At halftime on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers‘ playoff chances looked to be dead and stinking. Then the second half started. They took the second half kickoff, and proceeded to score touchdowns on 5 consecutive possessions, to win the game 37-36 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Green Bay quarterback Matt Flynn, threw for 299 yards and 4 touchdown passes, for the Packers’ first win in Dallas since 1989. Former Packer quarterback Brett Favre, and current injured starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers haven’t beaten the Cowboys in Dallas. Rodgers has missed the last 6 games, with a broken collarbone, that was expected to keep him out of the lineup 4-6 weeks. I can’t help but think ironman Favre would have been back a lot sooner. Flynn now owns this notable win, in addition to the Green Bay team record for most touchdown passes in a game.
The Packers (7-6-1) are still just a half-game back in the National Football Conference (NFC) North division, behind the Chicago Bears, and also the Detroit Lions, if the Lions win Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens. If Green Bay wins their last 2 games, at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers and at the Chicago Bears, they will win the division, if the Lions lose any of their remaining 3 games.
After blowing a 26-3 halftime lead, the Dallas Cowboys have come under fire, especially quarterback Tony Romo. Romo, who threw for 358 yards, ended Dallas’ last 2 possessions with interceptions. Strangely, while having a 23-point lead, and rushing for 7.4 yards per carry in the game, the Cowboys’ only rushed the ball 7 times in the second half. Dallas head coach Jason Garrett even said that one of the interceptions was a running play that Romo changed to a passing play. Talk about throwing your quarterback under the bus.
Even after this devastating loss for the Cowboys, who are now 7-7, they still have a pretty good chance to win the NFC East. If they win their last 2 games, they will win their division. Their next game is at the Washington Redskins, then they end the regular season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles blew a big chance to put some distance between themselves and the Cowboys, by getting blown out by the Minnesota Vikings 48-30, for only the Vikings’ 4th win of the year.
In fact this was a bad week for many of the teams that were in prime playoff position. In the NFC, the South-leading New Orleans Saints were whipped by the St. Louis Rams 27-16, in addition to the Eagles losing as the leader in the East. But in the American Football Conference (AFC) the 3 division leaders with the best records all lost this week. The Denver Broncos lost to the San Diego Chargers 27-20, the New England Patriots came up short against the Miami Dolphins 24-20, and the Cincinnati Bengals got beat by their division-rival Steelers 30-20.
With only 2 weeks remaining, the only team to clinch a playoff spot in the NFC is the Seattle Seahawks, with an National Football League (NFL) best 12-2 record. In the AFC, 3 teams have qualified for the playoffs. The Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs have clinched their places in the postseason, and also the Indianapolis Colts, who are the only team who have clinched a division title, the AFC South.
The Monday Night game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions affects both conferences in respect to the playoffs. The Ravens, who are the defending Super Bowl Champions, currently have the final wild card spot in the AFC, and the Lions are just a half-game back, tied with the Packers in the NFC North division. So each team with playoff hopes will be rooting for the team in the other conference to win tonight.
There is a lot that still needs to be decided, before the NFL regular season is finished. Division titles and wild card spots are still at stake. The annual scramble is on to make the playoffs. I wonder if a team that barely makes the playoffs, will get hot and end up winning the Super Bowl. If it happens, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time, even in the last couple of years.
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Sports With Frank Thomas
