GB 45: DT 41.
It was a shoot-out, folks, no question. In fact, when the Packers went down 9 zip in the first few minutes, Mr. Don shook his head and thought it might be all over. Oh he of little faith! I continued to calmly blog away; after half time I prepared the marinade for our filet mignons that I will make later tonight; Detroit kept scoring and scoring; I kept cooking, doing laundry, blogging. I just knew we were going to win this game. And we did. Ahhhhhh.....nothing like a plan coming together...
Look at this beautiful photograph!
 |
| QB Matt Flynn taking charge! By of the Journal Sentinel. |
From jsonline.com
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 1, 2012
Flynn sets franchise records with 6 TD passes, 480 yards passing in Packers' dramatic victory
(HeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaawwwwwww!)
Lowdown: Quickly, Sunday blurred into a quarterback clinic between Matthew Stafford and Matt Flynn. With the Packers resting Aaron Rodgers, Flynn started and shined [I believe the word should be "shone"]. He’ll be a very rich man very soon. And Stafford? Fresh off his Pro Bowl snub, he torched Green Bay’s secondary. The two combined for 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Lions had everything to play for — a win would have secured the No. 5 seed. The Packers simply needed to escape healthy. And behind Flynn’s career game, Green Bay finished the regular season 15-1.
The difference-maker: Flynn was sensational. There was no drop-off at all in Green Bay's offense as the back-up finished with one of the greatest games ever for a Packers quarterback. His six touchdowns and 480 yards were both franchise records. When Stafford punched, he punched back all game. After Stafford hit Tony Scheffler for a score with 2:44 to go, Flynn answered with a signature drive.
Big number: 15 — receiving touchdowns for Jordy Nelson. That ranks third all-time on the Packers behind Sterling Sharpe (18, 1994) and Don Hutson (17, 1942).
Turning point: On third and 4, Flynn lofted a 40-yard rainbow to James Jones up the right sideline over Chris Houston to set up Jermichael Finley's game-winning four-yard score. The ball was on the money, hitting Jones in stride with the game on the line.
What went right: Offensively, the Rodgers-less Packers stayed sharp through the wind, cold, snow — a good omen moving forward. The road to the Indianapolis goes through frigid Wisconsin and it appears the passing game will not be overly affected by weather. Nelson finished his breakout regular season with a bang. On one of his three scores, he split the safeties for a 58-yard, play-action touchdown. On another, he stiff-armed a defensive back to the turf. He’s playing as well as any receiver in the game and soon, he gets Greg Jennings back. Green Bay’s offense has retained its momentum into 2012. And, oh yeah, it was with Flynn at quarterback. He had a game to remember.
What went wrong: Again, the secondary was gashed for big plays. The Packers probably do not want to see Stafford and this offense again. The Lions’ quarterback sliced and diced the Packers all day. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson dominated Tramon Williams [maybe we won't be seeing Tramon next season...] for 244 yards on 11 receptions with a touchdown. Nothing new here. Beyond the stats in this one, the Packers also suffered from several mental lapses. On one Lions touchdown drive, Erik Walden smashed into Stafford on the ground after Vic So’oto’s sack and Desmond Bishop took a personal-foul penalty on a false start. Early in the game, Pat Lee inexplicably caught a kickoff out the end zone and then backed up to a take a knee in it. For a team that’s been so disciplined all season, Sunday had its gaffes. In the secondary, Sam Shields iced the win with a pick but major questions still remain.
When Mr. D and I arrive back from Spain, I'll have a weekend Packers game to which to look forward. It doesn't get much better than this, except the Wisconsin Badgers win the Rose Ball tomorrow :)
No comments:
Post a Comment