January 24, 2022
After the best weekend of NFL playoff football... ever (?), we're now down to two teams still alive in the NFC, in the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. We have two obituaries, of course, with the a pair of heavyweights in the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting knocked out.
Throw Rogan, Rush Lambeau, Breitbart Starr — whatever you call him*, QAaron Rodgers is out of the playoffs. In the end, the Super Bowl boycotted him.
The actual game will be remembered for Packers special teams gaffes, notably the two plays that directly affected the scoreboard. The first was a blocked field goal at the end of the first half that kept the 49ers in the game.
San Fran special teams bails everyone out with the blocked field goal.
— The Dylan & Dylan Show (@DylanDylanShow) January 23, 2022
Packers lead 7-0 at halftime pic.twitter.com/W11KrVMHOk
49er BLOCK THE PUNT, TOUCHDOWN. 49ers Defense and Special teams deserves all the praise for this game.
— Totallyblitzed (@Totally_Blitzed) January 23, 2022
Packers special teams has been their Achilles heel all season long. #GoPackGo | #FTTB | #Packers | #NFL | #49ers
pic.twitter.com/0lbndOa66I
On their first drive of the evening, the Packers went right down the field, 10 plays, 69 yards, for a touchdown. The rest of the game? 3 points, but more importantly, 5 (!) three-and-outs.
Rodgers spent the offseason lying about his vaccination status and spreading the type of misinformation that has helped elongate a deadly global pandemic, which sort of (rightfully) made many forget that he also spent the offseason hilariously comparing himself to Michael Jordan.
Both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams shared the same image to their IG story 👀 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/y7NvymhsA7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2021
Rodgers is very likely going to win the MVP award this season, but as usual, with no ring to accompany it, which is sort of makes him Bizarro Jordan.
It's not often that you're gifted four fumbles in one game and still lose, but that's how badly the Buccaneers got their asses kicked by the Rams on Sunday, even if the Bucs managed to come back from a 27-3 deficit to tie the game with under a minute to go.
Tom Brady had a rough afternoon, as his offensive line couldn't protect him with starting RT Tristan Wirfs out. Aaron Donald and Von Miller basically took turns teeing off on Brady, who tasted his own blood, and didn't like it.
Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Tom Brady after taking a shot from Von Miller, Brady bleeding on the lip after the shot#TBvsLAR pic.twitter.com/phH17TbTU2
— Ted Budd 🏀🏈 (@TedBuddy8) January 23, 2022
On his next play call into Brady, Byron Leftwich said through his headset, "OK Tom, let's go with G brown right 80 hot delay Utah, oh and I once literally couldn't even walk on my broken leg and I kept playing, so the sooner you can be a man and stop crying about the little ouchy on your lip, the better, cool thanks. On 2, on 2."
Going forward, the Bucs have an interesting offseason that lies ahead. Last offseason, they were able to retain all 11 starters both on offense and defense, a rare feat in the NFL, particularly for a Super Bowl winner. This offseason, it remains to be seen if Brady will return as the quarterback (I'd be shocked if he didn't), and whether or not Todd Bowles gets a well-earned second shot to be an NFL head coach. But they are almost certainly not keeping the entire band together again.
The 2020-2021 Tampa Bay Bucs could be the next Florida sports team that splurges in free agency, wins it all, and then just as quickly fades right back into mediocrity after the stars leave, kinda like the Miami Marlins two different times (in the 90's and 00's), and the Miami Heat. Maybe that's this offseason. Maybe it's next offseason. But it's coming.
2) 49ers (12-7): In Week 18, the 49ers secured their spot in the playoffs with a win over the Rams in Los Angeles, and now they have gone on the road and knocked off both the Cowboys and Packers in the playoffs. That's not easy. #Analysis.
As we noted prior to the wildcard round, the Niners found a nice matchup specifically for them in the Cowboys. And then as we noted in our divisional round picks, they once again got another winnable matchup against a Packers team that they have proven they could beat.
This week, it's yet another favorable matchup against a Rams team that the Niners have beaten in six straight games.
The 49ers may just make it to the Super Bowl, which will no doubt lead to a lot of dim-witted arguments that "maybe having a good quarterback isn't that important."
Last week: 4
1) Rams (14-5): Matthew Stafford was outstanding on Sunday, but this 50-ish yard throw off his back foot, while getting decked by Ndamukong Suh, that was right on the money... for the win... holy crap.
Couple things on the GW throw from Stafford:
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 24, 2022
1) TB not lined up. Shaq Barrett is 4 yards off the ball & nickel comes from depth (way too late)
2) Stafford gets smoked by his old teammate, Suh.
3) touch & placement ++ pic.twitter.com/U85K1Q2LEF
Throw of the season.
Last week: 3
*I don't know who came up with "Throw Rogan," "Breitbart Starr," etc., so I cannot give proper attribution. Those names now belong to all of us.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
