NFC Hierarchy/Obituary, conference championship round edition

The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is in the books, and we got a couple of competitive games in the NFC. We have two new obituaries (duh) in the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Obituary: Packers (10-9)

Through the first 40 minutes against the 49ers, Jordan Love was awesome. He completed 15 of 21 passes for 164 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs.

In the final 20 minutes? Not so much. He was 6 of 13 for 30 yards, 0 TDs, and 2 INTs. The final INT that put the nail in the coffin of the Packers' season was this abomination of a decision: 

That was a Brett Favre-like throw (in a bad way).

Still, Love represents hope for a Packers franchise that was not supposed to be competitive in 2023. They have the youngest team in the NFL, and Love proved that he has the talent to make deep playoff runs, as long as the Packers can continue to surround him with talent and build a better defense.

They almost took down the extremely hateable Niners, and they dispatched of the Cowboys in hilarious fashion in the wildcard round. And for that they deserve an Irish wake.

Love will be a popular MVP pick for some next year. I'm not there. He's good. Let him grow. 

Obituary: Buccaneers (10-9)

Before the 2023 season began, the Bucs had 80/1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Only four teams — the Titans, Colts, Cardinals, and Texans — had longer odds. They were also considered the biggest longshot to win the NFC South, even behind the atrocious Carolina Panthers, and Baker Mayfield was among the least desirable starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

As it turned out, the Bucs had a respectable season, wildly exceeding expectations and landing among the final eight teams in the playoffs after blowing out the Eagles in the wildcard round. Mayfield had arguably a better season than Tom Brady did the previous year, Mike Evans had his 10th straight 1000-yard season, and Todd Bowles, who was squarely on the hot seat, earned at least another year at the helm. Soooo, progress, right?

Eh, maybe not. The Bucs' success this season may not have been the best thing for them, long-term. To begin, Bowles getting another season probably isn't the best thing. He's an elite defensive coordinator, but he's a horrid game manager. In the divisional round loss to the Lions, Bowles decided to just not use his final timeout and make the Lions kick a 48-yard field goal to ice the game.

Maybe you block it and return it for a score. Maybe he misses and you get score on a Hail Mary. Crazier things have happened in the NFL, and Bowles was basically like, "Nahhh, why bother?"

You spend countless hours in OTAs, training camp in grueling heat, film sessions, game-planning, 17 regular season games, three practices each week, etc. etc., and you don't want to call a timeout and give yourself one last shot to win the game, even if unlikely? That is unreal.

And then there's Mayfield. He signed a one-year deal worth $4 million last offseason. That was a hell of a bargain. He'll be a free agent this offseason, and if the Bucs bring him back, he's going to be a lot more expensive. In a season in which Mayfield was way better than anyone could have predicted the team still only went 10-9.

The 2023 Bucs were the "Congrats and condolences on your good season" team.