and with a swing in momentum, it looked like this one might come down to the wire. And then, on 3rd & goal, Rodgers elected to throw into double coverage…
What if Rodgers ran it on this play? pic.twitter.com/zSnxdbcSHA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2021
The ball fell incomplete. I don’t know why Rodgers wouldn’t try to pick that up with his legs. Sure, #90 had a decent angle on him, and Rodgers ain’t the athlete he was 10 years ago. But, still – I don’t know how he didn’t go for that one. The failure to score brought up 4th down, and we all completely forgot about Rodgers’ throw when Matt LaFleur and company elected to kick a field goal to make it a five-point game. They would go on to lose the game, 31-26.
I don’t get it. I, like any football fan with a functioning brain this morning, don’t understand why the hell you would take the ball out of your Hall of Fame quarterback’s hands, who was playing pretty well in that game, and just give it back to perhaps the greatest of all time in Brady.
they kicked a field goal down eight points with 2:05 to go with the greatest red zone offense in league history
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 24, 2021
That’s not how you want to go down. You want to go down swinging – giving it your best effort. Delivering your best shot to your opponent. Not whatever that was that the Packers did. When the pressure was on, LaFleur cowered. He did the littlest baby weewee thing he could’ve done. And, of course, I don’t know either of these guys, so I don’t want to assume. But thanks to my public education, I’m pretty good at picking up context clues, and it certainly sounds like Rodgers wasn’t on board with LaFleur’s decision.
Aaron Rodgers right now on not going for it on 4th down:
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) January 24, 2021
“I didn’t have a decision on that one. That wasn’t my decision. But understand the decision and thinking with all of our timeouts. But wasn’t my decision.” Adds, he feels “gutted” by the loss.
Some analytics guy was probably on the sideline creaming his pants about the probability of the Packers winning the game if they had gotten one more stop on defense. That’s wild speculation and I should definitely reel that in a bit, but I certainly don’t understand the decision.
Maybe LaFleur learned TOO MUCH from Mike Vrabel in 2018 when he served as the Titans offensive coordinator. Hey, at least if you’re Vrabel, someone’s come along and taken the heat off of you – punting on that 4th & 2 against the Ravens seems completely reasonable in the context of LaFleur’s cowardice here.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
