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Green Bay Packers 48, Dallas Cowboys 32
Okay, so I will fully admit that I just did not see this particular outcome shaping up the way that it did.
After working so hard all season long, earning the NFC East division title and the number two seed in the NFC, the Cowboys suffered through a horrific first half, falling behind 27-0.
They never really recovered.
The Cowboys did manage to score some points. They got on the scoreboard late in the first half to close within 27-7. They even got a field goal early in the third quarter, pulling within 17 points.
That was pretty much as close as they would get. The Big D defense simply had no answers for the Packers relentless offensive attack, led by quarterback Jordan Love. Green Bay answered with another touchdown, and after Dallas scored another touchdown of their own, the Pack scored yet another touchdown to bring the score to 41-16, which ended what little remaining suspense existed.
Dallas managed to score some more largely hollow points in the fourth quarter to make the score look more respectable. But this day clearly belonged to Green Bay.
Statistically, the Cowboys actually had several advantages at the end of the game. The 'Boys earned 37 first downs, to just 22 for Green Bay. They earned more total offensive yards, gaining 510 to 415 for the Pack. They had a slight advantage in overall time of possession.
All of that was small consolation for Dallas fans, however. The team had gone undefeated at home throughout the regular season. But they played their worst game - at least their worst home game - at the end, right when it mattered the most. That leaves only questions left, with the main one being whether head coach Mike McCarthy will stay on as head coach.
As for the Packers, as the lowest seed, their win earned them a ticket to take on the top seeded 49ers in San Francisco next weekend.
My pick: Wildly Inaccurate
Detroit Lions 24, LA Rams 23
The way this one was going early on, it seemed like it was going to be a very high-scoring, wild kind of a shootout.
And then, both teams slowed down. Or rather, their defenses tightened up. The second half was more of a defensive struggle than anything else. Neither team was playing the more wide open offenses that were enjoying success in the first half.
That meant that it became more strategic. Kind of like a chess match, with a lot of game management, working for first downs and trying to control the clock. The Rams, who won the Super Bowl two years ago, showed that they were for real. Last season's disastrous title defense proved to be the aberration. This team really is a solid playoff contender.
In the end, the Lions managed to hang on for the win, but just barely. Obviously, a one-point lead took everything that they had to protect. But they managed, and finally did something which they had not done in over three decades: they won a playoff game.
Detroit finished this season 12-5, second best in my lifetime to the 1991 season, when the team finished 12-4, earning the second seed throughout the NFC playoffs. In January of 1992, they knocked out the Cowboys 38-6 in the divisional round, which prior to last night's win, had been the one and only time that the Lions had earned a win in the postseason. The television cameras showed some fans in tears, as their team finally won another playoff game after so long.
The last time the Lions had won a postseason game, I was still in high school. Bill Clinton looked like he would become the Democratic nominee for the presidency, but George H.W. Bush looked unbeatable. The Seattle music scene (grunge") was only really beginning to gain traction and take over. Hardly anyone was familiar with the internet, and companies like Amazon, Google, and Ebay had yet to be created. In short, it was a different world.
Now, the Lions finally got that particular monkey off their back. They no longer own the longest active losing streak in postseason history, which had reached nine games. They also no longer are the only team left in the NFL not to have won a single postseason game in the 21st century.
As a result of this win, the Lions now will host the winner of the Bucs-Eagles game, to be decided later tonight.
A very satisfying win for the Lions and their fans. But they already need to prepare for next week. When's the last time that the Lions could say that in mid-January?
My pick: Accurate
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