sportsjabber.net

The Green Bay Packers saw their storybook season come to an embarrassing halt yesterday (Sunday, January 15) in a 37-20 NFC divisional playoffs loss against the New York Giants. Like the Philadelphia Phillies before them, who had the best record in baseball until they fell apart in the MLB division series, the defending Superbowl champs looked like they woke up still drunk from the night before, then decided to play a football game. The hometown crowd booed the Packers at halftime, which was followed by a chorus of “Let’s go Giants!” by the smattering of Giants fans combating frostbite in the Wisconsin cold at the game’s end.

*** “We got beat by a team that played better,” remarked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who added that he “didn’t think it would end tonight.” Though Rodgers finished the game with a team-high of 66 yards on seven rushes, he was hardly his usual on-point self. Rodgers made only 26 of 46 pass opportunities, and his quarterback rating of 78.5 took a serious swan dive compared to his regular-season rating of 122.5, an NFL record. He got sacked in the third quarter by Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, resulting in his first fumble in a year. Rodgers watched his receivers get crushed by Giants defense, forcing him to dump off or scramble for short gains.

Kent Page McGroarty is a blogger for Gold Star Games, a leading tailgate gear supplier.

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