GM 15 Packers / browns Xmas day

[nodakfan17]

Not enough AJ Dillon in the final 16 minutes.

[OldHeidelberg]

If Cook is back next week is going to b really tough. Hopefully cowboys lose. Can’t remember last time a win felt this empty.

[Fear The Chorizo]

12-3...no other nfl team can say that after this weekend no matter how pretty or ugly it looks at times.

 

NFL playoffs in general are going to be wide open this season, and a very injured Packers team will need things to break their way in order to win it all themselves. I do think the Packer defense is going to show up more than what this was, but they have to because today wasn't pretty.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Ugly W, but after today, no one is going to care how it happened.

[PinaMadness]

BTW I did my part to guarantee a Packers win by starting Nick Chubb in my fantasy league. Looks like I ended getting the best of both worlds.

[OldHeidelberg]

By my count we are 5-1 in Down to the wire games. SF, CIn, Zona, and today all felt like we were very fortunate to pull them out although to be fair many games like today we were in control and just let teams get the edge on us late. Getting the bye is bigger than I would have said a few weeks ago, we need it big time

[sveumrules]

Yeah, this team looks a lot closer to the 2019 version, that found ways to eke out wins, than the 2020 version where the offense scored the most points in the league & maybe felt like a more authentic 13-3 team or whatever.

 

Either way, better to be winning these close games than to lose them. All of the teams behind the Packers in the standings are equally or more flawed, otherwise they wouldn't be behind the Packers in the standings.

 

It's ultimately going to come down to a mixture of health, match ups & hot hand. Just win the next two games & that'll give everyone two weeks to enjoy the first ever 14-3 regular season team in NFL history.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Their defense is better this season than in either of the previous two, I don't know if the stats agree but just watching them, it is. And they are still missing guys. At this point I'm not sure what those guys can be expected to provide but I'm still hoping it's some kind of spark. They give up big yards more than you'd like to see, but 1) They can bull rush. 2) They force turnovers 3) They usually can close out the game when needed.

 

I feel good about the Packers. But of course, still expecting that gut punch.

[LouisEly]

Myles Garrett is one of the 3-5 best pass rushers in the league, and I don't recall hearing his name called once. No sacks, no tackles, one QB hit. The did some chipping on Garrett, but for the most part they had the confidence to leave Nijman one on one with him. Nijman has been nothing short of incredible since he was forced into the lineup.

[Jimbo]

I was resigned to the thought of the Packers losing in the last minute.

 

Should that last INT have been flagged, or "let the players play"?

[adambr2]

I mean yeah that should have been a flag.

[OldHeidelberg]

I was resigned to the thought of the Packers losing in the last minute.

 

Should that last INT have been flagged, or "let the players play"?

 

I don’t remember a downfield penalty on either team so definitely a playoff style let them play called game. No offensive holding calls I remember either. The last play at least started legal as it was within 5 yards but it looked like he eventually held him and there was also still contact after the throw, Mayfield may have been throwing into the contact to draw a flag.

[sveumrules]

I was resigned to the thought of the Packers losing in the last minute.

 

Should that last INT have been flagged, or "let the players play"?

 

On the replay it looked like the ball might have just grazed one of the D lineman, in which case I believe PI is off the table after the ball has been contacted by a defender.

 

If the ball wan't touched at the line it is probably PI by the book, but also one of those borderline calls that if they flagged every time the game would never end.

[DuWayne Steurer]

There's no good camera angle that shows if the ball was touched before Douglas (definitely) held/interfered. That being said, there's no way to know if the ball was tipped, and it doesn't look like it was/maybe/possibly touched. Douglas was holding almost immediately after the receiver came off the line, and then egregiously grabbed his jersey coming out of the break.

 

It's SOOOO hard for Packer fans to just say "yeah, we got a break from the refs in this one" instead of just continually saying "THE REFS SCREWED US AGAIN!!!! OMG!!!" I don't get it. It was a hold/PI on Douglas. We got away with one. The refs did EVERYTHING they could to make sure the Packers won the game (not really, just hyperbole) , and the Packers, mystefyingly, decided to try to lose anyways. There is not some weird conspiracy to make the Packers not get the one seed, or keep them out of the super bowl.

 

The amount of close games the Packers have won this season is unbelievable. We have a +59 point spread, and are 12-3. The Eagles have a better point spread and are 7-7. It's CRAZY dumb luck to be 12-3 with a 59 point spread. A lot of that is being on the beneficial end of bad/wrong calls. It happens. Take it when you can get it.

 

#/end rant.

[homer]

In each of the Packers' wins, they either won by 2 scores or led by 2 scores and then won in a close one. Gotta put a foot on their throats.

[OldHeidelberg]

There's no good camera angle that shows if the ball was touched before Douglas (definitely) held/interfered. That being said, there's no way to know if the ball was tipped, and it doesn't look like it was/maybe/possibly touched. Douglas was holding almost immediately after the receiver came off the line, and then egregiously grabbed his jersey coming out of the break.

 

It's SOOOO hard for Packer fans to just say "yeah, we got a break from the refs in this one" instead of just continually saying "THE REFS SCREWED US AGAIN!!!! OMG!!!" I don't get it. It was a hold/PI on Douglas. We got away with one. The refs did EVERYTHING they could to make sure the Packers won the game (not really, just hyperbole) , and the Packers, mystefyingly, decided to try to lose anyways. There is not some weird conspiracy to make the Packers not get the one seed, or keep them out of the super bowl.

 

The amount of close games the Packers have won this season is unbelievable. We have a +59 point spread, and are 12-3. The Eagles have a better point spread and are 7-7. It's CRAZY dumb luck to be 12-3 with a 59 point spread. A lot of that is being on the beneficial end of bad/wrong calls. It happens. Take it when you can get it.

 

#/end rant.

 

I don’t disagree with you but they weren’t calling that contact the whole game and Douglas was probably aware of that leading to the aggressive play that won it. That could payoff in the playoffs when refs are notorious for letting DBs get away with more. I think I heard on postgame that every pick we were in man coverage while Mayfield picked us apart in zone.

 

Browns seemed like a bad matchup for us so after a morning to reflect just happy to get what could prove to be a big win. Plenty of stuff to correct but we faced similar late games to the next one in the last 2 seasons against the Vikes and Titans and dominated so maybe we bounce back next week and clinch.

[Fear The Chorizo]

There's no good camera angle that shows if the ball was touched before Douglas (definitely) held/interfered. That being said, there's no way to know if the ball was tipped, and it doesn't look like it was/maybe/possibly touched. Douglas was holding almost immediately after the receiver came off the line, and then egregiously grabbed his jersey coming out of the break.

 

It's SOOOO hard for Packer fans to just say "yeah, we got a break from the refs in this one" instead of just continually saying "THE REFS SCREWED US AGAIN!!!! OMG!!!" I don't get it. It was a hold/PI on Douglas. We got away with one. The refs did EVERYTHING they could to make sure the Packers won the game (not really, just hyperbole) , and the Packers, mystefyingly, decided to try to lose anyways. There is not some weird conspiracy to make the Packers not get the one seed, or keep them out of the super bowl.

 

The amount of close games the Packers have won this season is unbelievable. We have a +59 point spread, and are 12-3. The Eagles have a better point spread and are 7-7. It's CRAZY dumb luck to be 12-3 with a 59 point spread. A lot of that is being on the beneficial end of bad/wrong calls. It happens. Take it when you can get it.

 

#/end rant.

 

Take out the week 1 debacle against the Saints, which was basically the packer starters' preseason, and that point spread looks much more in line with their current record.

 

Also, many of those close wins were games that GB led by 10+ most of the game and their opponent found ways to make it close late.

 

Look around the league - all the good teams have a few games they lost that made everyone question what they will do in the postseason. GB isn't 12-3 due to a soft schedule, either...they went 4-0 against the nfc west and 4-0 against the afc north, and their 3 losses came in week 1 (outlier at this point), at KC without Rodgers by 1 score, and at MN by one score in a game they played terribly in for the 1st half.

 

We as packer fans may question how good the Packers actually are, but they have fewer questions than any other NFL team right now headed into january.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I won't take out the week 1 debacle against the Saints. The coaching staff and players make a conscious decision to not play the starters in the pre-season, which costs them a game. That game can cost them home field advantage in the post season. It might not, but it could. This year, more than before, getting the one seed is super crucial. You can't just punt the first game of the season as your "pre-season" game.

[young guns]

It's SOOOO hard for Packer fans to just say "yeah, we got a break from the refs in this one" instead of just continually saying "THE REFS SCREWED US AGAIN!!!! OMG!!!" I don't get it. It was a hold/PI on Douglas. We got away with one. The refs did EVERYTHING they could to make sure the Packers won the game (not really, just hyperbole) , and the Packers, mystefyingly, decided to try to lose anyways. There is not some weird conspiracy to make the Packers not get the one seed, or keep them out of the super bowl.

Was it a penalty, probably(no idea on the ball tipped part I've only seen the play a few times) and I would be livid if we didn't get a call like that. However, I'm not complaining after calls like that which have gone against us in the past(specifically in the championship game last year before half) and I've seen worse not called this year as well.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I won't take out the week 1 debacle against the Saints. The coaching staff and players make a conscious decision to not play the starters in the pre-season, which costs them a game. That game can cost them home field advantage in the post season. It might not, but it could. This year, more than before, getting the one seed is super crucial. You can't just punt the first game of the season as your "pre-season" game.

 

Well, despite their week 1 approach they have a full game lead for home field advantage with just two games left now at the end of the year. I could care less how the Packers played right after labor day compared to right now, and taking that -35 from a now meaningless week 1 game off their point +/- totals is much more reflective of what they are now as a team.