Behind Aaron Rodgers and a defense that bent but came up big in the end, the Green Bay Packers (11-3) won a 31-30 “nail-biter” on the road against the undermanned Baltimore Ravens. In control and up by 14 in the fourth quarter, the Pack almost let this one get away with sloppy defense, chronically bad special teams play, and an inopportune offensive stall!
The determined Ravens (8-6) played without superstar QB Lamar Jackson. But, his “stand in” QB Tyler Huntley almost pulled off the upset. Following a TD with 45 seconds left to pull the home team to 31-30, Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh chose to go for the two-point conversion that might have won the game. But, the play was poorly designed and Huntley’s pass was broken up by the Pack’s Darnell Savage to largely seal the win. The following onside kick failed, probably the highlight of the Pack’s beleaguered special team’s play over the past few weeks.
The good news: the Pack’s win kept them in the #1 position in the NFC for a first round bye and home field advantage during the playoffs. That’s no small achievement following the opening game debacle against New Orleans and all the Rodgers-generated distractions (including his disgraceful failure to get the COVID vaccine). The Pack also played turnover-free football, as did the Ravens,
The cautionary note: This game was closer than it should have been. The Pack let an obviously short-handed and therefore significantly less talented Ravens team “hang around” and almost steal a “W.” On paper, this game should have been a blowout, but wasn’t.
Surprisingly well as Huntley played in relief of Jackson, the Pack will face much, much better QBs in the playoffs. And, given a “gift possession” inside the Ravens’ 40 in the 4th quarter, the Pack failed to score the TD that would have put the game away, instead settling for a field goal after AR missed a pass that should have sealed the game. That nearly proved fatal.
A team hoping for a Super Bowl birth will have to do better!
PWS
12-19-21