No Loss but No Win Either so No Celebration in Titletown!
What a letdown! The Packers had their chances to win this game, but they should also feel fortunate to not get a loss as Green Bay played the Minnesota Vikings to a 29-29 tie at Lambeau Field.
The Packers were looking good going into the 4th quarter as they had a 20-7 lead and their defense was playing well, but the Vikings scored 22 points in the 4th and the Packers could only get field goals. GB had a chance to win it in regulation, but Mason Crosby missed a 52-yard GB that sent the game into overtime. The Vikings’ PK Daniel Carlson missed 3 field goals overall, 2 in the OT period, including one from 35 yards as time expired, forcing both teams to settle for a tie, the first for either team since they both played to a 26-26 tie at Lambeau Field in 2013.
Some thoughts about this game:
Aaron Rodgers played his heart out. You could hear the disappointment in his voice when he was interviewed after the game. A tie isn’t the worst result, but it’s not a win either.
The momentum of this game really swung when Kirk Cousins connected with Stefon Diggs on a 75-yard TD pass less than half a minute after Crosby kicked a FG to give the Packers a 9-point lead. The TD pass pulled the Vikings to within 2, and there suddenly was a nervous crowd in the 4th quarter.
The officiating in this game was horrible, but the worst one had to be the call on Clay Matthews for roughing the passer with less than 2 minutes left, negating an interception by Jaire Alexander. Had the play stood, there may not have been enough time for the Vikings to come back, assuming they would have made a stop and forced a punt. Fans don’t go to the stadiums to watch the referees. The league has a problem on their hands, and it has been that way for quite a while. They need to expand replay and look at personal fouls. I know it takes time and momentum away from the game, but it’s important to get the calls right. I don’t care if the league announces later in the week that the call was blown; it doesn’t provide any of us comfort after the fact.
The defense still has plenty of room for improvement, but let’s not let the offense off the hook either. There were too many field goals and not enough touchdowns. Penalties and sacks killed a lot of their drives.
In the end, I guess we should be thankful that the Vikings don’t have a reliable kicker. If they did, this game would have been a loss instead of a tie.
Even the NHL has done away with tie games. How do we fix this? Do we adopt the NCAA overtime rules? Do we just accept the fact that ties happen? It’s hard for fans of teams to talk trash after a tie game. There are no winners.
The end result is disappointing, but the only thing you can do is learn from it and move on. Just make sure you make those plays late in the game. The game in Minnesota might go a long way in deciding who wins the division. Hopefully Aaron Rodgers is a lot more mobile then, but he was pretty good with his limitations in this game. He even took off and ran for a first down.
The good news for the Packers is they get Aaron Jones back after serving a 2-game suspension. Perhaps he can provide a spark to their running game.
Hopefully this tie game doesn’t come into play when the regular season is over. The Packers now hit the road and travel to the Beltway for next week’s game vs the Washington Redskins. Let’s get a win and get back on track. Take care Packer fans!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
