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Talk about a late Christmas present. The Packers delivered a final Christmas present Sunday night with a loss to the Titans, 40-14, in a wintry setting at Lambeau Field.
Visibility may have been lower than usual Sunday night, but one thing was still very clear: The Packers could be good. I know they’ve had their rough spots this season, and I know that last year’s brutal exit from the playoffs has conditioned fans to underestimate the sequel and keep hopes low, but the Packers are the best team in the NFC. They’ve beaten several good teams along the way – the Saints, the Bears and now the Titans – and they have a great quarterback throwing a great receiver with potentially multiple quality running backs ready as well. They haven’t lost in a month; meanwhile, in that time, the Seahawks lost to the Giants, the Rams lost to the Jets and the Saints lost two in a row. They are hot; other teams are less so. Maybe it’s the proximity to 2021 speaking … but maybe it’s time for hope.
Or maybe we’ll just wait and see what happens next week against the playoff-hungry Bears! It seems like a wise decision. In the meantime, let’s check out some great footage from last night’s snowy hit.
1. There is a snowy place like home for the holidays
POV: You’re inside a @LambeauField snow globe â ???? ï¸ ?? ð ???? ® pic.twitter.com/xUkhxJO7yT
– Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 27, 2020
What’s better than a 40-14 beating from another football team bound for the playoffs? A 40-14 beating of another football team bound for the playoffs, with the beautiful aesthetics of a snow game! There is something majestic and wonderful about a soccer game in the snow, even before you win by 26 points.
RT to shake the snowball! help?????? pic.twitter.com/sscBSj8jWS
– Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 28, 2020
Now we just need to bring some of that snow here in Milwaukee!
2. I love snoooooooow!
There was no hat for Sunday night’s game (I guess a blizzard isn’t exactly hat weather), but there was an exceptional hoodie that represents the team’s unofficial mantra for the 2020-21 season.
3. It’s basically summer
Snow? What happens now? ai??@packers pic.twitter.com/acSoqPc6sN
– The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) December 28, 2020
This should have been clue number one that the Packers were going to trample the Titans on Sunday night.
4. Sweater time max
LOL pic.twitter.com/vRLHlvmIAD
– FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 28, 2020
Even the fans seemed more comfortable and calm in the snow than the Tennessee Titans.
5. Oh Henry!
For most of the season, Packers skeptics had this game circled on the schedule, pointing out that Derrick Henry, one of the game’s best running backs, was going to take advantage of Green Bay’s infamous and porous running defense. Throw in a blizzard that would certainly cloud any passing game, and Derrick Henry was primed for the kind of performance his fantasy owners could only dream of.
But then a funny thing happened: the Packers defense appeared. In fact, the real Sunday night blizzard was the one Henry faced at the line of scrimmage on every play, as the Pack kept the Titans threat suppressed all night by less than 100 yards. In fact, the longest run of the night, a 45-yard touchdown bout, came from quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Packers fans will take that result every week.
6. A + Aaron
With an impressive and serene performance in a primetime game, Aaron Rodgers could have secured his third MVP trophy during Sunday night’s showdown, scoring 231 yards and four quiet, practical touchdowns. While Russell Wilson’s offense in Seattle has flopped and Derrick Henry looked deadly, Rodgers has primarily been a model of consistency, and while his State Farm teammate Patrick Mahomes could claim the title (especially since he has the best record of the NFL right now), Rodgers has six more touchdowns with one fewer pick this season. However, whether he wins or loses the honor, one thing is for sure: AA-Ron is far from being a toast.
7. Davante authorized to take off
It’s a shame Davante Adams lost those two games earlier this season through injury, because with them, he too could easily be in the MVP conversation. Even with two games behind almost everyone else, Adams is third in receiving yards, third in receptions and league-leading in touchdowns, including 11 catches for 142 more yards and three more touchdowns Sunday night in the slippery snow and muddy. If even Mother Nature can’t contain Adams, what hope do the cornerbacks think they have?
8. King Davante
I really hope Allen Lazard was the one who brought this up ð ?????? pic.twitter.com/zC7W7WVkk8
– Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) December 28, 2020
Last night went so well for the Packers that they turned to prop comedy in the middle of it all.
9. Always with the special teams …
It wouldn’t be a Packers game in 2020 without special teams doing things more intense than necessary. Yes, even in a 40-14 beating, the special teams unit had an unspectacular night, with Mason Crosby missing a PAT and blocking another kick. Fortunately, the former was not a factor and the latter was wiped off the board due to a certainly dubious offside call. But it is clear that there is still work to be done.
10. Hard work
How boring was gambler JK Scott’s night? Since his foot was not needed at all throughout the game, Scott turned to some outfields on the sidelines.
11. What a presentation party
If you had told him that AJ Dillon would have a better game than Derrick Henry on Sunday night, he would have called you crazy (and also made some significant alterations to my fantasy lineup). But in fact, given his first significant workload of his career thanks to an injury to Jamaal Williams and concerns about Aaron Jones, the burly rookie scored his first two NFL touchdowns and racked up more than 100 yards, beating the All- Star on the opponent’s side line. You love discovering a new weapon on offense just in time for the playoffs …
12. The Lump of Lambeau
AJ Dillon had an amazing night … on the field, at least. When it comes to off-the-field celebrations, however, there is clearly work to be done, as his first Lambeau Leap was cruelly defeated by the only defense that worked against him Sunday night: gravity.
I have to work at AJ Dillon’s Lambeau Leap, but we’ll get there. pic.twitter.com/MwYFqBpwPr
– Charlie (@SnoTapWI) December 28, 2020
His second attempt was somehow better and worse. He got up there … albeit with the grace of a snowplow in the air.
AJ Dillon needed help with his Lambeau Leap ð ?????? #GoPackGo @ ajdillon7
ð ???? º: #TENvsGB on NBC
ð ???? ±: NFL App // Yahoo Sports App: https://t.co/iW14QNTbk4 pic.twitter.com/kw4qG3Oh2G
– NFL (@NFL) December 28, 2020
Well, I guess he will have to keep getting to the end zone and practicing. What a pity; you hate to see it …
13. Excellent tandem
I end this collection with this amazing photo of a Rodgers pass en route to his target, you guessed it, Davante Adams. I love how you can see where the play is going in a still image, but most of all, I love that my favorite football team has arguably the best quarterback / wide receiver tandem in the entire league. For finishing the season well with a win over the Bears next weekend and an official claim to the NFC best team title (with the playoff bye week to follow).
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