The narrative fulcrum for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers came at the 1:51 mark in the third quarter of Sunday's NFC Divisional Round win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Third-and-15. Down eight points. A gimpy and hurting Rodgers had looked worryingly mortal over the first 40 minutes, and his team was approaching a breaking point.
A punt at this juncture in the contest and the Packers were looking at the very real possibility of losing a third home playoff game in four years. Instead, Rodgers engaged Superman mode—the out-of-this-world level he'll need to play at in Seattle to beat the mighty Seahawks in the NFC title game—and flicked a perfect ball against tight coverage to rookie Davante Adams, who went 46 yards for the game-turning touchdown. The light switch finally flicked on for Rodgers Sunday when the Packers started scheming more empty (no running backs) sets. McCarthy somewhat jokingly said afterward that his play-calling sparked Rodgers, but it was clear giving him more options and forcing the Cowboys to put more cover people on the field helped define matchups and open up the passing game.
Once Rodgers got into a rhythm, it was all over."His performance in the second half, everyone wants to compare performances, that's as good as it gets," McCarthy said.
Everything started with just one throw, one conversion, one game-turning score. Once No. 12 morphed back into No. 12 (and a little of No. 4), the Packers turned away an upset attempt and brought a little bit of mystique back to Lambeau Field.
Now, Kryptonite awaits. The Packers haven't beat the Seahawks in two previous tries since 2012. A difficult atmosphere and the fastest, most aggressive defense in the game makes any visit to the Pacific Northwest a looming nightmare. Quarterback Russell Wilson also looked scary good in dissecting the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round.
A trip to the Super Bowl will almost certainly fall on Rodgers' shoulders (and one good leg), with anything less than what he delivered in the second half against Dallas probably not being enough.
"To be the best you have to beat the best, and they're the defending champs," Rodgers told reporters. "It will be a good opportunity for us."
Any opportunity with Rodgers involved is a good one. Just ask the Cowboys, who might have been one 3rd-and-long stop away from prepping their own return to Seattle.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2327124-packers-will-need-more-superman-aaron-rodgers-to-beat-seattle-in-nfc-title-game
No comments:
Post a Comment